Hazardous Waste Cleanup: General Electric Transportation in Erie, Pennsylvania
On this page:
- Cleanup Status
- Site Description
- Contaminants at this Facility
- Institutional/Engineer Controls
- Land Reuse
- Site Responsibility
Cleanup Status
An Environmental Indicator (EI) Inspection was performed and a Final EI Report was submitted in December 2002. EPA reviewed the EI report and as a result scheduled a site visit and meeting on October 19, 2008 to discuss areas that may need to be investigated to satisfy Corrective Action obligations. On January 7, 2009, GE submitted a response to address Solid Waste Management units (SWMUs) and other areas of concern as a result of the meeting. Several SWMUs were determined to have been addressed, but the following were determined to require further investigation: SWMU 1 – Waste Disposal Area NW Corner, SWMU 2- Waste Disposal Area NE Corner, SWMU 5- Open Pit Burning Area, and sitewide groundwater.
Since that time, ongoing soil and groundwater sampling activities have been performed and subsequent Corrective Action Reports have submitted in 2009, 2010, and 2012. Based on the results of these investigations, GE proposed to prepare a final report to summarize the corrective action activities performed and a plan to put in place to achieve the EPA’s 2020 goal. Once this report is complete, EPA will determine if it the Corrective Action requirements have been satisfied by the facility.
Site Description
Interactive map of General Electric Transportation, Erie, PA
The General Electric Transportation Systems facility is located at 2901 East Lake Road in Lawrence Park Township outside of Erie, Pennsylvania. The Site currently covers approximately 350 acres and includes four million square feet of manufacturing floor space in 16 major and several ancillary buildings. The north border is approximately 2,500 feet from the south shore of Lake Erie. The plant is bordered on its eastern side by Four Mile Creek, which runs north to Lake Erie and on its southern side by commercial railroad lines. Residential areas border the site to the west.
The GE facility manufactures diesel and electric locomotives, motorized wheels for off-highway construction vehicles, propulsion equipment for mass transit, and drives for oil and gas well drilling rigs. The facility processes include metalworking, fabricating and finishing. A coal-fired power plant is operated on-site to furnish electricity and steam in order to supply the processes. The facility also operates an on-site industrial Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP).
Contaminants at this Facility
The GE facility utilizes many materials, including petroleum products (diesel fuel, gasoline and lubricating oils), acids used in metal cleaning/etching and wastewater treatment, alkali cleaning solutions, solvents used in cleaning, painting and degreasing, and paints, thinners, varnishes and related materials.
Institutional and Engineering Controls at this Facility
The need for Institutional Controls is yet to be determined.
Land Reuse Information at this Facility
The facility is under continued use.
Site Responsibility at this Facility
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Corrective Action activities at this facility have been conducted under the direction of EPA Region 3 with assistance from Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.