The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has conducted its first Five-Year Review for Area 1 at the former Frankford Arsenal Formerly Used Defense Site in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Five-Year Review identified that the No Further Action remedy at the former Frankford Arsenal, Area I, remains protective of human health and the environment.
The former Frankford Arsenal started operating as an arsenal in 1816. A wide variety of ordnance-related activities took place over the years including the development of artillery and infantry equipment, providing testing of musket and rifle powder, development and manufacturing of small arms and ammunition, and many other research and development initiatives. The arsenal was closed in 1977.
Since 1996, the Corps of Engineers has performed cleanup activities through the Formerly Used Defense Sites program. To improve efficiency with the cleanup activities at the former Frankford Arsenal, the Corps of Engineers divided the site into four active projects (Area 1, Area 2, Area 3, and Groundwater). This Five-Year Review focuses on Area 1 soils where previous environmental investigations identified metals, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Based on soil removal activities previously completed over the years, the Corps of Engineers determined that No Further Action was necessary to protect human health or the environment in its 2015 Decision Document. However, since the selected remedy did not allow for unlimited use and unrestricted exposure this Five-Year Review was conducted to ensure the remedy remains protective.
The final Five-Year Review report, dated August 2020, is available to the public online, along with other project documents and reports, at www.nab.usace.army.mil/frankford.
For more information about the project or to provide feedback regarding the remedial actions that have been implemented and evaluated as part of the Five-Year Review, please contact Todd Beckwith, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Project Manager, at 410-962-6782 or todd.t.beckwith@usace.army.mil.