Ambler Asbestos Piles

Overview

The Ambler Asbestos Piles site covers 25 acres in Ambler, Pennsylvania. Asbestos manufacturing companies deposited waste there for over six decades, and the site was added to the EPA's National Priorities List (NPL) in June 1986. It was removed from the NPL in December 1996 after meeting cleanup goals. The site is organized into three operable units, two of which are the focus of active cleanup records: the Nicollet Piles and the CertainTeed Pile.

Asbestos is the only contaminant of concern. At the Nicollet Piles, it was found in liquid waste and solid waste. At the CertainTeed Pile, asbestos was detected in soil, solid waste, surface water, and sediment. The site is not classified as a groundwater contamination site.

The main cleanup work ran from 1992 to 1993. Workers capped and regraded the waste piles, reinforced eroded areas, installed drainage and erosion control systems, drained and backfilled lagoons, upgraded fencing and gates, and posted warning signs. In 2017, a repair project began to fix the soil cap and drainage systems from the early 1990s. That project finished in spring 2019 after removing 15,000 cubic yards of unrelated fill material. Air monitoring during that work found no exceedances of EPA's asbestos action level.

Current exposure to asbestos is controlled and a protective remedy is in place. The June 2022 five-year review found the site protective of human health and the environment in the short term. Long-term protectiveness depends on assessing Plant Pile survey data, rebuilding a demolished fence, evaluating ways to deter burrowing animals, and completing a sitewide vegetation maintenance review. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection issued an administrative order to the site's owner defining prohibited activities. Institutional controls restrict land use across both parcels to keep the remedy effective.

Community members with questions can contact EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager directly. Site documents are available at the Ambler Branch of the Wissahickon Valley Public Library in Ambler, Pennsylvania, and at the EPA Region 3 office in Philadelphia. Appointments to review records can be scheduled by calling (215) 814-2396. The next five-year review is estimated for June through August 2027.