ARCO in coordination with Brown & Root
Reno, PA – 2001-2002 – $800,000

Scope of Work:
In the late 1800s, when northwest Pennsylvania was the oil production capital of the world, the Atlantic Oil Company built the world’s largest refinery along the Allegheny River near Franklin immediately downstream of the main oil fields. At the time, the drillers pumped the oil into creeks near the wells to transfer crude oil to the refinery. It floated downstream to the refinery where it was siphoned off the surface of the water. The refinery’s waste products, including the tars and sludges that are used for asphalt today, were dumped into lagoons at the refinery and covered with soil. This particular refinery was dismantled in the late 1940s and the site was redeveloped for commercial use. Over time, the sludge and oil within the buried lagoon began to rise to the surface. Neumeyer Environmental was contracted to remediate the subsurface tars so that the property could be returned to full use.

The stabilization process involved drilling over 300 wells about 30 feet deep. Neumeyer Environmental injected grout into the wells through a rotary wellhead that mixed the grout and tar to stabilize it in place. The resultant material is considered inert and stable.

Neumeyer Environmental performed the work to avoid interrupting commercial activity during the project. Site restoration included repaving parking lots, landscaping the surrounding areas and constructing a public park along the riverbank.