McAdoo Associates

Overview

The McAdoo Associates site covers two separate locations in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. One is an 8-acre area in Kline Township (MKT) used for coal mining and later metal reclamation using waste solvents. The other is a smaller parcel on Blaine Street in McAdoo Borough (MBS) used to store liquid wastes. Both locations were placed on the National Priorities List in September 1983 and deleted in December 2001 after cleanup goals were met.

Contamination at the Kline Township location includes heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, chromium, and lead, along with organic compounds like benzene and toluene, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The Blaine Street location has groundwater contaminated with volatile organic compounds including 1,2-dichloroethane, benzene, and dichloromethane, plus metals like lead, manganese, and zinc. In total, EPA identified 51 contaminants of concern across both locations.

EPA removed contaminated soils at the Kline Township location and installed a low-permeability soil cap, completed in November 1991. At the Blaine Street location, five underground storage tanks and contaminated soil were removed by March 1985. A modified remedy approved in September 1995 shifted to manual extraction and offsite disposal of free product from the groundwater. EPA is also evaluating in-situ chemical oxidation and in-situ bioremediation as additional cleanup options. Institutional controls at both locations restrict groundwater use and prevent residential development.

Area residents receive municipal water and are not exposed to contaminated groundwater. Vapor intrusion into nearby homes has been evaluated and is not a concern. Physical construction of cleanup work is complete across the entire site. The site was designated sitewide ready for anticipated reuse in July 2011. In 1998, a local business owner purchased the Blaine Street portion under a Prospective Purchaser Agreement and built a small warehouse and storage facility there.

The most recent five-year review, completed in June 2025, confirmed that the remedy remains protective of human health and the environment, with all exposure pathways controlled. The next review is scheduled for 2030. Community members can get involved through EPA's Community Involvement Program. Site documents are available online or in person at the Hazleton Area Public Library McAdoo Branch at 515 Kelayres Road in McAdoo, or at the EPA Region III Public Reading Room in Philadelphia (appointments required, call 215-814-3157). The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, the Pennsylvania Department of Health, and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry also serve as contacts for the site.