EPA RCRA ID: PAD000001115
On this page:
- Cleanup Status
- Facility Description
- Contaminants at this Facility
- Institutional/Engineer Controls
- Enforcement and Compliance
- Related Information
- Contacts for this Facility
Cleanup Status
Note: The EPA is the lead agency for managing cleanups at this facility.
On October 15, 1985, a final Closure Plan was submitted by Union Switch and Signal Division (USSD) to Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP). Public notice of the plan with the request of public comment was issued on December 10, 1985. Building demolition and site cleanup occurred in 1987 following the approval of the Closure Plan. Following the closure of the USSD operations, the property was purchased by Parkway Union Development Corporation (PUDC) in January 1988 and the site was redeveloped. The PAR states that “on December 31 1987, the USSD facility was officially closed and ownership was transferred to the Oxford Development Company (ODC)”. However, tax records indicate PUDC as the property owner.
Most of the USSD buildings were removed and the Edgewood Towne Centre shopping was erected. During the decommissioning of the USSD site in 1987 and the construction of the Edgewood Towne Centre in 1988, 37 underground storage tanks (USTs) were removed. Removal of these tanks occurred prior to the PADER UST program that became effective in August 1989; therefore, no UST closure documents were filed.
Cleanup Actions or environmental indicators characterizing the entire facility are shown below. It is not intended as an extensive list of milestones/activities. This listing, and all the data on this page, come from EPA’s RCRAInfo and are refreshed nightly to this page. For this table and the Cleanup Activities Pertaining to a Portion of the Facility table that follows, a blank in the Status column could mean the action either has not occurred or has not been reported in RCRAInfo.
Cleanup Activities Pertaining to the Entire Facility
| Action | Status | Date of Action |
|---|---|---|
| Human Exposure Under Control Human Exposure Under Control(CA725) | ||
| Groundwater Migration Under ControlGroundwater Migration Under Control (CA750) | ||
| Remedy DecisionRemedy Decision (CA400) | ||
| Remedy ConstructionRemedy Construction (CA550) | ||
| Ready for Anticipated Use Ready for Anticipated Use (CA800) | ||
| Performance Standards AttainedPerformance Standards Attained (CA900) | ||
| Corrective Action Process TerminatedCorrective Action Process Terminated (CA999) |
For definitions of the terms used, hover over or click on the term.
Cleanup Activities Pertaining to a Portion of the Facility
| Action | Area Name | Date of Action |
|---|
For definitions of the terms used, hover over or click on the term.
Facility Description
Link to a larger, interactive view of the map.
The Union Switch & Signal Division (USSD) facility was situated on a triangular, 40-acre property in the Boroughs of Swissvale and Edgewood in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. The USSD site is bordered to the north by the Penn-Lincoln Highway (I-376), by Braddock Avenue to the southwest and by Conrail railroad tracks to the southeast. Beyond the railroad tracks are Edgewood Avenue and the Green Belt. Land use in the surrounding area appears to be mainly retail and residential as indicated by the topographic map. The site is located in a populated, residential area, approximately one mile north of the Monongahela River. The operating facilities were located on a plateau along the western portion of the property. The area that was used for employee parking was located in the western portion of the site approximately 60 feet below the facility. The former USSD facility was located where the Towne Centre Office Building and Edgewood Towne Centre shopping complex now stand.
From 1880 until 1987, the Site was the location of operations for USSD. USSD is a major producer of various electrical and mechanical components used in railroad signaling and control systems. Operations at the facility included the heat treatment of metal parts (for stress relief and case hardening) and painting of finished products in four spray paint booths. Also several types of electroplating processes were practiced, utilizing different plating baths, depending on the type of material required. A water-treatment plant was used by USSD for the treatment of rinse waters and a portion of the special bath material generated during plating operations.
The 40 acre property was formed through the purchase of several private properties. Operating as an independent company until 1917, USSD became a subsidiary of Westinghouse Air Brake. In 1968, American Standard purchased the entire operation and reorganized USSD as a separate division. According to information presented in the PAR, the triangular-shaped site consisted of 13 buildings including a metal plating facility, a water treatment facility and a spray booth building. A hazardous waste storage pad was located west of Building #56.
Contaminants at this Facility
EPA has determined that residual contamination of TCE in soil gas exists that has the potential to cause indoor air concerns. Also there is potential risk of health effects from exposure to lead in soil.
Institutional and Engineering Controls at this Facility
Instutional controls limit use of groundwater, residential development in areas residual contamination in soil, and future residential use buildings/structures will incorporate a passive vapor barrier unless it can be demonstrated there is no risk to human health.
Institutional and Engineering Controls help ensure human exposure and groundwater migration are under control at a cleanup facility. Where control types have been reported by states and EPA in EPA’s RCRAInfo, they are shown below. Not all control types are needed at all facilities, and some facilities do not require any controls. Where there are blanks, the control types may not be needed, may not be in place, or may not be reported in RCRAInfo.
Are Controls in Place at this Facility?
|
Control(s) Type |
Control(s) in Place? |
Areas Subject to Control(s) |
Documents available on-line: |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Institutional ControlsNon-engineering controls used to restrict land use or land access in order to protect people and the environment from exposure to hazardous substances remaining in the site/or facility. (CA 772) |
Informational DevicesInformational Devices (ID) |
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Governmental Controls (GC) |
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Enforcement and Permit Tools (EP) |
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| Proprietary ControlsProprietary Controls (PR) | ||||
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Engineering ControlsEngineering measures designed to minimize the potential for human exposure to contamination by either limiting direct contact with contaminated areas or controlling migration of contaminants. (CA 770) |
Groundwater ControlGroundwater Control (GW) |
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Non-Groundwater |
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For definitions of the terms used, hover over or click on the term.
Enforcement and Compliance at this Facility
EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) provides detailed historical information about enforcement and compliance activities at each RCRA Corrective Action Site in their Enforcement and Compliance Historical Online (ECHO) system.
RCRA Enforcement and Compliance Reports from ECHO
Related Information
For more information about this facility, see these other EPA links:
- RCRA information in EPA’s Envirofacts database
- Information about this facility submitted to EPA under different environmental programs as reported in EPA’s Facility Registry Services
- Alternative Names for this facility as reported by EPA programs in EPA’s Facility Registry Services
- Cleanups in My Community provides an interactive map to see EPA cleanups in context with additional data, and lists for downloading data
- Search RCRA Corrective Action Sites provides a search feature for Corrective Action Sites
Documents, Photos and Graphics
Contacts for this Facility
EPA Region implements and enforces the RCRA Corrective Action program for and federally recognized tribes.
For further information on this corrective action site, use the Contact Information for Corrective Action Hazardous Waste Clean Ups listings that are accessible through Corrective Action Programs around the Nation.