SYLVANIA LEGACY: TCE POLLUTION
By Alex Davis Endeavor News

Finishing touches are being put on a plan that would ban residents from using ground water in or near a former waste dump in Emporium.

The site, located near Barton, Carson and Taylor streets, contains a small amount of the hazardous chemical trichloroethane (TCE).

The solvent was reportedly used for degreasing parts at the Sylvania plant between 1940 and 1969.

Borough Council plans to get feedback from residents at a 7 pm meeting on Monday, June 2, at the municipal building on Broad Street. Representatives from GTE Sylvania will be on hand to field questions.

"We do not want to make a decision without community input," Borough Manager Don Reed said.

Officials discovered TCE in the soil and ground water some 16 years ago. Almost $1 million has been spent on remediation.

Clean-up efforts got underway in 1993 with the erecting of vehicle barriers, removing waste materials and placing soil cover over wastes. Pa. Dept. of Environmental Protection has been monitoring the site.

Reed said the plan is to keep the land undisturbed and place more gates at the former landfill to stop vehicles from entering.