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Final Phase of Cleanup Completed at Havertown Superfund Site Thanks to Recovery Act Funding

Release Date: 11/03/2010
Contact Information: Roy Seneca seneca.roy@epa.gov (215) 814-5567

PHILADELPHIA (November 3, 2010) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has completed construction for the third and final phase of the Havertown PCE Superfund site in Haverford Township, Delaware County, Pa.

EPA used funds made available by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to complete this final phase of the Havertown cleanup. The construction cost for the final phase was approximately $3.6 million and included $3.2 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding.

“Completing this cleanup project ends decades of environmental threats,” said EPA Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin. “And EPA is especially fortunate to have used recovery act funds to finish the critical final stage that helps ensure that the public’s health and the environment remain protected in the Havertown community.”

The final cleanup included excavating and disposing of contaminated soil from a residential area and backfilling that area with clean fill; installing additional groundwater extraction wells, which will draw contaminated groundwater to the surface for treatment; and installing an in-situ flushing system that will be used to treat contaminated groundwater.

While the construction activities are completed at the site, the groundwater will continue to be monitored on a regular basis, and the groundwater extraction and treatment will be ongoing until the groundwater meets federal standards.

The Havertown PCP Superfund site, located in a suburban area just west of Philadelphia, was used from 1947 to 1963 by National Wood Preservers to treat wood products. The company allegedly used an on-site well to dispose of diesel-type oil and pentachlorophenol (PCP), a pesticide and wood preserver and a probable carcinogen. The liquid wastes traveled into nearby Naylor’s Run, a small stream that flows through a residential area into the Delaware River. Liquid waste was also spilled, contaminating soil and groundwater in the area.


The EPA first became involved with the Havertown site in 1976, and has completed a number of cleanup measures to protect the surrounding community and environment. These included installing an oil-water separator to reduce oil in the storm sewer that was discharging to Naylors Run; removing on-site drums and hazardous waste; and in 1991 installing an on-site pump-and-treat system to address contaminated groundwater in the shallow aquifer. This system was upgraded during the final cleanup phase.

For more information on the Havertown PCP Superfund site, go to: www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/super/sites/PAD002338010/ .