Global InformationBoRit Asbestos information
| BoRit Asbestos | |
|---|---|
| Superfund site | |
 Aerial view showing the three parcels of the BoRit Asbestos Superfund Site | |
| Geography | |
| Township | Ambler, Upper Dublin, Whitpain |
| County | Montgomery County |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| Coordinates | 40°09′18″N 75°13′39″W / 40.15500°N 75.22750°W |
| Information | |
| Contaminants | chrysotile asbestos |
| Responsible parties | Keasbey and Mattison Company, Turner & Newall, CertainTeed Corporation, Nicolet Industries |
| Progress | |
| Proposed | 2006 |
| Listed | 4/9/2009 |
| List of Superfund sites | |
The BoRit Asbestos Superfund site is a 32-acre (13 ha) waste dump and reservoir in Ambler, Upper Dublin Township and Whitpain Township, Pennsylvania that was contaminated with 1.5 million cubic yards (1.1×106 m3) of asbestos containing material due to the waste disposal practices of the Keasbey and Mattison (K&M) Company and Turner and Newall from 1897 to 1962. The site is named BoRit after Bob Rittenhouse, one of the recent owners of the site.[1]
The site is divided into three parcels: an asbestos waste pile, a reservoir and a closed park. The asbestos waste pile was approximately 25 feet (7.6 m) and covered 2+1⁄2 acres (1.0 ha) of a 6-acre (2.4 ha) property. The reservoir was used for process water for manufacturing and is approximately 11 acres (4.5 ha) in size on a 15-acre (6.1 ha) lot. The berm of the reservoir was constructed from asbestos shingles, millboard and soil. The 11-acre (4.5 ha) Whitpain Wissahickon Park was used as an asbestos waste dump and then filled in and converted for usage as a park from 1973 to 1984 when it was closed and fenced-in due to asbestos contamination.[2] The site also includes portions of Wissahickon Creek, Tannery Run Creek and Rose Valley Creek which run adjacent to the three parcels.[3] The site is located in a densely populated borough with approximately 6,000 people living within 1⁄2 mile (0.80 km).[4] It is the second largest asbestos dump site in the United States.[5]
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducted an emergency removal action in 2008 which included capping the asbestos waste pile with a geotextile material and 2 feet of clean material and stream bank stabilization of the three creeks. The EPA added the site to the Superfund National Priorities List in April 2009.[6] The total cost of site clean-up was approximately $26 million. The site is currently being monitored on a quarterly basis and after significant weather events to ensure the integrity of the cap and stabilized stream banks. A five-year review will be completed by the EPA in 2022.
- ^ Cahlink, George. "Superfund: A Philadelphia suburb's asbestos nightmare". www.eenews.net. E&E News. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
RODwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Gallagher, Timothy. "Final Operations And Maintenance Plan, Revision 2 - BioRit Asbestos Superfund Site, Operable Unit 1, Ambler, Pennsylvania" (PDF). www.semspub.epa.gov. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
NPLwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
McDonaldwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Borit Asbestos Ambler, PA". www.cumulis.epa.gov. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved 9 January 2021.