LEHIGH ELEC & ENGINEERING CO., INC. - OLD FORGE, PA FILED CIVIL ACTION #81-0460, US DIST CT FOR THE MID DIST OF PA AS PART OF ITS ELECT EQUIPMNT SERVICING OPERATION, DEFENDANT LEHIGH MAINTAINS A STORAGE & DISPOSAL FACILITY IN OLD FORGE, PA. PCB'S HAVE BEEN DRAINED OR SPILLED FROM TRANSFORMERS & CAPACITORS STORED ON SITE, CONTAMINATING THE SOIL & THREATENING THE ADJACENT LACKAWANN RIVER. THE COMPLAINT ALLEGES THAT THE CO'S OLD FORGE SITE IS UNDIKED & WAS UNFENCED, & THAT MANY OF THE TRANSFORMERS & CAPACITORS STORED THERE ARE PARTIALLY OR COMPLETELY FILLED W/PCB'S. SAMPLING OF THE CONTENTS OF SOME OF THE EQUIPMNT REV'LED PCB CONCENTRATIONS OF UP TO 563000 PRTS/MIL. PCB'S WERE ALSO DETECTED IN THE SOIL AT CONCENTRAT'NS RANGING FROM 64-5, 250 PPM. A FENCE WAS ERECTED BY EPA, USING SEC 104 CWA FUNDS IN SPRING OF 1981. THE FACILITY IS ON THE BANK OF THE LACKAWANNA RIVER, A NAVIGABLE WTRWY ALSO USED FOR RECREATION. NO BARRIER EXISTS BETWEEN THE SITE & THE RIVER TO PREVENT PCB MIGRATION. SOIL TESTING OF THE RIVERBANK REVEALED PCB CONCENTRT'NS OF 278 PPM. THE SUIT ALLEGES THAT PCB'S ARE LIKELY TO MIGRATE INTO THE RIVER IN QUANTITIES THAT POSE A THREAT TO HLTH & THE ENVIRONMENT. EPA OBTAINED A WARRANT TO GAIN TEMPORARY ACCESS TO THE SITE TO MORE EXTENSIVELY SAMPLE SOIL CONTAMINAT'N & TO REMOVE CONTAMINATED SAND ON THE RIVERBANK.