EPA RCRA ID: PAD065626822
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
EPA and Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) conducted a site visit of the facility in August 2008 in order to assess operations and corrective actions ongoing at the facility. The Upper and Lower Waste Disposal Areas continue to be monitored via the groundwater monitoring system in each area. Leachate from the Upper Disposal Area is collected and treated with lime to neutralize acidity, put in a sludge drying bed, then hauled to a landfill.
As of July 2014, two wells continue to show minimal amounts (0.09 feet or less) of light non-aqueous phase liquid (LNAPL) on top of groundwater beneath the facility. This material continues to be removed until performance criteria are met in accordance with the 1999 Revised Corrective Action Plan.
The permanent shutdown of the 19-well groundwater collection system was approved in September 2012 after a two-year temporary shutdown study during which residual levels of LNAPL in a few wells on-site did not increase appreciably, suggesting that the collection system was no longer needed to maintain capture of remaining LNAPL. In addition, surface water samples from the south branch of Bear Creek were collected upstream, midstream, and downstream of the facility in July 2012. No contaminants were detected in these surface water samples, suggesting that the small amounts of contamination remaining in soil and groundwater beneath the facility are not impacting the creek.
The final remedy for the facility is complete and consists of a combination of engineering and institutional controls, which are described in more detail below and in the Statement of Basis. The Final Decision for the facility became effective on September 29, 2014.
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 Calumet Penreco facility is an approximately 288-acre site in Fairview Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania. It is located along the banks of the South Branch of Bear Creek. It is one of several oil refineries in the area.
This site was constructed in 1878 as a petroleum refinery which processed local Pennsylvania crude oil. The company was purchased by Pennzoil in 1972 who converted the facility to the production of white mineral oils, high purity kerosene-based solids, and rust preventatives. Currently, the facility converts feedstock to four product types: white oils or food grade mineral oils, petrolatum, kero-base products, and specialty products. Many products have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for food applications and uses in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. Calumet Specialty Products acquired the facility in 2008.
Contaminants at this Facility
Primary contaminants at the facility include benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, and xylenes (BTEX). Concentrations of these contaminants in soil are relatively low, and due to their ease of biodegradability are not considered a threat to human health or the environment. Residual BTEX contamination remains in groundwater; however, significant exposures to groundwater beneath the facility are unlikely and surface water sampling has demonstrated that this residual contamination is not impacting the south branch of Bear Creek. Groundwater is not used in the vicinity of the facility.
Institutional and Engineering Controls at this Facility
As described in both the Statement of Basis and Final Decision, the final remedy for the facility relies on engineering controls to operate and maintain the leachate collection system and the Upper Disposal Area (UDA) cap, and to monitor and remove LNAPL from remaining impacted groundwater wells. The final remedy also relies on institutional controls to maintain the integrity of the UDA cap and to prohibit potable use of groundwater at the facility. It is anticipated that these controls will be implemented and enforced through an environmental covenant.
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.