Mid-Atlantic Superfund

EPA Region 3 (Mid-Atlantic)

Pennsylvania
The border between Philadelphia and Delaware Counties

EPA ID# PASFN0305521

1st and 7th Congressional District

Last Update: December 2009

Other Names

Clearview Landfil
Folcroft Landfill

Current Site Status

The Lower Darby Creek Area site consists of two landfills: the Clearview Landfill and the Folcroft Landfill.
EPA is the lead agency at the Clearview Landfill. EPA is currently conducting a Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study (RI/FS) at the Clearview Landfill. The RI/FS consists of sampling soil, water, and air to determine the nature and extent of contamination. EPA is also conducting a human health assessment and an ecological assessment.

EPA finalized a legal agreement with a group of potentially responsible parties (PRPs) to have them perform the RI/FS at the Folcroft Landfill. The United States Fish and Wildlife owns the Folcroft Landfill as part of the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge. Field work started at the end of November 2006 and continued until summer of 2007. During this time groundwater wells were installed and sampled and soil samples were collected. This environmental data will be included in the RI/FS for the Folcroft Landfill which is currently underway.

Site Description

The Lower Darby Creek Area site consists of two landfills: the Clearview Landfill and the Folcroft Landfill along Darby Creek in Philadelphia and Delaware Counties. Clearview Landfill is on the east side of Darby Creek near the intersection of 84th and Lindbergh Boulevard. Two miles downstream is the Folcroft Landfill on the west side of Darby Creek. The Folcroft Landfill is part of the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge and is managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). The two landfills operated from the 1950's to the 1970's and were eventually closed in the mid-1970's. During operation they disposed of a variety of waste including municipal, demolition, and hospital waste.

Site Responsibility

EPA is the lead agency in investigating the Clearview Landfill. A group of PRPs is the lead in investigating the Folcroft Landfill with EPA oversight and in coordination with FWS.

NPL Listing History

Our country's most serious, uncontrolled, or abandoned hazardous waste sites can be cleaned using federal money. To be eligible for federal cleanup money, a site must be on the National Priorities List. This site was proposed to the list on May 11, 2000 and formally added to the list June 14, 2001. When the site was proposed to the list in 2000, it consisted of six contiguous areas along the Darby Creek. The final site consists of two landfills: the Clearview Landfill and the Folcroft Landfill.

Threats and Contaminants

While operating the landfills waste was placed along the edges of the creeks. When the landfills were closed they were covered. Years later, EPA investigators found that the covers were eroding and contaminated runoff was seeping into Darby Creek. EPA collected samples at the landfills and reviewed previous sampling reports. This information showed that at the Clearview Landfill soils and seeps contained metals, polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs, and petroleum byproducts. At the Folcroft Landfill the groundwater wells contained metals and solvents.

Contaminant descriptions and risk factors are available from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, an arm of the CDC.

Cleanup Progress

Folcroft Landfill

The Folcroft Landfill was permitted from the 1950's to the 1970's to accept municipal, demolition, and hospital wastes. In 1973 the Folcroft Landfill was closed due to permit violations and improper management. Closing included regrading the landfill, reducing the steep slopes, covering, and seeding.

In 1980, Congress authorized the Department of Interior to purchase the Folcroft Landfill to increase the size of the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge. The Fish and Wildlife Service manages the John Heinz NWR and the Folcroft Landfill. In 1983 there was a fire at the Folcroft Landfill. During the firefighting a number of drums were identified. EPA sampled and removed the drums. The FWS along with EPA sampled the Landfill to investigate contamination. As part of this effort, five groundwater wells were installed. The FWS monitored the groundwater from these wells.

EPA finalized a legal agreement with a group of potentially responsible parties (PRPs) to have them perform the RI/FS at the Folcroft Landfill. The United States Fish and Wildlife owns the Folcroft Landfill as part of the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge. Field work started at the end of November 2006 and continued until the summer of 2007. During this time groundwater wells were installed and sampled and soil samples were collected. This environmental data will be included in the RI/FS for the Folcroft Landfill.

Clearview Landfill

The Clearview Landfill is located along the eastern bank of the Darby Creek near the border between Philadelphia and Delaware Counties. It was privately owned and operated from the 1950's to the 1970's. In 1973 after failing to comply with landfill requirements the landfill was closed. The property has been used for other waste disposal operations since its closure. In 1976 the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority covered and seeded a portion of the Landfill. Later, the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority constructed hundreds of residences around the eastern and southern borders of the Landfill.

EPA is conducting the Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS) at the Clearview Landfill. This investigation includes comprehensive environmental sampling of the soil, groundwater, surface water, stream sediments and landfill seeps to determine the type of contaminants and the spread of contamination. EPA has sampled the Clearview Landfill, the city park, and Darby and Cobbs Creeks. In 2005, EPA collected stream samples from Darby Creek and soil samples from the City park as part of the ecological investigation. After a long legal process, EPA in October 2005 finally received federal court-ordered access to the Clearview Landfill. In 2006 EPA started sampling the Clearview Landfill collecting soil, air, and groundwater samples. EPA also installed groundwater monitoring wells on the landfill property. EPA is also conducting a human health assessment and an ecological assessment.

Contacts

Kristine Matzko
Remedial Project Manager
215-814-5719
matzko.kristine@epa.gov

Carrie Deitzel
Community Involvement Coordinator
215-814-5525
deitzel.carrie@epa.gov

Governmental Liaison
Megan Dougherty
215-814-5534
dougherty.megan@epa.gov