EPA RCRA ID: PAD002917466
On this page:
- Cleanup Status
- Facility Description
- Contaminants at this Facility
- Institutional/Engineer Controls
- Enforcement and Compliance
- Related Information
- Contacts for this Facility
Cleanup Status
Note: The EPA is the lead agency for managing cleanups at this facility.
A Final Decision and Response to Comments was finalized and signed on March 19, 2007, indicating the final remedy decision for Sensient Technical Colors is "Corrective Action Complete with Controls." This decision was based primarily on the December 6, 1999 Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) approval of the Act 2 final report that was submitted on October 5, 1999. The final report demonstrated attainment of the site specific standard, which means there are onsite locations that contain contaminants in subsurface areas above acceptable standards but below calculated risk based values particular to this site. Included in the final report was the proposed deed restriction which required notice to the deed upon the approval date.
The specific requirements of the deed restriction state that:
a. The use of the property shall be restricted to non-residential uses only.
b. Shallow groundwater at the Property shall not be used for potable purposes or in any other manner which could increase the risk of exposure to contaminants by humans or the environment without the express approval of PADEP.
EPA recently discussed with the facility the need to prepare an environmental covenant as per PADEP policy where deed restrictions accompany Act 2 approvals. Additionally, the discussion included EPA's desire to include property latitude and longitude coordinates to allow mapping through Google Earth on our website. EPA expects the facility to begin these tasks in the near future.
On July 12, 2018, the EPA conducted a Long Term Stewardship assessment to assess whether the remedy was implemented and protective of human health and the environment. EPA determined that the remedy institutional and engineering controls have been fully implemented and no control deficiencies were identified.
Cleanup Background
On November 1, 2001 EPA, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and representative from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) conducted an Environmental Indicators investigation to determine current environmental conditions at Sensient Colors, Inc.
The areas of concern at this site were: the Former Burn Pit/ Sump Area which was determined to be the source of contamination at and downgradient of Surface Impoundment, the Remediated Area (former waste disposal lagoon and environs), and the Wetland Area.
Warner Jenkinson had been working with PADEP through the Act 2 program to identify contamination and remediate the site. Warner Jenkinson submitted a Final Report under Act 2 to PADEP on October 5, 1999 showing that, based on a site-specific risk assessment, contamination at the site was not a risk to human health or the environment. PADEP approved the final report and granted Warner Jenkinson a release of liability on December 7, 1999.
EPA has evaluated the data gathered during the inspection and submitted by Warner Jenkinson and determined that that contamination in groundwater and human exposures risk from contaminants were under control.
Production ended in August 2003 and future plans by Sensient are unknown for this site. An inspection was performed by PADEP and found numerous drums stored in a warehouse that need to be removed prior to an approved closure of the facility by the state.
PADEP received the certifications for the clean closure of impoundments 3 and 4a and the capping closure of 4b in accordance with their permit. They received the certifications on October 18, 2005. A site visit was conducted at the Sensient facility located in Gibraltar, Pennsylvania on April 11, 2006. The removal of the drums was verified and the only remaining items in the warehouse were bags/pallets of seed, fertilizer, and other material used for the purpose of establishing and maintaining the vegetative cover for the impoundment. Inspection of Impoundments 3 & 4a confirmed that they were no longer in use. Additionally, visual inspection confirmed the closure of impoundment 4b to be complete.
Cleanup Actions or environmental indicators characterizing the entire facility are shown below. It is not intended as an extensive list of milestones/activities. This listing, and all the data on this page, come from EPA’s RCRAInfo and are refreshed nightly to this page. For this table and the Cleanup Activities Pertaining to a Portion of the Facility table that follows, a blank in the Status column could mean the action either has not occurred or has not been reported in RCRAInfo.
Cleanup Activities Pertaining to the Entire Facility
| Action | Status | Date of Action |
|---|---|---|
| Human Exposure Under Control Human Exposure Under Control(CA725) | ||
| Groundwater Migration Under ControlGroundwater Migration Under Control (CA750) | ||
| Remedy DecisionRemedy Decision (CA400) | ||
| Remedy ConstructionRemedy Construction (CA550) | ||
| Ready for Anticipated Use Ready for Anticipated Use (CA800) | ||
| Performance Standards AttainedPerformance Standards Attained (CA900) | ||
| Corrective Action Process TerminatedCorrective Action Process Terminated (CA999) |
For definitions of the terms used, hover over or click on the term.
Cleanup Activities Pertaining to a Portion of the Facility
| Action | Area Name | Date of Action |
|---|
For definitions of the terms used, hover over or click on the term.
Facility Description
Link to a larger, interactive view of the map.
The Warner Jenkinson Facility is located 2529 Main Street, approximately one mile east of the town of Gibraltar and five miles southeast of Reading, in Robeson Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania. The approximately 140-acre site is bordered on the north by the Schuylkill River. Warner Jenkinson used about 30 acres of the property to manufacture dyes. Operations ceased in August 2003. The rest of the property is not developed but a large portion was found to be leased and used for agricultural purposes.
Contaminants at this Facility
The areas of concern at this site were: the Former Burn Pit/ Sump Area which was determined to be the source of contamination at and downgradient of Surface Impoundment, the Remediated Area (former waste disposal lagoon and environs), and the Wetland Area. The final EPA report demonstrated attainment of the site specific standard, which means there are onsite locations that contain contaminants in subsurface areas above acceptable standards but below calculated risk based values particular to this site.
Institutional and Engineering Controls at this Facility
Sensient has Institutional Controls in their deed restrictions document (refer to "Additional Site Information" section) which include :
a. The use of the property shall be restricted to non-residential uses only.
b. Shallow groundwater at the Property shall not be used for potable purposes or in any other manner which could increase the risk of exposure to contaminants by humans or the environment without the express approval of PADEP.
Institutional and Engineering Controls help ensure human exposure and groundwater migration are under control at a cleanup facility. Where control types have been reported by states and EPA in EPA’s RCRAInfo, they are shown below. Not all control types are needed at all facilities, and some facilities do not require any controls. Where there are blanks, the control types may not be needed, may not be in place, or may not be reported in RCRAInfo.
Are Controls in Place at this Facility?
|
Control(s) Type |
Control(s) in Place? |
Areas Subject to Control(s) |
Documents available on-line: |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Institutional ControlsNon-engineering controls used to restrict land use or land access in order to protect people and the environment from exposure to hazardous substances remaining in the site/or facility. (CA 772) |
Informational DevicesInformational Devices (ID) |
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Governmental Controls (GC) |
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Enforcement and Permit Tools (EP) |
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| Proprietary ControlsProprietary Controls (PR) | ||||
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Engineering ControlsEngineering measures designed to minimize the potential for human exposure to contamination by either limiting direct contact with contaminated areas or controlling migration of contaminants. (CA 770) |
Groundwater ControlGroundwater Control (GW) |
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Non-Groundwater |
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For definitions of the terms used, hover over or click on the term.
Enforcement and Compliance at this Facility
EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) provides detailed historical information about enforcement and compliance activities at each RCRA Corrective Action Site in their Enforcement and Compliance Historical Online (ECHO) system.
RCRA Enforcement and Compliance Reports from ECHO
Related Information
For more information about this facility, see these other EPA links:
- RCRA information in EPA’s Envirofacts database
- Information about this facility submitted to EPA under different environmental programs as reported in EPA’s Facility Registry Services
- Alternative Names for this facility as reported by EPA programs in EPA’s Facility Registry Services
- Cleanups in My Community provides an interactive map to see EPA cleanups in context with additional data, and lists for downloading data
- Search RCRA Corrective Action Sites provides a search feature for Corrective Action Sites
Documents, Photos and Graphics
Contacts for this Facility
EPA Region implements and enforces the RCRA Corrective Action program for and federally recognized tribes.
For further information on this corrective action site, use the Contact Information for Corrective Action Hazardous Waste Clean Ups listings that are accessible through Corrective Action Programs around the Nation.