Public meeting to discuss Cherokee Pharmaceutical (Merck) plant hazardous waste facility closure set for Feb. 17, public comment open until March 17

A public meeting will be held 7 p.m. Feb. 17, 2026, at the Pine Barn Inn in Danville, to discuss the Cherokee Pharmaceuticals (Merck) hazardous waste facility closure along the banks of the Susquehanna River in Riverside, PA.

“Cherokee Pharmaceuticals, LLC (Cherokee) is in the process of ceasing operations and demolishing the existing manufacturing facilities at their plant in Riverside. DEP’s oversight of this facility is triggered by the nature of its operations, including, among other things, equipment, tanks and waste streams that fall under the various regulations DEP enforces and are generally typical of this type of facility,” according to DEP Northcentral Regional Communications Manager Megan Lehman. “Cherokee holds permits with DEP’s Waste Management, Air Quality, Storage Tanks, Clean Water, and Safe Drinking Water programs.  DEP has not received any complaints from the public regarding this site for more than a decade.”

The public meeting will be focused on Cherokee’ hazardous waste permit with the Waste Management program. It is accompanied by a public comment period, which is open now through March 17, 2026.

“Closure of a hazardous waste permit requires the permit holder to hold a public meeting to gather comments. The closure permit was recently submitted to DEP and is under administrative review,” said Lehman. “Because the site is subject to EPA’s requirements under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the closure process will also address cleanup of the facility.”

Progress toward closure in Clean Water has resulted in DEP issuing this NPDES permit amendment, which includes compounds tested, in November 2025. The groundwater treatment system will remain in place after the facility has been fully closed, according to Lehman.

This fact sheet from the 2025 Water Quality Management Permit further outlines Cherokee’s plans for the facility.
“The Environmental Cleanup and Brownfields Program has been working with Merck to close their aboveground storage tanks and address environmental conditions on the site,” said Lehman. “All relevant DEP programs will continue to be involved as Cherokee continues with full site decommissioning and demolition.”

​Cherokee, a division of Merck Sharp and Dohme Corporation, is a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant located in Riverside, PA across the Susquehanna River from Danville. The site consists of 323 acres, 127 of which are inside the fence line. The site contains approximately 100 buildings and employs approximately 340 employees.

From 1965 to 2007, Merck and Co., Inc. (Merck) owned and operated the Riverside manufacturing facility. In 2008 Merck sold this facility to Cherokee and in 2010 re-acquired the facility from Cherokee.

This plant makes pharmaceutical active ingredients using chemical synthesis processes. The chemical synthesis process products are Cilastatin, Ertapenem and Imipenem. Imipenem is a synthetic antibiotic created in the 1970s with a broad spectrum of activity. It is used usually with Cilastatin, which helps to prevent the degradation of Imipenem in the kidneys and other organs. Ertapenem is another broad-spectrum antibiotic used to treat severe infections caused by bacteria in various parts of the body, including the skin, lungs, stomach, pelvis, and urinary tract. It works by killing bacteria or preventing their growth.

Written comments can be sent to the DEP Central Office contact:
Division of Hazardous Waste
Bureau of Waste Management
PA Department of Environmental Protection
14th Floor, Rachel Carson State Office Building
P.O. Box 69170
Harrisburg, PA 17106-9170
Phone: 717-787-6239
Email [email protected]

The DEP Regional Office Contact (Northcentral Region):
Northcentral Regional Office
208 West Third Street, Suite 101
Williamsport, PA 17701
Phone: 570-327-3653
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The public meeting on Feb. 17 will provide an opportunity for questions and comments on the TSD portion of the of the facility. If any member of the community requires special access to participate, please contact the following Cherokee representative at least 72 hours before the meeting (Daniel Morris, Director of Safety and Environment, Merck Cherokee, 570-271-2187.