The Wade site is a three-acre property along the Delaware River in Chester, Pennsylvania. It operated as a rubber recycling facility from 1950 to the early 1970s, then became an illegal industrial waste storage and disposal site until 1978. A fire that year scattered contaminated debris across the property and worsened existing soil and groundwater pollution. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List in 1983.
Eleven contaminants of concern were identified at the site. They include arsenic, benzene, bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, chlorobenzene, chloroform, chromium(VI), lead, tetrachloroethene, and trichloroethene. These substances were detected in soil, groundwater, solid waste, and building materials across the entire site area.
Cleanup happened in stages. Emergency actions in 1981 and 1982 removed 5,000 gallons of PCB-contaminated waste, 10,000 gallons of other hazardous wastes, and 155 tons of contaminated solids. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection completed the long-term cleanup in 1987, removing tires, tankers, waste piles, and buildings, then excavating contaminated soil. The remaining soil was capped, re-graded, and seeded. EPA deleted the site from the National Priorities List in March 1989. The selected remedy for the single operable unit included excavation, engineered caps, containment, demolition, and offsite disposal.
In 2003, the Chester Parking Authority purchased the site under a Prospective Purchaser Agreement and redeveloped it as a parking area for Barry Bridge Park. When a professional soccer stadium opened nearby in 2010, the parking area was slightly modified to allow large delivery truck access. The site remains an active public parking facility today. EPA's most recent five-year review, completed in December 2023, confirmed the remedy is still protective of human health and the environment. Groundwater contamination has declined to very low or non-detect levels after nearly three decades of sampling. Human exposure is under control, and groundwater migration is stabilized. Institutional controls restrict groundwater use and require prior EPA and state approval before any new excavation or construction. The next five-year review is scheduled for 2028.
Community members who want to stay informed or get involved can contact the EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator. Technical questions about the cleanup can go to the Remedial Project Manager. Site records are available online through the Administrative Record or in person at Marcus Hook Borough Library in Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania, or at EPA Region 3's office in Philadelphia. Both locations ask that visitors call ahead to schedule an appointment.
