DNREC Reaches Settlement with Company for Investigation, Possible Remediation at Site

The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control today announced a settlement with Solvay Specialty Polymers USA, LLC to address perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) allegedly released from the company’s facility in the Marshallton area of New Castle County.

On Sept. 11, 2020 DNREC notified Solvay that it is a potentially responsible party (PRP) for the alleged PFAS release and offered the company an opportunity to enter DNREC’s Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP) in accordance with Hazardous Substance Cleanup Act (HSCA) regulations.

Solvay is an international company that recently closed and decommissioned its facility located at 800 Greenbank Road in Marshallton. Solvay processed polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) by irradiating the PTFE feedstock, then milling it to a fine powder that was sold as product.

Under the terms of the settlement, Solvay must perform a comprehensive environmental investigation at the site and at potentially affected surrounding areas under the oversight of DNREC’s Division of Waste and Hazardous Substances. Based on the results of the remedial investigation, an appropriate remedy will be proposed to address any soil, sediment, surface water, and groundwater contamination which may be discovered at the site and in the surrounding areas affected by a release from the Solvay plant. At present, DNREC’s soil, sediment, and surface-water testing has not identified any known potential for health concerns for residents in the surrounding neighborhood or along Red Clay Creek.

To view the settlement, visit the DNREC website at https://dnrec.alpha.delaware.gov/secretarys-orders/enforcement/.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The Division of Waste and Hazardous Substances ensures Delaware’s wastes are managed to protect human life, health, safety and the environment. The Division of Air Quality monitors and regulates all emissions to the air. For more information, visit the website and connect with DNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov; Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov

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REHOBOTH – DNREC Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police officers responded to, and are investigating a fatal boat accident that occurred at approximately 3:45 p.m. Sunday, May 19 on the Rehoboth Bay near the Lewes/Rehoboth Canal.

A 16-foot boat capsized, resulting in the boat’s operator and single passenger entering the water. The boat operator and passenger were transported to shore, where the passenger was pronounced dead by Sussex County Emergency Medical Services. At this time, all names are being withheld pending notification of family members. The investigation is ongoing.

Follow Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police on Facebook, www.facebook.com/pages/Delaware-Fish-Wildlife-Natural-Resources-Police.

Follow Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police on Twitter, https://twitter.com/DE_FW_NRPolice.

Contact: Sgt. Brooke Mitchell, Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police, 302-382-7167, or Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 49, No. 130ca

DOVER – The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) has concluded that there was no increased risk to human health or safety from deluge water used to contain the Nov. 25, 2018 ethylene oxide (EO) release at Croda’s Atlas Point facility. DNREC’s conclusion was made from a soil and groundwater sampling report required of Croda by the Department as part of a settlement agreement with DNREC in the aftermath of the EO incident.

The full report, prepared by an environmental consultant on Croda’s behalf and reviewed by DNREC’s Site Investigation & Restoration Section, can be found on the DNREC website. The DNREC-Croda settlement agreement requiring the report from Croda assessed a penalty of $230,000 to Croda for air, hazardous waste and water quality violations stemming from the EO incident, and additional steps to be completed by Croda before the EO plant can resume operations.

Data in the soil and groundwater report was based on the amount of deluge water that exceeded a containment sump at Croda’s facility in New Castle. Terms of the settlement agreement required soil and groundwater sampling by Croda to determine if EO-contaminated deluge water had impacted the area west of Croda’s EO production unit. EO was not detected in any of the soil or groundwater samples from Croda, according to the report.

Another compound associated with Croda’s operations, 1,4-dioxane, considered a contaminant, was detected in two soil samples, as well as the groundwater sample from the company. For the site’s intended manufacturing use, the reported concentrations of 1,4-dioxane in the groundwater samples do not pose an unacceptable risk to health and safety. The reported concentrations of 1,4-dioxane, the locations of detections noted during sampling, and past detections of 1,4-dioxane by DNREC at the site led the Department to conclude that there is a very low probability that last year’s EO release was the source of the 1,4-dioxane concentrations sampled. Based on the levels and location, no further action is required to address this portion of the site.

A DNREC letter to Croda reiterated that the Nov. 25, 2018 EO release does not change remedial actions already required by DNREC in addressing site contamination at the Atlas Point facility and that are ongoing as directed by the Department.

Media contact: Michael Globetti, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 49, No. 90

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DELAWARE CITY – DNREC’s Division of Parks & Recreation will once again host Pea Patch Paranormal Adventures ghost tours on weekends, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 5, at Fort Delaware State Park. Visitors can take the night ferry from Delaware City to Pea Patch Island – where Fort Delaware is located – to participate in a three-hour recreational paranormal investigation, led by experienced ghost hunters. The program is open to ages 13 and older.

Visitors are invited to join Diamond State Ghost Investigators, Inc. and park staff, for three-hour paranormal investigations at 6:30 and 9:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday nights at the fort. Participants will be part of the actual investigation using electronic magnetic field detectors, data recorders, and other techniques.

Tickets for Pea Patch Paranormal Adventures are now available but limited. Reservations are required and should be made early to ensure a spot. To reserve, visit www.delawarestateparks.reserveamerica.com. Adventures are $50 per person, including the ferry ride.

For more information, contact Jacob Miller, Fort Delaware State Park, at 302-834-7941.

Contact: Beth Shockley, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 48, No. 259

SMYRNA – Delaware Animal Services (DAS), the Enforcement Division of the Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) Office of Animal Welfare, is seeking assistance from the community to solve a suspected animal cruelty case in Smyrna.

Officers are conducting an investigation after a dog was found dead from apparent gunshot wounds in the 300 block of Eagle Way in Smyrna. Officers believe the dog went missing from the owner’s property on Saturday evening. The dog was then found dead in its owner’s yard in the early morning hours of Tuesday, May 2, 2017. The dog was an adult female black pitbull mix breed dog.

Delaware Animal Services is seeking the community’s help in solving this crime and encourages anyone with information about the case to contact the lead investigator, Captain Reed Jones, at 302-255-4646.

A person who is deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind or speech-disabled can call the DPH phone number above by using TTY services. Dial 7-1-1 or 800-232-5460 to type your conversation to a relay operator, who reads your conversation to a hearing person at DPH. The relay operator types the hearing person’s spoken words back to the TTY user. To learn more about TTY availability in Delaware, visit http://delawarerelay.com.

Delaware Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware’s citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations. DPH, a division of DHSS, urges Delawareans to make healthier choices with the 5-2-1 Almost None campaign: eat 5 or more fruits and vegetables each day, have no more than 2 hours of recreational screen time each day (includes TV, computer, gaming), get 1 or more hours of physical activity each day, and drink almost no sugary beverages.