PPL purchases properties near former Shen. Gas Works site ahead of remediation work

By Kaylee Lindenmuth

SHENANDOAH – PPL Electric Utilities has purchased a set of properties in the area of South Market Street in Shenandoah, in anticipation of disruption from remediation work regarding the former Shenandoah Gas Works facility.

The plant, located on the present site of Burger King, was owned and operated between 1879 and the late 1950s by PPL predecessor companies. 

According to Carol Obando-Derstine, Regional Affairs Director for PPL, the company “is working in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and in accordance with a Department consent order to conduct environmental investigative and remedial activities at the site.”

“Starting in May 2018, PPL met with municipal officials about these plans, and sent notification letters and fact sheets to neighbors,” said Obando-Derstine. “PPL also has approached owners, primarily on South Market Street, that will be disrupted by our remediation work to indicate our interest in purchasing their property.”

According to the letters and fact sheet mailed in May last year, the investigation’s primary focus is to evaluate the “extent of impacts from coal tar, coal tar residues and oils in the soil, and groundwater at the site and in the immediate vicinity.” Coal tar was a byproduct created by the former facility, which heated coal to produce gas. The facility was decommissioned and demolished in the late 1950s.

“PPL is committed to public safety, the safety of our workers, and the protection of the environment,” Obando-Derstine added. “At this time, there are no known elevated public health or safety concerns associated with the historical MGP site. The Borough of Shenandoah public water supply is not affected by impacts from the MGP site.”

“Starting in May 2018, PPL met with municipal officials about these plans, and sent notification letters and fact sheets to neighbors,” said Obando-Derstine. “PPL also has approached owners, primarily on South Market Street, that will be disrupted by our remediation work to indicate our interest in purchasing their property.”

According to the letters and fact sheet mailed in May last year, the investigation’s primary focus is to evaluate the “extent of impacts from coal tar, coal tar residues and oils in the soil, and groundwater at the site and in the immediate vicinity.” Coal tar was a byproduct created by the former facility, which heated coal to produce gas. The facility was decommissioned and demolished in the late 1950s.

“PPL is committed to public safety, the safety of our workers, and the protection of the environment,” Obando-Derstine added. “At this time, there are no known elevated public health or safety concerns associated with the historical MGP site. The Borough of Shenandoah public water supply is not affected by impacts from the MGP site.”

The company has been acquiring properties in the area since May 2018, according to the Schuylkill County Parcel Locator, beginning with a home at 309 South Market Street. The home was purchased on May 30, 2018 from Brian Reyes for $16,000. The home was boarded up and posted with No Trespassing signs with PPL’s logo shortly after.

PPL acquired the next two homes in the row in the fall, acquiring 311 South Market in September for $18,796, and 313 South Market in October for $38,000. 

A duplex across the street, at 322 South Market Street, was acquired in August from Jacqueline Carduff for $51,840, according to the parcel locator.

Most recently, on December 28, 2018, PPL acquired a plot of land at Market and Laurel Streets from Reading Anthracite for $55,000. 

Several garages were located on the property, leasing the underlying land from Reading Anthracite, and in January, the structures were posted with notices stating the leases would be terminated.

“We are in discussions with property owners and will not provide details until all the negotiations are completed,” Obando-Derstine added. “PPL sees the purchase as a matter of mutual benefit given the anticipated disruption of the upcoming work.”

Obando-Derstine added that the company is keeping local officials informed on the project’s progress, and will continue to meet directly with property owners.

“PPL plans to hold a community information session before any field work begins to provide detailed information on our plans and make our project team available to answer questions,” Obando-Derstine added.”​

Additionally, Obando-Derstine said the next phase of work is anticipated to begin in the second quarter of this year, and “Work is expected to require at least the closure of South Market Street for an extended period of time and is likely to impose other disruptions at certain properties, such as disruption of utility services.”

According to the fact sheets from last May, the current investigation isn’t the first in the area regarding the former plant. In 1994, the company installed a seepage collection system in an effort to address odor complaints in the area. According to the fact sheet, the system has been effective, and was last evaluated in 2014.

The fact sheet adds that PPL and UGI conducted a site investigation between August 2016 and May 2017 “to assess the conditions of the remaining underground infrastructure from the former plant, and the extent – both horizontally and vertically – of the impacts to soil and groundwater of residual (plant)-related materials.”

During that time frame, crews cleared and evaluated subsurface utilities, investigated the location, depth, and contents of the former plant’s subsurface gas holders, delineated plant-related materials, evaluated how and where groundwater in the area moves, among other activities.

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