Superfund Sites in Reuse in Delaware
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ARMY CREEK LANDFILL
The 50-acre Army Creek Landfill Superfund site is in New Castle, Delaware. It is immediately west of the Delaware Sand & Gravel Landfill Superfund site. From 1960 to 1968, potentially responsible parties (PRPs) ran a municipal and industrial waste landfill on-site. Uncontrolled landfill leachate contaminated soil, groundwater, nearby Army Creek and local water supply wells. Contamination was first discovered in 1971 in a residential well at a nearby housing development. In 1973, the landfill owner put in groundwater recovery wells to protect nearby public water supply wells. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1983. With EPA oversight, PRPs dug up over 100 buried drums containing chemical wastes and took them off-site for disposal. PRPs also capped the landfill and built a facility to treat extracted groundwater before its discharge to Army Creek. Remedy construction finished in 1994. The water treatment facility treated contaminated groundwater until 2004, when it met cleanup goals. Groundwater, surface water and sediment monitoring are ongoing. Collaboration among EPA, local natural resource trustees, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife, and the PRPs incorporated wildlife habitat as part of the multi-layer cap design. Stakeholders planted grasses and vegetation to encourage migratory bird visits and added bird boxes to encourage nesting. Sedimentation basin outlet structures manage runoff, prevent flooding and create standing wetlands. The wetlands prevent erosion and surface water runoff. They also provide valuable habitat for plants and animals. In 2020, EPA updated the remedy. Land and groundwater use restrictions now protect the landfill cap and prevent exposure to contaminated materials in the landfill and contaminated groundwater.
Last updated September 2024
As of December 2023, EPA did not have economic data related to on-site businesses, or economic data were not applicable due to site use. For additional information click here.
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BLADES GROUNDWATER
The Blades Groundwater Superfund site is in the town of Blades in Sussex County, Delaware. It covers about half of a square mile. Past operations at two electroplating facilities, Procino Plating and Peninsula Plating, contributed to the contamination of groundwater on and near the site. Procino Plating remains active on-site; it opened in 1985. Peninsula Plating was active from 1992 to 1995. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 2020. In 2022, EPA led a short-term action at the site where the release of contamination into domestic well water sources was addressed. This involved the installation of filtration systems in select homes where water sampling data showed contaminants above a level of concern constituting a removal action. To manage the cleanup, EPA divided the cleanup into two parts. For the first part, which includes the entire site, including groundwater, EPA is further defining the contamination and working on a sitewide cleanup plan. For the second part, to address homes nearby with domestic wells, EPA selected a cleanup plan in February of 2024 (extension of a public waterline) to protect the homes from contaminated groundwater in residential wells.
Last updated September 2024
As of December 2023, EPA had data on one on-site business. This business employed 10 people and generated an estimated $1,900,000 in annual sales revenue. For additional information click here.
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CHEM-SOLV, INC.
The 1.5-acre Chem-Solv, Inc. Superfund site is near Dover, Delaware. From 1981 to 1984, Chem-Solv, Inc. recycled solvents at the site. An explosion and fire at the facility in 1984 resulted in a solvent spill that contaminated soil and groundwater. The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control cleaned up the soil and ran a groundwater treatment system in the 1980s. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1990. The site’s potentially responsible parties began extracting and treating groundwater in 1997. In 2017, groundwater sampling found contaminant concentrations met cleanup goals. Groundwater extraction and treatment ended. After system shutdown, sampling found contaminants in one monitoring well. Quarterly groundwater monitoring continued until 2020, when all monitoring wells met the benchmark for groundwater restoration. Institutional controls restrict well installation on-site. EPA took the site off the NPL in 2022. A small apartment building is now on-site. Commercial and industrial businesses are east of the site property, above the former area of groundwater contamination.
Last updated September 2024
As of December 2023, EPA did not have economic data related to on-site businesses, or economic data were not applicable due to site use. For additional information click here.
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DELAWARE CITY PVC PLANT
The 400-acre Delaware City PVC Plant Superfund site is in New Castle County, Delaware. Stauffer Chemical Company built a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) manufacturing plant on-site in 1966. In 1981, the company sold the plant to Formosa Plastics Corp., which ran it until 2018. Waste disposal practices resulted in contamination of soil and groundwater. In 1982, sampling by EPA found contamination at a water supply well on an adjacent property. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1983. Formosa Plastics Corp. led cleanup activities for the PVC plant part of the site (known as operable unit 1). Stauffer Chemical Company led cleanup activities for the rest of the site (known as operable unit 2). Cleanup activities included pumping and treating contaminated groundwater, digging up contaminated materials and soil for off-site disposal, capping former waste management areas, cleaning and repairing plant areas used for wastewater treatment, and connecting affected businesses and homes to the public water supply. EPA is in the process of selecting a remedy to address groundwater contamination flowing to the east and modifying the existing remedies to include institutional controls. Groundwater monitoring is ongoing. In 2019, a developer started work on Delaware Logistics Park. It includes four industrial buildings with 2 million square feet of distribution and fulfillment space. Planned future uses at the park include two distribution centers.
Last updated September 2024
As of December 2023, EPA had data on 3 on-site businesses. These businesses employed 428 people and generated an estimated $46,179,870 in annual sales revenue. For additional information click here.
For more information:
- Redevelopment Opportunity Sites Fact Sheet: Delaware City PVC Plant (PDF)
- Reuse and the Benefit to Community: A Beneficial Effects Economic Case Study for the Delaware City PVC Plant Superfund Site (PDF)
- Superfund Site Profile Page
DELAWARE SAND & GRAVEL LANDFILL
The 27-acre Delaware Sand & Gravel Landfill Superfund site is in New Castle, Delaware. It is immediately east of the Army Creek Landfill Superfund site. From 1968 to 1976, municipal and industrial wastes were put in unlined gravel pits at the site. Leachate from the disposal areas contaminated groundwater, affecting a nearby residential area and a public wellfield. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1983. Cleanup included the removal of waste drums, capping of waste disposal areas, bioventing of contaminated soil, and pumping and treatment of contaminated groundwater. Caps cover a 16-acre part of the site. Groundwater monitoring is ongoing. The Delaware Sand & Gravel Remedial Trust put in a sub-slab depressurization system in 2014 and a landfill gas mitigation system in 2017 to mitigate the potential for the migration of vapors, including methane, into nearby buildings. Institutional controls in place restrict land and groundwater use. In 2022, EPA, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, and the site’s potentially responsible parties (PRPs) negotiated a Consent Decree for more groundwater cleanup activities. Construction began in June 2023. Activities include the installation of new groundwater extraction wells and piping and an access road for maintenance activities. EPA and the PRPs worked with the site owner on a special-wear surface for a 5-acre part of the landfill cap to enable its reuse. A storage area for impounded vehicles, propane tanks and salvage materials is now on top of the cap.
Last updated September 2024
As of December 2023, EPA had data on one on-site business. EPA did not have further economic details related to this business. For additional information click here.
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DOVER GAS LIGHT CO.
The 23-acre Dover Gas Light Co. Superfund site is in Dover, Delaware. From 1859 to 1948, the Dover Gas Light Company processed coal on-site, producing gas for use in city streetlamps. Operators buried process materials containing coal tar residues, contaminating soil and groundwater. Contamination was found in 1984 when the state of Delaware began drilling holes for the construction of a court building. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1989. The site’s potentially responsible parties (PRPs) have led cleanup activities since 1989. EPA and the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control provide oversight. These activities include removing and treating contaminated soil and groundwater and capping part of the site. In 2023, EPA announced cleanup plans to address groundwater contamination at two source areas at the Site. Cleanup actions will include on-site thermal treatment of source material and groundwater. Remaining groundwater contamination will be addressed in a final remedy for the downgradient plumes. Government buildings, businesses and homes are located above the area of groundwater contamination. Today, the asphalt cap over a 1-acre part of the site serves as a paved parking lot for the Johnson Victrola Museum.
Last updated September 2024
As of December 2023, EPA had data on 68 on-site businesses. These businesses employed 1,293 people and generated an estimated $32,990,657 in annual sales revenue. For additional information click here.
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E.I. DU PONT DE NEMOURS & CO., INC. (NEWPORT PIGMENT PLANT LANDFILL)
The 120-acre E.I. Du Pont De Nemours & Co., Inc. (Newport Pigment Plant Landfill) Superfund site is in Newport, Delaware. It consists of a pigment manufacturing plant and two industrial landfills. Plant operations and waste disposal practices contaminated groundwater and soil, nearby wetlands and the Christina River. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) and DuPont found elevated levels of contaminants in on-site groundwater. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1990. DuPont led cleanup activities with oversight from EPA and DNREC. Cleanup included removing contaminated soil and sediment and putting in a municipal water line for nearby residents. DuPont completed the cleanup in 2002. Operation and maintenance activities are ongoing. Much of the site is in reuse or continued use. The pigment manufacturing plant remains active on-site. Restored wetlands provide valuable ecological habitat. DuPont established a pollinator meadow on-site. In 2003, DuPont donated part of the site to the town of Newport for Ella Johnson Park. The park has a walking trail, fitness equipment, picnic tables and benches. An energy company built a 5-acre solar farm on part of the site in 2013. The 548-kilowatt facility generates enough electricity to power about 60 homes.
Last updated September 2024
As of December 2023, EPA had data on one on-site business. This business employed 200 people and generated an estimated $220,127,000 in annual sales revenue. For additional information click here.
For more information:
- Reuse and the Benefit to Community: E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Inc. (Newport Pigment Plant Landfill) Case Study (2014) (PDF)
- Superfund Site Profile Page
HALBY CHEMICAL CO.
The Halby Chemical Co. Superfund site is near the Port of Wilmington in New Castle, Delaware. From 1940 to 1995, a company made and stored chemicals on-site. Operators sent wastewater from the plant into an unlined lagoon. Wastewater then flowed through a tidal marsh and the Lobdell Canal into the Christina River. Waste disposal practices contaminated sediments and groundwater. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1986. With EPA oversight, the potentially responsible party (PRP) cleaned up the site. Cleanup activities included disposing of chemicals, treating contaminated soil on-site, and capping remaining contaminated soil and sediment on-site. Cleanup also included filling in degraded wetlands and creating new wetlands at an off-site location. Land use controls limit redevelopment to commercial and industrial uses. They also prohibit the use of groundwater. The PRP completed cleanup in 2002. Monitoring is ongoing. A trucking company and other commercial and industrial businesses are active on-site.
Last updated September 2024
As of December 2023, EPA had data on 9 on-site businesses. These businesses employed 50 people and generated an estimated $6,836,020 in annual sales revenue.. For additional information click here.
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HARVEY & KNOTT DRUM, INC.
The 20-acre Harvey & Knott Drum, Inc. Superfund site is in Kirkwood, Delaware. From 1963 to 1969, Harvey & Knott Trucking ran an open dump and burning area on-site. The facility accepted sanitary, municipal and industrial wastes. Wastes included sludge, paint pigments and solvents. Operators dumped wastes onto the ground or into trenches, left waste in drums and buried waste. These activities resulted in contaminated groundwater, surface water, soil and sediment. Area residents depend on private shallow wells for water. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1983. Cleanup included draining water from a pond, removing drums and taking them off-site for disposal, removing contaminated soil and sediment, capping contaminated soils, and monitoring groundwater and surface water. During sampling in 2017 and 2018, EPA found contaminated soil outside the capped area. EPA expects to complete a cleanup plan to address the contaminated soil in 2027. A recreational paintball facility is now on-site.
Last updated September 2024
As of December 2023, EPA had data on one on-site business. This business employed 16 people and generated an estimated $1,389,000 in annual sales revenue. For additional information click here.
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HOCKESSIN GROUNDWATER
The 32-acre Hockessin Groundwater Superfund site is in Hockessin, Delaware. It is in a commercial and residential area. The site consists of a groundwater plume and two dry cleaners. Past and current dry-cleaning operations contributed to groundwater contamination. Both facilities have surface and subsurface soil containing volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) and other contaminants. The Artesian Water Company used groundwater wells as the primary source of drinking water in the area. The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control investigated potential contamination sources in 2002, after the local water authority reported contaminants in the untreated water. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 2018 and began in-situ thermal treatment of groundwater and soil contaminated with perchloroethylene (PCE) below the surface near Sunrise Cleaners in 2020. The cleanup method involves heating contaminated groundwater and soil to remove PCE. As part of the Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study, water sampling, well monitoring and continued site characterization work are ongoing. The treated drinking water provided by Artesian Water Company meets all federal and state regulatory standards. The state installed and now maintains filtration systems on four residential wells. EPA is evaluating the potential for contaminated vapors to enter homes above the plume. So far, the evaluation has found a low impact on indoor air quality. The dry-cleaning facilities are still active and there are several restaurants on site.
Last updated September 2024
As of December 2023, EPA had data on 2 on-site businesses. These businesses employed 10 people and generated an estimated $639,080 in annual sales revenue. For additional information click here.
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NCR CORP. (MILLSBORO PLANT)
The 80-acre NCR Corp. (Millsboro Plant) Superfund site is in Millsboro, Delaware. From 1967 to 1980, National Cash Register (NCR) Corp. made cash registers and other electronic devices on-site. Wastes from plating operations were discharged into on-site concrete lagoons. On-site disposal of sludge from the lagoons and spilled industrial solvents resulted in the contamination of groundwater. In the early 1980s, First Omni Bank purchased part of the site property and converted the manufacturing building into a records storage and call center. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1987. NCR Corp. leads the cleanup as a responsible party. Cleanup began with pumping and treating groundwater in 1988. In 1996, a system started removing below-ground chemical vapors and treating them. Groundwater restoration methods were added to the cleanup in 2016. They include the use of chemicals and organisms to reduce the harmfulness of contaminants. Cleanup activities are ongoing. A banking data center on-site stayed open during cleanup. It remains on-site today.
Last updated September 2024
As of December 2023, EPA had data on one on-site business. EPA did not have further economic details related to this business. For additional information click here.
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NEW CASTLE SPILL
The 6-acre New Castle Spill Superfund site is in New Castle, Delaware. From 1969 to 1984, Witco Chemical Company processed materials used to make plastic foam at the site. The company stored large quantities of chemical waste in drums on the southern boundary of the property. A chemical spill from the drum storage area led to soil and groundwater contamination. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1983. EPA worked with the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) on a cleanup plan that would allow for site reuse. The city of New Castle provided an alternate water supply to residents affected by groundwater contamination. Witco, the site’s potentially responsible party, placed controls on groundwater use at the site and monitored groundwater. In 1996, after groundwater achieved cleanup goals, EPA took the site off the NPL. Witco donated the site property to the city. The city renovated a historic trolley barn on-site and converted it into office space for the New Castle Public Works Department.
Last updated September 2024
As of December 2023, EPA had data on 2 on-site businesses. These businesses employed 59 people. For additional information click here.
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TYBOUTS CORNER LANDFILL
The 47-acre Tybouts Corner Landfill Superfund site is in New Castle, Delaware. A sand-and-gravel quarry was on-site until 1968, when the New Castle Department of Public Works turned the area into a landfill. It accepted municipal and household wastes until 1971. Landfill waste contaminated groundwater. Investigations also found contamination in two drinking water wells. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1983. With EPA oversight, the site’s potentially responsible parties (PRPs) led cleanup activities. In 1985, the PRPs put in water lines to connect homes with affected wells to the public water supply. From 1994 to 1995, they also capped the landfill and put groundwater extraction and gas collection systems in place. Groundwater extraction ended in 2007. Inspection of engineering controls and groundwater monitoring are ongoing. The PRPs used wildflowers and native grasses to stabilize the ground and prevent erosion on the landfill cap. Institutional controls in place restrict well installation, groundwater use and disturbance of the remedy. After the cleanup of two site parcels, EPA took these areas off the NPL in August 2022. The site’s ecological resources include a wildlife habitat area and wetlands.
Last updated September 2024
As of December 2023, EPA did not have economic data related to on-site businesses, or economic data were not applicable due to site use. For additional information click here.
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TYLER REFRIGERATION PIT
The 3-acre Tyler Refrigeration Pit Superfund site is in Smyrna, Delaware. Beginning in the 1940s, companies ran a refrigerator manufacturing plant on-site. They used solvents to degrease and clean refrigeration equipment. Operators put solvents, paint wastes and sludge in two unlined pits. From 1973 to 1975, site owners removed the contents of the lagoons. In 1977, routine testing found solvents in Smyrna’s municipal drinking water wells. This contamination could have come from the site or from other sources nearby. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1990. Cleanup activities included groundwater monitoring to make sure contaminants did not move off-site. Institutional controls restrict well installation or residential use of the site. EPA took the site off the NPL in 2004. In 2017, groundwater sampling showed that all contamination was below cleanup levels and that cleanup goals had been achieved. A developer purchased the site property. The developer is working with the state brownfields program to repurpose a warehouse for storage and related uses. A seasonal farmer's market is also on-site for part of the year.
Last updated September 2024
As of December 2023, EPA did not have economic data related to on-site businesses, or economic data were not applicable due to site use. For additional information click here.
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WILDCAT LANDFILL
The Wildcat Landfill Superfund site is south of Dover, Delaware, near the St. Jones River. A 44-acre landfill was on-site from 1962 to 1973. Its operations contaminated soil and groundwater. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1982. The potentially responsible parties put a protective cover over the landfill and planted wildflowers and native plants on top of it. The cleanup also restored natural habitat along the banks of the St. Jones River. After cleanup, EPA took the site off the NPL in 2003. In 2005, Kent County bought several parcels of land, including the site, for reuse as a county conservation area, greenway, museum and archaeological area. In April 2015, Hunn Nature Park opened on-site. The 173-acre area includes nature trails for walking, jogging, biking and wildlife viewing. Part of the St. Jones Greenway also crosses the site. It connects area communities to Delaware Bay.
Last updated September 2024
As of December 2023, EPA did not have economic data related to on-site businesses, or economic data were not applicable due to site use. For additional information click here.
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