Hazardous Waste Cleanup: Railway Maintenance Products Division (Formerly: Protec) in Aspinwall, Pennsylvania

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Cleanup Status

The final remedy for the facility is complete and consists of institutional controls to prohibit both residential use of the property and groundwater use beneath the facility. These institutional controls are codified in an environmental covenant, which can be accessed below. The Final Decision for the facility was issued by EPA on May 19, 2011.

Environmental investigations and remediation began in the late 1980s at the facility, and included several soil removal efforts, in addition to regular groundwater monitoring from 1989-1998. More information on the investigation and remediation of the facility can be found in the Statement of Basis document.

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Site Description

Interactive map of Railway Maintenance Products Division (Formerly: Protec), Pittsburgh, PA

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The former Railway Maintenance facility is located on the northern bank of the Allegheny River. The property is bordered to the west by a railroad, to the south by a small industrial development, and to the north by the Penn Central Railroad and a variety of commercial enterprises. Undeveloped land and an abandoned marina border the facility to the east.

From 1929 to 1989, the 20-acre site was used to assemble railroad maintenance equipment. Paints, thinners, and degreasers were used in the manufacturing operations. Waste produced by these operations included xylene paint liquid, paint sludge, phenol solutions, paint filters, and solvents.

A Final Report that summarized prior remedial activities was approved by Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) on November 30, 1998, in accordance with the provisions of the Land Recycling and Environmental Standards Act (Act 2). The facility demonstrated attainment of the Non-Residential Statewide Health Standard for groundwater

In 1999 the facility was sold to O'Hara Hospitality Park, L.P., who leases different sections of the existing building to several commercial tenants

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Contaminants at this Facility

Primary contaminants at the facility included chlorinated volatile organic compounds, primarily tetrachloroethene and chlorinated ethanes. Soil cleanup efforts in the late 1980s and early 1990s removed any remaining source material, and groundwater monitoring from 1989 to 1998 demonstrated decreasing concentrations of contaminants, resulting in the attainment of the Act 2 Non-Residential Statewide Health Standard. It is likely that natural attenuation processes have continued to decrease concentrations of any remaining contamination from the facility. With the implementation of the institutional controls discussed below, it is unlikely that exposure to any remaining contamination from the facility would occur.

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Institutional and Engineering Controls at this Facility

An environmental covenant between PADEP and the facility was recorded in 2010 and includes institutional controls restricting land use of the property to non-residential purposes and prohibiting the use of groundwater beneath the facility.

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Land Reuse Information at this Facility

O'Hara Hospitality Park, L.P. has reused the facility by leasing several areas of the existing building to commercial tenants.

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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 DEP.

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