EPA RCRA ID: PAD004329520
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.
EPA released a "Statement of Basis" for the Werner Company facility on June 29, 2000. The public was invited to comment on the proposal that no further corrective action be required at the Werner facility during a public comment period which lasted forty-five calendar days from the date this matter was publicly noticed in a local newspaper ( June 29, 2000 to August 13, 2000). On August 13, EPA completed the public comment period, during which time EPA did not receive any comments on its proposal that no further corrective action is necessary at this time. Therefore, EPA has adopted the proposed decision as the final decision.
Cleanup Background
In 1975, approximately 200-300 gallons of an oil, caustic, sludge and water mixture was released to the Little Shenango River from a settling pond located at the Facility. The release occurred during a period of heavy rain and resulted in an oily sheen on the river noticeable some distance downstream. The discharge was immediately stopped and the pond removed shortly thereafter. Removal included proper disposal of a liquid oil/water mix that was pumped from the pond and transported to an authorized landfill. The excavation as backfilled and graded and all surface water runoff diverted around the area of the former pond. Cleanup activities were conducted under the supervision of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP), Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, and the US Coast Guard.
The following year (1976), approximately 10 gallons of a used oil and water mixture was released to the Little Shenango River from a collection sump that overflowed into the storm water drainage system. The release occurred during a heavy rain event and again resulted in an oily sheen noticeable downstream. Cleanup measures were immediately undertaken which included pumping the remaining oil/water mixture from the sump, sealing overflow pipes and lining the storm water drainage ditch with straw to filter and collect remaining oil. The PADEP supervised cleanup efforts and no further action was required.
In subsequent years, small releases of oil/water mix have occurred to the Little Shenango River. All such releases entered the Little Shenango River through the Facility's storm water drainage system. As such, these releases occurred at a designated outfall and are subject to the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit issued by the PADEP. In accordance with this NPDES permit and related regulations, PADEP is notified immediately of any release through the regulated outfall. Furthermore, concentrations of oil and grease discharging from the outfall is monitored and reported monthly to the PADEP.
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 |
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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 Werner Company is the nations largest manufacturer and marketer of aluminum, fiberglass and wooden ladders along with other climbing products such as scaffolding, stages and planks. In addition, aluminum extrusions are sold to customers who further process the custom aluminum shapes into their own end products.
Werner has been in operation since 1944 and has grown to include approximately 173 acres with about 640, 000 square feet under roof. The main industrial processes at the Facility include the production of secondary aluminum (referred to as "remelt"), aluminum extrusion, fiberglass pultrusion, assembly, fabrication, and warehousing. Hazardous wastes currently generated at the Facility include parts washer cleaning solvents, uncurred styrene resin, resin contaminated Dibasic Ester solution and used die cleaning caustic. These wastes are stored at the Facility for less than ninety days before being transported off-site for disposal.
Contaminants at this Facility
The threat of contamination to the environment at the Werner Company has been controlled. Any release that may have resulted in contamination has been satisfactorily remediated to within acceptable levels.
Institutional and Engineering Controls at this Facility
Institutional Controls were not required at the facility.
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: |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
|
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.