DEP Conractors to Begin Next Phase of Investigation at Former Punxy Company

MEADVILLE – Work beginning this week at the former home of Berlin Metals in Punxsutawney marks a new phase in the Department of Environmental Protection’s efforts to make the property safe after a dangerous compound was found seeping through cracks of the building’s floor.

Contractors hired by DEP will collect soil samples beneath the building’s floor as part of ongoing remediation work around the property. Workers will also conduct a pilot test of a method that’s expected to reduce the toxicity level of contaminants in the impacted groundwater.

DEP has been investigating groundwater and soil in the area while conducting a cleanup since 2006.

“This week, contractors will bore through the concrete floor in 44 locations and collect soil samples to help us gain a better understanding of the extent of contamination,” said DEP Northwest Regional Director Kelly Burch. “These sample results help us chart a future course of action to remediate the site and make it safe for the community.”

DEP ordered the property’s owners in May to prevent the public from entering the building after discovering a crystalline material seeping through cracks in the concrete floor. Laboratory analysis revealed the compound contained hexavalent chromium—a known human carcinogen—at concentrations that present a threat to human health from direct contact.

Hexavalent chromium is used in chromium plating operations. It causes skin irritation and ulcers through direct contact, and affects nasal passageways and lungs when inhaled.

Public access to the building is prohibited until remediation work can be completed and the property made safe.

Burch said that contractors will also install five monitoring wells outside of the building —three near the perimeter of the building and two at a slight distance away.

“These monitoring wells are part of a system that is being tested to improve groundwater in the vicinity,” said Burch. “An organic, milk-based material will be injected into the ground to degrade the contaminants that are in the groundwater.

“This pilot study will help us determine if the system can effectively reduce the level of contaminants in the groundwater. If so, it could be used throughout the neighborhood where groundwater has been impacted.”

The building, which is located at 400 Walnut St., formerly housed the electroplating company Berlin Metals. Its last occupant vacated the property this past winter.

The Punxsutawney neighborhood where DEP has been focusing its investigation and remediation activities is bounded by Walnut Street to the west, Sutton Street to the south, Chestnut Street to the east, and Cherry Street to the north. It is largely residential, although some businesses operate in the neighborhood.

DEP is continuing its investigation to determine if further remediation or mitigation is warranted.

DEP’s investigation is being carried out through the Hazardous Site Cleanup Fund, which enables the commonwealth to address contaminated sites while pursuing responsible parties to reimburse any or all of the costs.

Berlin Metals was one of two electroplating companies that previously operated in the area. The specific combination of hazardous substances suggests electroplating waste was a probable source of contamination.