The state Department of Environmental Protection is hoping to
have a completed site characterization report on the ongoing
petroleum cleanup under the American Refining Group refinery by
July.

That’s the word from DEP spokesperson Freda Tarbell, who said
the company charged with the cleanup – Chemtura Corp. of
Middlebury, Conn. – has submitted draft revisions of the report
earlier this year and “we (DEP) are reviewing them.”

“We hope to provide comments to them (Chemtura) by mid-June,”
Tarbell said. “Then, what is typically done is we incorporate the
comments and receive a follow-up report 30 days after the written
response.”

Tarbell said the original cleanup schedule was approved by the
agency on Dec. 5, 2005.

Officials have dubbed the cleanup the largest one in
northwestern Pennsylvania. The refinery occupies 131 acres between
the City of Bradford and Foster Township, stretching 1 1/2 miles
along the Tunungwant Creek.

Chemtura is the successor to the former owners of the refinery,
Crompton Corp., and the cleanup is necessary because the operation
of the refinery has caused soil, groundwater and surface water
contamination over the course of its lifespan. There is no danger
to human health.

In January, Tarbell said under a private agreement with ARG,
Chemtura has agreed to remediate the historic contamination at the
refinery, a process being monitored by the agency. The site
characterization report will contain a risk assessment report on
the work and outline any ecological or human health risks.

The site is also on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s
site contamination list.

As it stands, Chemtura has spent more than $10 million over the
last few years to investigate and remediate the site, according to
Debra Durbin, director of corporate communications for Chemtura.
ARG is responsible for remediation efforts from the time it
purchased the refinery from Chemtura in 1997.

Tarbell said DEP, ARG and Chemtura entered into a consent order
and agreement in June of 2004 in order to facilitate a faster
cleanup.

Officials said between May of 2003 and March of 2004 alone,
about 14.87 million gallons of groundwater and 8,000 gallons of
petroleum-related product were recovered from the main refinery; an
additional 14,500 gallons of petroleum-related product has been
recovered manually from selected wells throughout the refinery
since 2002.