Enterprise Avenue

Overview

The Enterprise Avenue Landfill covers 57 acres in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Municipal and illegal industrial waste was dumped there from 1971 through 1976. The EPA added the site to the Superfund National Priorities List in 1983 and deleted it in 1986 after construction of the cleanup was complete.

Eleven contaminants were found in soil within the landfill area. They are arsenic, barium, benzene, cadmium, chromium, ethylbenzene, lead, mercury, selenium, silver, and toluene. Groundwater was also contaminated with benzene, dichloroethene, and vinyl chloride. The original waste included paint sludges, solvents, oils, resins, metal finishing waste, and solid inorganic materials.

The City of Philadelphia led early cleanup work starting in 1982, excavating contaminated soil and buried drums. Between 1984 and 1985, the city completed a long-term remedy that included soil containment, a landfill cap, and a groundwater extraction and treatment system finished in 1997. When Philadelphia International Airport built a commuter runway over the landfill in 1999 and extended it in 2019, the EPA reviewed both projects to make sure contaminants affecting the on-site drinking water aquifer were not disturbed.

The EPA completed its most recent five-year review in February 2022. That review confirmed the cleanup continues to protect human health and the environment. Human exposure is under control, and contaminated groundwater is stabilized with no unacceptable discharge to surface water. Institutional controls are in place, including zoning restrictions that block residential and incompatible uses, plus fencing around the wastewater treatment plant. One business was operating on the site as of December 2024. The next five-year review is scheduled for 2027.

Community members can get involved through the EPA's Community Involvement Program. Questions about the site can be directed to the Community Involvement Coordinator or the Remedial Project Manager. Documents and administrative records are available online or in person at the EPA Region 3 office at 1600 John F. Kennedy Boulevard in Philadelphia. An appointment can be scheduled by calling 215-814-2396.