Evergreen is continually reviewing the Q&A to determine what updates are needed to be included in the Public Comment RIR. The Q&A webpage will be updated as any answers are updated as part of this process. Also note that some questions/comments cannot be addressed fully as the subject matter may be part of future site activities and/or future Act 2... read more
What sampling has been done of the water and sediment in the Schuylkill River?
Posted by Tiffani Doerr & filed under .
There has been no direct sampling conducted by Evergreen in the Schuylkill River. An ecological risk assessment has been completed, which evaluated site conditions in relation to the surface water and sediment in the Schuylkill River. This will be submitted after the RIRs are approved in accordance with the Act 2 requirements. Going forward, the groundwater model, which includes a surface water model that is... read more
The dates for final completion was originally set for December 31, 2020 but was extended for 10 years to December 31, 2030. Why? In reference to the deadline, why ten years instead of 3 to 4 years for example?
Posted by Tiffani Doerr & filed under .
The extension to the cleanup deadline was agreed by Sunoco and the PADEP in the CO&A amendment in 2020 because of bankruptcy of PES and impending acquisition of the property by Hilco, which included a substantial and material change in the use of the site. Evergreen must coordinate its Act 2 timeline with Hilco’s redevelopment timeline, which is expected to be approximately 10 years. The planned future use of... read more
Can anything be built there after the cleanup?
Posted by Tiffani Doerr & filed under .
What is built at the property is not determined by Evergreen; however, the future use of the site must remain... read more
What direct communication have you had with hilco? They seem unaware of the data you shared that shows how dangerous the site remains and yet Hilco is marketing and promoting the redevelopment of PES site as safe for businesses.
Posted by Tiffani Doerr & filed under .
Evergreen is in direct communication with Hilco regarding our activities and how that may impact their planned site activities. Evergreen has shared, and plans to continue to share, all data with... read more
Did you say that Evergreen will cleanup as Hilco redevelops/builds?
Posted by Tiffani Doerr & filed under .
Partially. Evergreen has been remediating the site for years and remediation is ongoing. Therefore, Evergreen will have some remedial measures in place before Hilco redevelops an area of the Site, and some remedial measures are part of the development (for example capping and vapor mitigation measures in a building, if warranted). The timing of the Cleanup Plans will be based on the redevelopment schedule so... read more
We are still waiting on a city response to our request for a public hearing on Evergreen’s existing remediation infrastructure, including vents that emit fumes coming from underground pollutants.
Posted by Tiffani Doerr & filed under .
It is our understanding that Philadelphia Air Management Services (AMS) will hold a public hearing on the draft Natural Minor Operations Permit; however, Evergreen is not aware of the timing. Questions regarding the permit application and timing of future public hearings should be directed to Philadelphia... read more
Evergreen and Hilco may have a reasonable and actionable agreement about how the cleanup is divided between you, but the public has no idea whether there is one. It’s illogical for Evergreen to be working on a remediation project, and do an incomplete job on an area because some of the contaminants arrived after PES bought it. Or vice-versa.
Posted by Tiffani Doerr & filed under .
In 2006, Sunoco voluntarily entered the site into Act 2 and Evergreen, since 2013, has been managing the legacy (pre-sale in 2012) site investigation and remediation. PES/Hilco are separately managing post-sale in 2012 releases. Both Evergreen and Hilco separately report to the PADEP on their respective efforts. Sunoco, PES and PADEP entered into a Consent Order & Agreement (CO&A) in 2012 and an amendment... read more
Groundwater needs more attention and testing as well as soil. For one thing, an update is needed to reflect the conditions of both shallow and deep groundwater because of the length of time since the reported sampling, and after years of partial remediation. Contamination in groundwater aquifers does not stay in one place for years! I’m also concerned that the shallow and deep aquifers were presented as being separated by an aquitard, implying that the deeper drinking water aquifer was somehow protected from the high pollution in the more shallow areas. However, the shallow and deep aquifers are not continuously separated, leaving contamination to migrate between them. This is even more concerning since some shallow areas of the aquifer are very close to highly contaminated soil and thus very vulnerable to becoming more contaminated over time. Also, while pumping contamination out of the water has removed a lot of pollution, pumping also alters how quickly and in what direction groundwater (and contamination) moves, and may have increased the movement of contamination between these unconfined aquifers or how far from the refinery the contamination extends. Because of this, it would be prudent to conduct new tests as well as sampling a larger portion of both aquifers. The current work cannot be evaluated until all analysis about the aquifers is completed. Without that information, the public does not have all of the information to evaluate decisions on soil and groundwater sampling. Evergreen has not sufficiently delineated the nature and extent of contamination in the deep aquifer and the unconfined aquifer (water table).
Posted by Tiffani Doerr & filed under .
Evergreen conducts continual groundwater sampling at the facility, not just as part of the RIRs. Sampling is necessary before, during and after remediation is complete; therefore, sampling will continue at this facility for quite some time. The current work under evaluation (what’s included in the RIRs) includes defining the nature and extent of contamination in the subsurface as well as significant... read more
Could you clarify the period in which you are considering climate change projections? Is it the period of remediation or the post-remediation use of the site? If it’s post-remediation, what assumption are you using for future climate change?
Posted by Tiffani Doerr & filed under .
At a minimum, we’d be looking at several decades to be considered for climate change projections. This process is ongoing, however, and will continue to be evaluated to see if longer time frames are necessary as the F&T RIR is completed this... read more