Under the agreement, Foster Wheeler is required to pay for the investigation and reimburse EPA for oversight costs. EPA used the Superfund alternative approach for this settlement, which means that the site can be cleaned up without being put on the NPL. If Foster Wheeler complies with the agreement, the NPL listing may not be finalized and the cleanup will proceed.

 

Foster Wheeler operated a pressure boiler manufacturing facility in Mountain Top, from 1953-1984. EPAfs involvement at the site began in 1988 when it required Foster Wheeler to install a groundwater treatment system to address contamination from trichloroethene (TCE), a chemical degreaser used at the facility.

 

Sampling conducted by Foster Wheeler in Sept. 2004 indicated that residential wells along Church Road, to the southwest of the former facility, were also contaminated with TCE. Residents were subsequently notified, and EPA in conjunction with Foster Wheeler provided affected residents with bottled water and/or carbon filters, and connected some residents to a public water supply. EPA also conducted additional sampling to ensure no additional residents were impacted.

 

 

The BoRit site was proposed for NPL listing in Sept. 2008, which was followed by a 60-day comment period. The final decision on the listing comes after EPA evaluated and responded to all the public comments in writing.

 

The BoRit asbestos site was used to dispose of asbestos-containing material from the early 1900s to the late 1980s that came from a nearby asbestos-manufacturing plant. The site is divided into three parcels: an asbestos waste pile, a reservoir owned by Wissahickon Waterfowl Prserve and a former park/playground owned by Whitpain Township.

 

The waste pile covers approximately two acres of the six-acre parcel, and is about 20 feet above the ground surface. The berm of the 15-acre reservoir was constructed of asbestos shingles, millboard and soil. Asbestos product waste, such as piping and tiles, is visible surrounding the reservoir and stream banks.

 

The third disposal area, which covers about 11 acres, was a depression that was filled and leveled, and eventually used as a park/playground. In the mid-1980s, the area was fenced due to asbestos contamination.

 

The site is on the NPL because the nearby residential population could potentially be exposed to airborne asbestos and to asbestos contamination along Tannery Run, Rose Valley Creek and the Wissahickon Creek.