The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has completed its second and final Five-Year Review for Area I at the former Frankford Arsenal Formerly Used Defense Site in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The review confirmed that the No Further Action remedy remains protective of human health and the environment. Because the site has achieved unlimited use and unrestricted exposure standards, no additional Five-Year Reviews will be required for Area I.
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. No further Five-Year Reviews are planned for the former Frankford Arsenal, Area I because the site has achieved unlimited use and unrestricted exposure in accordance with the National Contingency Plan, Final remedy selection under 40 CFR 300.430(f)(4)(ii), based on pre-existing conditions at the Site and reasonably anticipated future land use.
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 I, Area II, Area III, and Groundwater). This Five-Year Review focuses on Area I 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. This Five-Year Review was prepared to verify assumptions related to the No Further Action Decision Document.
The final Five-Year Review report, dated August 2025, 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 410-370-5327 or todd.t.beckwith@usace.army.mil.