Metaltec/Aerosystems

Overview

Manufacturing at this 15.5-acre property in Franklin Borough, New Jersey ran from 1965 until the facility closed in 1980. Operations left soil and groundwater contaminated with heavy metals and volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. EPA identified the contamination and placed the site on the National Priorities List in September 1983. Cleanup was organized into separate operable units targeting the on-site source area, the groundwater plume, and sitewide work.

EPA has identified over 70 contaminants of concern across soil and groundwater. VOCs include trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, vinyl chloride, and 1,1,1-trichloroethane. Heavy metals found at the site include lead, chromium, arsenic, beryllium, nickel, and manganese. Trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, manganese, and vinyl chloride extend beyond the source area into the groundwater plume. Some contaminants are limited to on-site soils.

Cleanup happened in two main phases. Source control work, finished by March 1995, involved excavating contaminated soils and sending them to EPA-approved landfills. It also included providing an alternate water supply to Franklin residents whose wells were closed in 1980 due to VOC levels above federal drinking water standards. Groundwater treatment began in June 2009 using a pump-and-treat system that removes VOCs through air stripping and carbon adsorption. Treated water is discharged into an unnamed tributary of Wildcat Brook. Physical construction across the entire site was completed on June 18, 2009. In September 2024, an Explanation of Significant Differences added institutional controls to the groundwater remedy.

The site has achieved Sitewide Ready for Anticipated Use status, meaning all cleanup goals for current and expected future land uses have been met and all required land-use controls are in place. EPA has determined that human exposures are under control and that contaminated groundwater migration has been stabilized with no unacceptable discharge to surface water. In July 2020, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection took over operation of the groundwater treatment system from EPA. The most recent five-year review was completed in May 2024. One business currently operates on the property. The site has not yet been deleted from the National Priorities List.

Community members who want to learn more or get involved can contact EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager. Site documents are available at the EPA Superfund Records Center at 290 Broadway, 18th floor in New York, and at the Sussex County Library Main Library in Newton, New Jersey.