BARTO, Pa. – Across the country, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has designated Superfund sites—areas contaminated by dumped or mismanaged hazardous waste that led to environmental and health consequences for nearby communities. Through the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, EPA was awarded $3.5 billion to expedite clean-up efforts at Superfund sites, including Berks County’s Crossley Farm. To get a closer look, Congresswoman Madeleine Dean (PA-04) and EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz toured Crossley Farm Superfund Site on Friday, May 10th, and discussed how the latest funding will be used.
Established in 1927, Crossley Farm sits on 209 acres of farmland in Hereford Township. In the 1960s and 1970s, a portion of the property was used to store drums of used. When moving the drums from one section of the property to another, liquids were spilled directly onto the ground and bedrock, contaminating the soil and groundwater with cancer-causing chemicals, specifically trichloroethylene (TCE). In 1992, Crossley Farm was added to the EPA’s National Priorities List which made it eligible for cleanup. Because of the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, EPA is investing $10.9 million in Crossley Farm to help complete the cleanup.
“We have a right to clean water—it is enshrined in our Pennsylvania Constitution—and it is incumbent on us at local, state, and federal levels to fulfill our duty to the Commonwealth. The historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is helping us do just that,” Rep. Dean said. “I’m deeply appreciative of Administrator Adam Ortiz and EPA’s commitment to cleaning up Crossley Farm, which will improve the health and safety of its neighbors and bring us one step closer to environmental justice. I look forward to seeing more of its progress.”
“This Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding allows us to improve and expand our efforts at Crossley Farm to better protect the people and environment of Hereford Township,” EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz said. “This latest investment will help cover the cost of critical upgrades at the existing groundwater treatment plant as well as expand the amount of water that can be treated."
Congresswoman Dean and Administrator Ortiz were joined by Andrew Graham, a science teacher at Upper Perkiomen Middle School and a neighbor of Crossley Farm who understands firsthand the importance of Superfund sites.
Learn more about EPA’s cleanup efforts at Crossley Farm here.
Rep. Madeleine Dean is a mother, grandmother, attorney, professor, former four-term member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, and U.S. Representative for the Fourth District of Pennsylvania.
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