Genzale Plating Company ran an electroplating operation in Franklin Square, Nassau County, New York from 1915 to 2000. Workers plated small metal parts such as automobile antennas and pen components. The facility discharged wastewater containing heavy metals and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into leaching pits and underground tanks. Nassau County health inspectors found contamination at the pits in 1981, and EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in July 1987. The NPL is the federal list of contaminated sites that warrant cleanup under the Superfund program.
Contaminants at the site span both soil and groundwater. Chlorinated solvents include trichloroethylene (TCE), tetrachloroethene, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, and vinyl chloride. Metals include chromium (including hexavalent chromium), nickel, lead, cadmium, arsenic, copper, and others. The site also has polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), benzene, and carbon tetrachloride, among others. Contamination has migrated beyond the property boundaries into an off-site groundwater plume.
Cleanup was organized into four operable units covering soil vapor extraction, on-site soil excavation, on-site groundwater treatment, and the off-site groundwater plume. Workers removed contaminated sludge and soil starting in 1982. A soil vapor extraction system ran from 1994 through 1996, pulling roughly 50 pounds of organic compounds from about 32,000 tons of soil. Over 5,500 tons of metal-contaminated soil were excavated and replaced with clean sand. After the facility closed in 2000, EPA found more contamination under the building and ran another vapor extraction system from September 2003 until the building was demolished in March 2005, reducing TCE levels in three nearby homes. A groundwater pump-and-treat system using ion-exchange technology has been operating since September 2005. Pilot testing with chemical stabilizer injections began in 2015 to treat remaining chromium and nickel. Physical construction of the cleanup finished on September 30, 2005. In September 2016, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) took over day-to-day operation and maintenance.
EPA's June 2020 Five-Year Review confirmed the remedy protects human health and the environment. Human exposure is under control with no unacceptable exposure pathways. Groundwater migration is stabilized with no unacceptable discharge to surface water. The site reached "ready for anticipated use" status on April 26, 2018, meaning all cleanup goals for current and future land uses have been met and required land-use controls are in place. The most recent Five-Year Review was completed June 25, 2025. The site remains on the NPL.
Community members can view site documents at the Franklin Square Public Library in Franklin Square, New York, or by appointment at the EPA Region 2 Superfund Records Center in New York City, reachable at (212) 637-4308. Questions can be directed to EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager.
