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Port Richmond Superfund site begins $26 million excavation of contaminated slag
Federal crews have started removing 68,000 cubic yards of industrial waste from the Franklin Slag site, where testing found lead and other metals. The work is expected to continue for years, with officials aiming to remove most of the pile by next fall.
PORT RICHMOND — Crews have begun excavating a 48-foot-high mound of contaminated industrial waste beside Castor and Delaware Avenues, launching a $26 million cleanup of the Franklin Slag Superfund site.
The four-acre property holds about 68,000 cubic yards of slag, a byproduct of copper smelting. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began remediation and construction in August; excavation by contractor Sevenson Environmental Services is now underway. The contract runs through May 2031, though EPA project manager Andrew Haneiko said most of the pile could be removed by next fall.
The slag contains lead that can leach, and past sampling found elevated levels of lead, copper and beryllium in nearby air. State Rep. Joe Hohenstein said more than 20,000 people live within a mile of the site, alongside workers at nearby industrial facilities and the Port of Philadelphia. He said protecting neighborhood environmental quality must remain a priority.
The cleanup plan is designed to limit dust and keep trucks away from residential streets. Workers wet the slag and use misting equipment as they uncover and remove it. A chemical treatment binds lead before each load is tested and placed in lined trucks. The treated material is headed north on I-95 to WM’s Fairless Landfill in Bucks County.
Air monitors operate around the site and at nearby homes and workplaces. Officials say workers will stop if readings reach the project’s set limit. Castor Avenue is closed during the work, with vehicle and bicycle traffic detoured along Balfour and Venango Streets.
The pile traces back to Franklin Smelting & Refining Corp., which began copper smelting there in the 1930s. Later, site operator MDC sold slag for use as sandblasting grit. The material spread beyond the property, covering sidewalks and a nearby rail line, clogging storm drains and becoming airborne.
Federal, city and state agencies sampled the site in the 1980s and 1990s. The EPA added the property to its National Priorities List, making it eligible for Superfund cleanup. In 2000, the agency consolidated and covered the slag with a membrane as an interim measure. A formal cleanup plan followed in 2020.
Insurance carriers for previous owners are contributing $18 million toward the work, according to the EPA. The site is now owned by Franco’s Realty Inc.; officials have not announced plans for its future use. It is zoned for heavy industry and sits near rail infrastructure, water department lagoons and a Philadelphia Gas Works facility.