Foote Mineral Co.

Overview

The Foote Mineral Co. site covers 79 acres in East Whiteland Township, Pennsylvania. The plant ran from 1941 to 1991, producing lithium metal, lithium chemicals, and processed ores and minerals. After it closed, contaminated groundwater spread across a four-mile radius, affecting private and public drinking water wells used by roughly 42,300 people. Several private wells and one public supply well were taken out of service. The site was added to the National Priorities List in October 1992.

EPA has identified 33 contaminants at the site in soil and groundwater. These include volatile organic compounds such as benzene, trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, chloroform, and carbon tetrachloride. Heavy metals and metalloids include arsenic, chromium, antimony, thallium, and manganese. Inorganic substances such as fluoride, lithium, and iron were also found. Bromate turned up in downgradient groundwater in 2001, and low-level radioactive contamination was discovered in on-site soils in 2003.

Cleanup work began in the 1990s with soil excavation, building removal, and groundwater studies. A final remedy was selected in March 2006. It included excavating and disposing of radioactive soils off-site, stabilizing process tailings in a quarry, consolidating contaminated materials with an engineered cap, and installing institutional controls. Construction finished in October 2010. The cleanup plan also calls for groundwater monitoring, free product recovery, oil-water separation, and in-place aerobic bioremediation.

Two sources give different accounts of the site's current readiness status. One states the site received EPA's Sitewide Ready for Anticipated Use designation in January 2018, indicating no unacceptable risks under approved land use restrictions. Another states the site has not yet achieved sitewide ready-for-reuse status and that cleanup goals have not been fully met across the entire property. The 2024 Five-Year Review found that the extent of groundwater contamination remains unclear and needs more investigation. EPA is installing additional monitoring wells and evaluating impacts on nearby private drinking water wells. Institutional controls prohibit new wells in the contaminated plume and ban residential use of the landfilled area.

Community members can engage through EPA's Community Involvement Program. Public notices have been issued since 2007 covering cleanup plan changes and remediation reviews. EPA is working with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, East Whiteland Township, and the property owner on redevelopment consistent with the cleanup remedy. Two comfort letters about the site are available for public review in the site's documents section.