The project to clean up a fire training site at University Park along Big Hollow Road has been proceeding on schedule since its start in early February.
Under the direction of the Office of Environmental Health and Safety, the EPSYS Corp. of Harrisburg is coordinating the project to clean up a site that for decades had been used by Penn State and area firefighting companies. The remediation project includes the removal of fire training structures and items, installation of additional stormwater controls, removal of the underground fuel storage tank, and the excavation and disposal of approximately 6,300 tons of soil with non-hazardous material and approximately 480 tons of soil with hazardous material.
A cleanup of a heating oil spill at the site in 1997 led to another investigation where isolated amounts of perchloroethylene, a material commonly used in dry cleaning, had been measured. Penn State developed a plan to address the contamination and restore the site to its original natural state with the approval of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
Throughout the process, soil samples have been collected and tested by an outside analytical laboratory. The findings are similar to those from the investigation that initiated this process, and they have confirmed the successful removal of the contamination from a majority of the site. There is additional testing being done at the drum storage area where contamination was previously identified.
The next steps are the completion of the removal of soil at the drum storage area, the installation of additional test monitoring wells, gas sampling of the bedrock in the site, and final grading of the property. Officials say there is no hazard to the public.