EPA Superfund Site

FISCHER & PORTER CO.

PA | EPA ID PAD002345817

About this site’s exposure pathways: As of June 2025, the Fischer & Porter Superfund Site is considered “Insufficient Data to make a Human Exposure Evaluation” (HEID) because of a newly identified exposure pathway and/or contaminant(s). The main contaminants of concern (COCs) at the Site are trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethylene (PCE) in groundwater. At this time, the Site- related groundwater plume is undefined both laterally and vertically, and there are private drinking water wells located downgradient of the Site that are in-use. Because the groundwater plume is undefined, it is unknown if these private drinking water wells are being impacted by Site-related groundwater contamination. The site was previously categorized as Current Human Exposure Controlled and Protective Remedy in Place (HEPR). The Site remedy is a groundwater extraction treatment system that requires monthly sampling of the treatment system influent and effluent. The treatment system has been in place for over 30 years and while TCE and PCE concentrations have been decreasing over the years, the influent concentrations are still well above the Site decision documents' proposed cleanup levels (which have now been superseded by the established Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) for both compounds, which is 5 micrograms per liter [ug/L] for both TCE and PCE). Despite the elevated levels of TCE and PCE observed in the groundwater at the Site, the Site decision documents stated there were no private wells in-use downgradient of the Site, therefore assuming because there were no direct exposure pathways observed at the time that elevated COC concentrations were not as large of a concern. However, as part of the current Five-Year Review process the EPA collected additional information and confirmed the presence of private drinking water wells in-use downgradient of the Site. Additionally, the remedy, while functioning, is not functioning at an acceptable rate and may need to be optimized in order to better control the groundwater contamination. The EPA uses this Human Exposure status when there is a lack of evidence to suggest that actual or reasonably anticipated human exposures are occurring and that those exposures are above acceptable risk-based levels. The planned activities to collect sufficient information to evaluate this new exposure pathway and/or contaminants(s) are to install additional monitoring wells in order to delineate the extent of the groundwater plume, both laterally and vertically, in OU-1. Once the plume is delineated, the EPA will use that information to determine if the private drinking water wells downgradient of the Site are potentially impacted, and if so, the EPA will collect drinking water samples to be evaluated for the presence of Site-related COCs. The EPA currently anticipates that there will be sufficient data to make a Human Exposure evaluation by May 2029 because by that time sufficient analytical data will have been collected from the groundwater and/or drinking water, as needed, in order to determine the extent of Site-related groundwater contamination and if downgradient drinking water wells are impacted, as needed. In addition, EPA is currently in the process of finalizing the Fifth Five-Year Review Report, due to be signed by 07/24/2024, which will address the data gaps and advise additional investigation efforts (i.e., install monitoring wells, collect groundwater samples) in order to determine the extent of Site-related groundwater contamination and the potential exposure route via private drinking water wells. The Five-Year Review Report will also address remedy deficiencies and will recommend additional remedy evaluation.