EPA: Toxic Chemicals at Delaware Site Will Remain for 100 Years

July 31, 2009

The EPA project manager overseeing cleanup at the abandoned Metachem site near Delaware City says toxic chemicals will remain there for at least 100 years.

Hilary Thornton spoke Tuesday night about the Environmental Protection Agency's approach to the former Standard Chlorine plant. He says the agency plans to spend at least $12 million on a 23-acre waterproof cap covering part of the 64-acre site.

Thornton says the levels of toxic chemicals at the site will require monitoring for at least a century. He says that's how long it takes for such high concentrations of chemicals to break down naturally.

The EPA considered other cleanup options that would have cost as much as $100 million. But Thornton says even a more extensive cleanup would leave toxic chemicals intact in the soil.