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Bishop Tube

This page was last updated on February 23, 2024

Site Facts

Location: Malin Road, south of U.S. Route 30, East Whiteland Township, Chester County
Hazardous Sites Cleanup Program (HSCA) Site Since: 1999
Contaminants of Concern: Trichloroethene (TCE) its breakdown products, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), certain heavy metals, and other contaminants have been detected in soil, surface water, groundwater and/or indoor air at the Site
Historical Use: Stainless steel tubes were manufactured from the 1950’s until 1999
Previous Property Owners and Operators: Johnson Matthey Inc. (previously known as J. Bishop, Matthey Bishop) , Whittaker Corporation, Christiana Metals Corporation, Alloy Steel Corporation, Marcegaglia USA, Central & Western Chester County Industrial Development Authority
Current Property Owner: Constitution Drive Partners L.P. (CDP)
Listing: On September 11, 2010 DEP facilitated the future Remedial Response action(s) as defined in HSCA by placing the Site to Pennsylvania’s Priority List of Hazardous Sites for Remedial Response (“PAPL”)

Remedial Response Action

  • The Site consists of areas of groundwater, soil, and surface water contamination. Groundwater contamination at the Site affects certain properties located along South Malin Road, Lancaster Avenue (US Rt. 30), Conestoga Road (PA Rt. 401), Morehall Road (PA Rt. 29), and Village Way.
  • The known sources of the contaminated groundwater and surface water and areas of contaminated soil are located on the former Bishop Tube property ("Source Property"), currently owned by CDP.
  • DEP's responsibility under the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Act ("HSCA") is to select a remedy that is protective of human health and the environment and complies with all statutory and regulatory requirements.
  • In September 2022, DEP selected a remedial response action to address soil, groundwater, surface water, and a residential drinking water supply.
  • DEP plans to remediate the Site to a combination of residential Act 2 standards, based on the anticipated end use of the Source Property. DEP divided the Site into three operable units ("OUs"). The selected remedy includes
    • Operable Unit 1 (OU1) - In Situ Chemical Oxidation and/or In Situ Chemical Reduction ("ISCO/ISCR"), coupled with soil mixing to address unsaturated and saturated soils impacted by Site contaminants of concern ("COCs");
    • Operable Unit 2 (OU2) - In situ injection of ISCO, ISCR or bioremediation amendments in the two primary chlorinated solvent source areas to address contaminated groundwater with engineering, and/or institutional controls, and long-term monitoring; and
    • Operable Unit 3 (OU3) connection of the residence with an impacted domestic well to the existing public water line.
  • The total estimated present value cost of the final remedial response action is $8.1M.

Administrative Record

What's Next

  • Planning for additional pre-design investigation activities.

Pre-Design Investigations

  • August 24, 2021 - Soil Investigation for Certain Inorganic Constituents and Groundwater Investigation for VOCs and Certain Inorganic Constituents (PDF) Submitted by Roux Associates, Inc. on behalf of Johnson Matthey, Inc. and Whittaker to report results of soil sampling completed in May 2021 and groundwater sampling performed in June 2021. (This document was included in Part II of the Administrative Record for the Site but was not considered during preparation of the AOA.) Soil sampling was conducted to follow up prior detections of inorganic parameters and groundwater sampling was performed to evaluate VOC concentrations across the site area.
  • January 28, 2022 - Recent Regulatory Updates and Laboratory Data Package Correction (PDF) - Submitted by Roux Associates, Inc. on behalf of Johnson Matthey Inc. and Whittaker to acknowledge updates to Pennsylvania Code, Title 25, Chapters 93 and 250 and to provide updated laboratory analytical data for a soil sample collected in May 2021. The update resulted from an internal audit performed by Roux’s analytical subcontractor.
  • April 1, 2022 - PFAS Sampling Results (PDF) – Sampling of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (“PFAS”) conducted by Roux Associates, Inc. on behalf of Johnson Matthey Inc. and Whittaker.

Remedial Action Implementation

Timeline

= Completed Steps,  = Current Step,  = Next Steps

Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS) 1/13/2021
Remedial Response Action Proposal 9/24/2021
Public Hearing 11/9/2021
Response to Public Comments 9/8/2022
Signature of the Statement of Decision (SOD) 9/12/2022
Closing of the Administrative Record 9/21/2022
Work Plan for OU-3 (Public Waterline) Implementation 1/6/2023
Remedial Action: OU-3 (Public Waterline) Construction and Connection May and June 2023
Public Meeting September 12, 2023
Pre-Remedial Design Investigation Work Plan Est. Winter 2025
Pre-Remedial Design Investigation Activities Est. Summer 2025
Remedial Design (RD) - During the Remedial Design phase, the plans for the cleanup method are carefully designed. The Remedial Design is based on the cleanup method described in the SOD. TBD
Remedial Action (RA) - The Remedial Action (RA) starts the actual cleanup at a site. TBD
Operation and Maintenance (O&M) Activities TBD

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) Evaluations

April 6, 2016: ATSDR letter (PDF)
July 16, 2008: ATSDR Evaluation (PDF)

Report an Environmental Health Concern

While DEP is unaware of any confirmed environmental health issues related to the Site, some residents have expressed concerns to DEP. Pennsylvania residents with such concerns are encouraged to report environmental health concerns to the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH), where they will be evaluated and referred to an appropriate program area for potential investigation and follow-up. Please indicate in your message that your concern is related to the Bishop Tube Site.

Contact Environmental Health

East Whiteland Township

  • East Whiteland Township utilized a Technical Evaluation Grant (TEG) pursuant HSCA to conduct an independent technical evaluation of the proposed remedial response at the Site.
  • East Whiteland Township maintains a website for this Site: Bishop Tube Land Development | East Whiteland Township, PA
  • On August 9, 2023 (PDF) DEP communicated to East Whiteland Township on certain aspects of Constitution Drive Partners, LP. Final Land Development Submission, dated June 2023.

Community Outreach

  • On September 12, 2023, DEP hosted an in person public meeting to discuss the Site and the implementation of the response action.
  • DEP will plan additional public meetings, as needed, to discuss Site progress.

Community Updates

To subscribe to updates, please send an email to: RA-EP-SEROECB@pa.gov. Please indicate in the subject line or text of the email that you’d like to receive updates related to the Bishop Tube HSCA Site.

Accordion


Contacting DEP

To schedule an appointment to review files associated with the Bishop Tube site and project, please call the Norristown Office at 484-250-5910.
Please direct correspondence or inquiries to one of the following:

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