Delaware City PVC Plant

Overview

The Delaware City PVC Plant sits on roughly 400 acres in Delaware City, Delaware. It operated as a polyvinyl chloride manufacturing facility from 1966 until 2018. Early waste disposal practices, including dumping PVC sludge into earthen lagoons and pits, contaminated local groundwater and soils. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List in 1983 after contamination was detected in groundwater used for drinking water and farming.

Three contaminants drive cleanup decisions at this site: 1,2-dichloroethane, vinyl chloride (chloroethene), and trichloroethene. All three have been found in groundwater, soil, and sludge. No one is currently drinking contaminated site groundwater, and the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control prohibits new potable water wells at and around the site. EPA has determined that human exposure and groundwater migration are both under control across the entire site.

Cleanup is divided into four operable units. Operable Unit 1, covering soils at the Formosa portion of the site, completed remedial action in 1992 and is now in operation and maintenance. Operable Unit 2, the Western Plume, completed its most recent remedial action in 2009 and continues long-term response actions. Operable Unit 3, the Eastern Plume, is still in the investigation phase, with a combined remedial investigation and feasibility study expected to finish between March and May 2027. Operable Unit 4, an additional soil investigation, finished in June 2002. Physical construction of cleanup work has been completed across the site, and long-term groundwater treatment and monitoring continue.

Two sources give slightly different completion dates for the most recent five-year review. One states it was completed on September 27, 2024, and another states it was completed in February 2026. Both agree that the current remedies are protective of human health and the environment, at minimum in the short term, and that the next five-year review is scheduled for 2029. The site has not yet achieved sitewide ready-for-anticipated-use status, meaning some cleanup goals or land-use restrictions have not been fully met. Sitewide readiness is estimated between June and August 2028. As of December 2024, three businesses operated on the property, employing 337 people and generating roughly $27.4 million in annual sales.

Community members can engage through EPA's Community Involvement Program, which supports early and meaningful participation in cleanup decisions. Public records related to the site are available online, at the Delaware City Public Library at 250 5th Street, Delaware City, DE, or at the EPA Region 3 office in Philadelphia. Appointments can be scheduled by calling (215) 814-2396.