The Lower Darby Creek Area (LDCA) site is located in Darby Township and Folcroft Borough in Delaware and Philadelphia counties, Pennsylvania. The site consists of two separate landfills, the Clearview and Folcroft Landfills. The Folcroft Landfill and Annex, the areas subject to this NRDAR, is located two miles downstream on the west side of Darby Creek and within the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge.
The Folcroft Landfill operated from the 1950s to the 1970s and closed in the mid-1970s. Wastes accepted reportedly included municipal, demolition and hospital wastes. Waste disposal practices contaminated soil, groundwater and fish tissue with hazardous chemicals. EPA placed the site on the Superfund program’s National Priorities List in 2001. Investigations at the Folcroft Landfill are ongoing. The site is being cleaned up through federal, state and potentially responsible party actions. The remedial action will include cap modifications which will disturb a large percentage of the upland habitat. The Trustees formally initiated a NRDAR case on April 8, 2024. Resources and associated services potentially impacted by the release of heavy metals, VOCs, SVOCs, PAHs, Pesticides, and PCBs from the landfill operations include migratory birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians, surface water and sediments, supporting habitat including food, shelter, breeding, foraging, and other factors essential for survival, and recreational services. The final PAS is available on the case website.