VALLEY FORGE, PA - The long-awaited clean-up of the asbestos release site (ARS) at Valley Forge National Historical Park is beginning. The ARS is a 112-acre area located along County Line Road and Station Lane within the park. It contains soil contaminated with asbestos and other hazardous substances including lead, mercury, arsenic, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The contamination was the result of activities of an asbestos insulation manufacturing plant (the Ehret Magnesia Company and its successor, the Keene Corporation) that operated within what is now the park from the early 1890s to 1970s.
Work to be completed includes the excavation and transportation of contaminated soils to appropriate disposal facilities and the restoration of the impacted areas. The National Park Service will oversee the remediation contracting team, led by Frontier Services, Inc., in the implementation. Over 80% of the work will be completed by Pennsylvania-based contractors.
Work completed in fall 2012/winter 2013 included site surveying, archeological clearance, soil sampling for disposal characterization, and work plan preparations. In March 2013, Frontier Services, Inc. will begin site preparation activities, such as mobilizing equipment and clearing excavation areas; actual excavation of soil is scheduled to begin in April 2013. The remediation and restoration of impacted areas is anticipated to be completed by summer 2014. Once remediation is complete, the entire area will be re-opened to public use.
For additional information, please contact the NPS project manager overseeing this remediation, Donna Davies at Donna_Davies@nps.gov or 610-783-1006 and visit the Asbestos Release Site page on the park website.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
