PERRY TWP, Armstrong County — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is set to remove the Craig Farm Drum Superfund Site from the National Priorities List at the end of the month.

The pending decision resulted from a cleanup of the 117-acre site, which is roughly two miles east of Petrolia and four miles south of Parker.

Superfund is a federal program that investigates and cleans up uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act.

The law imposes liability on parties responsible, in whole or in part, for the hazardous substances at a site.

Beazer East, formerly Koppers Chemical, took remedial action, excavating 29,200 tons of material, including contaminated soil from two waste disposal pits and chemical residue in 55-gallon drums at the Craig farm.

The residue was a mix of higher polymers, including resorcinol, an adhesive enhancer used in the tire manufacturing process and pharmaceuticals.

Beazer placed 8,200 tons of treated waste and 21,000 tons of contaminated soil into a two-acre, double-lined landfill built at the site.

Testing in the early 1980s indicated the soil was contaminated with organic compounds, including resorcinol and benzene, and the organic compound cadmium.

Groundwater data showed contamination by organic compounds such as resorcinol and phenol, and inorganic compounds such as cadmium, copper, lead and zinc.

The buried drums were broken, crushed and missing lids.

Bonnie Smith, an EPA press officer, said Beazer has fulfilled federal requirements.

“The site has met its cleanup goals,” she said.

The EPA is accepting public comment on the pending deletion of the site from the National Priorities List.

John Epps, an EPA remedial project manager, said the agency will respond to all comments.

He said the priorities list deletion will occur “unless we receive adverse comments.”

Beazer issued a statement about the pending deletion.

According to Jane Patarcity, Beazer project manager, “The company has completed a significant amount of work to properly manage material at the site and is confident in the EPA’s decision that the remedy has protected the environment.”

As part of a 1990 consent decree, Beazer began remediation in May 1994. The site was then monitored with the results reviewed.

Along with excavating contaminated soil and removing drums with chemical residue, the company installed four landfill monitoring wells to check for the spread of contamination, a fence around the landfill perimeter, and collection trenches for groundwater seep locations.

From 1958 to 1963, the waste from the Koppers Chemical plant in Petrolia was taken to the site’s two strip mine pits.

Herman Craig hauled the residue from the plant to the pits. The disposal site was owned by Craig’s brother, Paul Craig.

Koppers in 1971 bought 100 acres of the site, including the two strip mine pits.

Epps said the EPA, which was tasked with identifying potential hazardous waste sites, located the Craig Farm. Along with those efforts, residents in the area of the disposal site complained about the unnamed stream being contaminated.

“The locals named it Foam Run at one point,” Epps said.

After the EPA filed a potential hazardous waste site identification report in 1980, the site was added to the priorities list in 1983.

In 1985, the company bought the remaining 17 acres.

Epps said the EPA would continue monitoring the site even if it’s removed from the priorities list.

He said the deletion would not preclude the site from being regulated if other issues are identified later.

Anyone wanting to comment on the site’s removal from the priorities list, should e-mail Epps at epps.john@epa.gov.

Written comments must be postmarked no later than Aug. 29 and addressed to: John Epps, Remedial Project Manager, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-Region 3, 1650 Arch St. (3HS22), Philadelphia, PA 19103.

For information about the site, visit www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/super/sites/PAD980508527/index.htm.