Hazardous Waste Cleanup: Sonneborn Incorporated in Petrolia, Pennsylvania
On this page:
- Cleanup Status
- Site Description
- Contaminants at this Facility
- Institutional/Engineer Controls
- Land Reuse
- Site Responsibility
Cleanup Status
EPA and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) have reviewed available information and have determined that both human exposures to contamination and migration of contaminated groundwater are under control at the Sonneborn facility. The preliminary Remedial Investigation and Risk Assessment (RIRA) report submitted in April 2008 was later withdrawn. The May 2014 revision of the RIRA was disapproved by PADEP in August 2014. A revised RIRA incorporating PADEP comments is anticipated in the near future.
Site Description
Interactive map of Sonneborn Incorporated, Petrolia PA
Constructed in approximately 1885, the facility's current products include white oils, petrolatums and microcrystalline waxes. The facility is located on Route 268 in Fairview Township, adjacent to the Borough of Petrolia in Butler County, Pennsylvania. Approximately 250 acres in size, the facility lies along the South Branch of Bear Creek.
Contaminants at this Facility
This facility is part of the area known as the Bear Creek Area Chemical Sites (BCACS), where primarily site-specific contaminants (i.e. resorcinol, sulfonic acids) have impacted groundwater, which has been prohibited to be used as a drinking water source in several boroughs and two counties in the area. All areas with contamination above levels of concern in the affected zone have been provided access to a public water system for potable use.
Institutional and Engineering Controls at this Facility
Institutional controls anticipated at this facility include a restriction on land use preventing residential-type development and a restriction on groundwater use as a drinking water source.
Land Reuse Information at this Facility
Sonneborn continues to manufacture white oils, petrolatums, and microcrystalline waxes at the facility.
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 PADEP.