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Franklin Slag Pile
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EPA ID: PASFN0305549
Location:
3110 Castor Ave
Philadelphia, PA 19134
Philadelphia County
Philadelphia, PA 19134
Philadelphia County
Congressional District: 3rd
Other Names: None
Last Updated: January 2012
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Contacts
Remedial Project Manager
Tim Gallagher
215-814-3196
gallagher.tim@epa.gov
Community Involvement Coordinator
Trish Taylor
215-814-5539
taylor.trish@epa.gov
Governmental Liaison
Jennie Saxe
215-814-5806
saxe.jennie@epa.gov
Bulletin Board
Questions
The EPA is dedicated to providing you with timely and accurate information about our work at this site. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact:
Trish Taylor 215-814-5539
On This Page
Related Links
Site Status
- The EPA has stabilized the Franklin Slag Pile which is estimated to contain 68,000 cubic yards of slag material.
- The pile is covered with a thick plastic cover to prevent slag from blowing off site and a security fence surrounds the property to prevent trespassing and vandalism.
- EPA evaluated several cleanup alternatives to the plastic cover and proposed a permanent cap over the slag pile. Based on responses from both the City of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection EPA decided to not issue a final decision on a permanent remedy at this time.
- The EPA completed a Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study in 2007, proposing a permanent cap over the slag pile. Public comments on that study were taken through November 2007, but no decision has been made on the final cleanup remedy.
- EPA is currently investigating alternatives to the proposed remedy of covering the slag pile with a geomembrane.
- The EPA has initiated a Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS) to investigate whether or not the groundwater below the site has become impacted by the slag pile material.
Background
- The Franklin Slag Pile is located on a three-acre property at the intersection of Castor and Delaware Avenues in the Port Richmond section of Philadelphia in an industrial area bordered to the west by Interstate 95 and to the east by the Delaware River.
- The site consists of a covered slag pile containing an estimated 68,000 cubic yards of slag material – a byproduct from the copper smelter at the neighboring Franklin Smelting and Refining Corp.
- MDC, the operator of the site from the 1950s to 1999, sold the slag as sand-blasting grit.
Cleanup History
NPL Listing History
| Status: Final | Added:2002 |
| Deleted: |
- In 2000, EPA carried out an emergency cleanup of the property, which consisted of:
1. shipping 12,000 tons of slag and soil, 246 tons of hazardous debris, and 20 tons of bagged slag off-site for disposal;
2. cleaning and dismantling equipment, buildings and
structures; and
3. transporting fuels and oils off-site for reuse. - EPA covered the remaining slag pile with thick plastic material and fenced the entire property.
- The site was added to the National Priorities List of most hazardous waste sites in the country in 2002, allowing EPA to devote federal funds toward a long-term cleanup solution for the site.
- The agency completed a Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study for the site in June 2007, and proposed installing a permanent cap over the site.
- The public had a chance to comment on this solution through November 2007.
- EPA wrote a ROD, however, the state has requested EPA postpone finalizing the document until additional alternatives have been investigated.
- In 2010, EPA initiated an RI/FS to investigate the groundwater below the site property.
Contaminants and Risks
- The slag pile contains many metals, including aluminum, beryllium, chromium, cobalt, copper, iron, manganese, and lead. Before EPA covered the pile, slag blew off the site and was present in run-off. The plastic cover prevents further slag from blowing off site.
- Contaminant descriptions and risk factors are available from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, an arm of the CDC.
Documents and Reports
- To search an on-line database of all documents and reports on the Franklin Slag site, go to EPA’s Administrative Record Database.
- All documents and reports can also be reviewed in person at these locations:
U.S. EPA Region III
1650 Arch Street-6th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 814-3157
Call for an appointment.
- Some of the site’s key documents of interest are accessible below.
Proposed Plan July 2007 (PDF) (28 pp, 151KB)
Hazard Ranking System Documentation Record (PDF) (84 pp, 189K)
- Submit a FOIA Request
Get instructions on how to submit a FOIA request. $Fee$ for requests over 100 pages.
Photos, Maps and Diagrams
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 |
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| February 21, 2000 | January 5, 2000 | View of covered slag pile from Delaware Avenue. Taken on May 23, 2007. |
Community Information
- http://www.epa.gov/superfund/community/today/pdfs/TIS%20FINAL%209.13.11.pdfThis is Superfund: A Community Guide to EPA's Superfund Program (PDF) (12 pp, 1.1MB)
- Site Progress Profile — a quick reference sheet, linking to EPA's Headquarters.
- Community Involvement Plan (PDF) (51 pp, 1.04MB)
- Glossary (English/Spanish) (PDF) (14 pp, 96.6KB)
- Proposed Plan Public Comment Period Extended announcement August 2007 (PDF) (1 p, 45KB)
- Proposed Plan Public Meeting Transcript (PDF) (103 pp, 638KB)
- Federal Register
09/25/2002: National Priorities List for Uncontrolled Hazardous Waste Sites ACTION: Final rule;
09/13/2001: National Priorities List for Uncontrolled Hazardous Waste Sites, Proposed Rule No. 37 ACTION: Proposed rule
- Fact Sheets
Proposed Plan Summary July 2007 (PDF) (4pp, 210K)
Frequently Asked Questions September 2004 (PDF) (3 pp, 1.79MB)
Czesto zadawane pytania Sierpien 2004 (PDF) (2 pp, 172K)
Reuse Information
- The site currently does not meet the criteria for Site-wide Ready for Anticipated Use. The 3-acre site consists entirely of the covered slag pile and therefore there is no re-use option. Properties associated with the smelting operation are now being re-used for commercial purposes.
- Want more information about how to reuse a Superfund site?