Skip to agency navigation
Skip to main content

Official website

of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

    The .gov means it's official.

    Local, state, and federal government websites often end in .gov. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania government websites and email systems use "pennsylvania.gov" or "pa.gov" at the end of the address. Before sharing sensitive or personal information, make sure you're on an official state website. 
    Southcentral Community Information

    Conestoga Pines Park

    The Conestoga Pines Park (Site) is a Lancaster City Park that is used for recreation and contains a public swimming pool. Land surrounding the Site consists of industrial facilities to the south, east and west and a residential development to the north. A spring is located on the Site that forms an unnamed tributary (UNT) that runs to the Conestoga River, which borders the Site to the w​est.

    In the early 1990s as part of an EPA mandated Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Facility Investigation, the nearby General Electric Company installed monitoring wells at the Site. Sampling of these wells in 1992 showed elevated levels of the following volatile organic compounds (VOCs): trichloroethylene (TCE), cis-1,2-dichloroethylene (cis-1,2-DCE), 1,1,1-trichoroethane (1,1,1-TCA), 1,1-dichloroethylene (1,1-DCE) and 1,1-dichloroethane (1,1-DCA). Wells near the UNT headwaters had the highest TCE concentrations, which were higher than in wells at the General Electric Company property.

    The Department of Environmental Protection(DEP) investigated the Site which included soil gas surveys, soil borings and additional monitoring wells. In 2003, a final report concluded that the highest groundwater contamination was at the eastern property line next to the R.R. Donnelley property. In 2006, R.R. Donnelley conducted a groundwater investigation at their plant and in 2009 prepared a summary report. Despite multiple investigations, DEP has yet to find a definitive source of the TCE contamination.

    In 2010 DEP completed a vapor intrusion study and additional surface water sampling. In 2011 DEP concluded that a vapor intrusion threat does not exist at the Site or to the residential development to the north. In 2014 DEP installed an aeration system at the spring headwaters, and three check dams in the UNT to the Conestoga River. The aeration system and check dams typically decrease TCE concentrations in the UNT below the target concentration of 5 parts per billion (ppb) after passing through the third check dam. DEP currently performs quarterly inspections of the aerator and annual sampling of the UNT for VOCs.

    The Administrative Record (AR) is the official record for administrative and judicial review of DEP's response decision making process. On April 13, 2013 DEP published notification of DEP’s interim response in the PA Bulletin and the Intelligencer Journal/Lancaster News Era which initiated a 90-day public comment period. DEP’s records do not contain a record of a public hearing held during that comment period, and a Statement of Decision to close the public comment period was not filed in the AR.

    To ensure that the public has an opportunity to comment on the DEP’s response, DEP will publish another public notice in the PA Bulletin and LNP Newspaper to initiate a new 90-day comment period. DEP will hold a public hearing during this comment period. The current AR for the Site can be accessed below.

    If you have questions concerning the Conestoga Pines Park HSCA Site, please contact Daniel Buffington at dbuffingto@pa.gov or 717-705-4889. ​​​

    • Administrative Record Docket
    • Stream Sample Results 1991-2012 Conestoga Pines Park UNT (I A)
    • Hazardous Site Assessment Report June 2001 (II A) 
    • Final Site Characterization Report March 2002 (II B) 
    • Figure 2 Final Site Characterization Report March 2002 (II B) 
    • Figure 5 Final Site Characterization Report March 2002 (II B) 
    • Scope of Work Conestoga Pines Park January 2010 (II C) 
    • Final Work Plan Conestoga Pines May 2010 (II D)
    • Final Report Conestoga Pines Park May 2011 (II E)
    • Final Surface Water Aeration Design March 2013 (III A)
    • The Pennsylvania Bulletin Notice April 13, 2023 2013 (IV A)
    • Publications Authorization for published notice April 12, 2013 (IV B)
    • Courtesy Letter to City of Lancaster April 30, 2013 (IV C)
    • HSCA Response Justification Document July 2001 (V A)
    • Analysis of Alternatives and Proposed Response February 2013 (V B)