BJAT LLC is an 18.3-acre former industrial property in Franklin, Massachusetts. It has been home to a beet sugar refinery, rubber manufacturing, and plastic manufacturing spanning from the 1880s through the 1980s. Those operations left behind metals, semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs), and per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in soil and groundwater. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in September 2015. The NPL is the federal government's roster of contaminated sites that need formal investigation and cleanup.
The site is divided into three operable units. OU-00 covers sitewide concerns, OU-01 covers the factory area and bordering wetlands, and OU-02 covers Mine Brook downstream. Contamination in the wetlands includes elevated lead, mercury, and zinc at levels that could harm wetland life. A plume of PFAS-contaminated groundwater has moved off-site toward the Town of Franklin's nearby wellfield, and EPA is coordinating with the town about that concern.
The property owner demolished the industrial buildings and removed contaminated drums and soil between 2018 and 2019. Lead-contaminated soil in some areas was capped to prevent direct contact. EPA oversaw this removal work under an Administrative Order of Consent finalized in December 2017. A Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study for OU-01 began in September 2016 and is expected to wrap up between November 2026 and January 2027. That study tested soil, groundwater, sediment, surface water, and fish tissue both on and around the property. EPA is weighing several cleanup options, including soil and sediment removal, in-place capping, and groundwater treatment.
According to EPA performance measures, human exposure is not currently under control and groundwater migration is not stabilized. The site has fences and warning signs to limit access. On-site soil contains lead at levels that pose unacceptable risks for residential or child-focused uses. Physical construction of a long-term cleanup has not yet begun. EPA estimates remedial design will run from early 2027 through late 2027, with remedial action starting between October and December 2027.
Community members who want to learn more can contact EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager. Public records related to the site are available through the EPA Region 1 Records and Information Center in Boston at 617-918-1440.
