Malvern TCE

Overview

The Malvern TCE site sits in East Whiteland Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. Chemclene Corporation ran a solvent reclamation facility there from 1952 to 1992. Before 1976, sludge from the distillation process was dumped in a wooded area on the property. That practice contaminated soil and groundwater with volatile organic compounds (VOCs), a group of chemicals that evaporate easily and can move through soil into water supplies. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL), the federal list of priority Superfund sites, in September 1983.

Seventeen contaminants of concern have been identified at the site. They appear in soil and groundwater across two main areas. The Building Decontamination and Demolition area has soil contaminated with trichloroethene (TCE), tetrachloroethene (PCE), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and several other chlorinated solvents. Groundwater there contains 1,4-dioxane, vinyl chloride, and chloroform. The Former Disposal Area has groundwater contaminated with 1,1,1-trichloroethane, 1,4-dioxane, chloroform, and two forms of dichloroethene. Soil in that area also contains cis-1,2-dichloroethene.

The site is divided into four operable units (OUs), which are distinct cleanup areas. Chemclene demolished remaining buildings by May 2002 (OU 01). EPA capped the main plant area between May 2005 and May 2006 (OU 02). Philadelphia Suburban Water Company extended waterlines to affected homes by May 2001 to replace contaminated private wells (OU 03). A groundwater treatment system using extraction, air stripping, carbon adsorption, and reinjection has operated since 2009. About 143 cubic yards of contaminated soil were excavated from the Former Disposal Area (OU 04). A 2023 Record of Decision Amendment added in-situ thermal treatment for the Former Disposal Area, with final remedial action estimated to run from mid-2026 through early 2027.

EPA completed its fifth Five-Year Review in September 2025. The review found that current remedies protect human health and the environment in the short term. Human exposure is under control and groundwater migration is stabilized. Institutional controls, including zoning restrictions and bans on new drinking water wells, are in place. The site has not yet been deleted from the NPL, and it has not yet achieved sitewide ready-for-anticipated-reuse status. The next five-year review is scheduled for 2030.

Community members can get involved through EPA's ongoing outreach efforts. EPA held a public meeting in October 2022 and accepted public comments on the proposed cleanup plan that same fall. A Community Involvement Plan was developed in 2023. To ask questions or share feedback, contact the EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator.