Dangerously Polluted Site Redeveloped for Recreational Use : VIDEO: Whitmoyer Laboratories EPA Superfund Site 30 Years on
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has published a video explaining the work being done at the Whitmoyer Laboratories site, located in Jackson Township, Pennsylvania.
Veterinary pharmaceuticals were manufactured at the site between 1934 and 1984. During the manufacturing process arsenic compounds were produced and stored at the site.
The site, which occupies 22 acres, featured 17 buildings, 23 storage tanks, a concrete storage vault, 15 lagoons, a waste pit, a petroleum products pipeline and pump station, plus a railroad spur.
The site occupies 22 acres in a rapidly developing rural residential area. Veterinary pharmaceuticals were manufactured there between 1934 and 1984. Arsenic compounds were produced and stored, resulting in contaminated groundwater, soil and sludge. A site cleanup was conducted under the EPA Superfund Program.
According to the EPA In 1964, in 1964 then owner, Rohm & Haas, detected arsenic pollution in the soils, groundwater, and surface water.
The cause of this pollution was previous disposal of wastes in the soils and unlined lagoons.
Around 4700 people use wells within three miles of the site, the closest home is within 50 feet and 1300 people live within a one mile radius.
To be eligible for federal cleanup money, a site must be put on the National Priorities List (NPL). This site was proposed for NPL listing on October 15, 1984. The site was formally added to the Superfund list on July 22, 1987.
Today the site is home to recreational facilities, including a baseball pitch. The video below shows current and past cleanup operations at the site, an interview with a Jackson Township supervisor, current views of site and athletic fields, and an interview with the president of a local youth soccer club which uses the site.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mldihkucL1w]
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