Commodore Semiconductor Group

Overview

The Commodore Semiconductor Group site sits in Lower Providence Township, Pennsylvania. It operated as a chip manufacturing facility from 1970 to 1993. Waste solvents leaked from underground storage tanks and contaminated groundwater with trichloroethene (TCE), tetrachloroethene, vinyl chloride, and about a dozen other volatile organic compounds (VOCs). TCE was also found in on-site soils but not at levels of concern. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in October 1989. In 2022, a neighboring property at 960 Rittenhouse Road, a former electronics fabrication facility, was added as an additional contamination source.

The site is divided into three operable units (OUs). OU1 extended a public waterline to affected residences, with construction running from 1994 to 1998. OU2 runs a groundwater extraction and treatment system that has been operating since 2000, using air stripping and carbon adsorption to pull contaminants from the aquifer. Household carbon filters were also installed at private wells where VOCs were detected. Pennsylvania American Water now supplies public drinking water to the area. OU3 covers the 960 Rittenhouse Road property, where the current owner is voluntarily removing soil as part of redevelopment. EPA is conducting a Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study (RI/FS) for OU3, with results expected between December 2026 and February 2027.

EPA's 2025 five-year review found the remedy protective in the short term. Human exposure to site-related contaminants is currently under control, and contaminated groundwater has been stabilized. Institutional controls limit groundwater use and block residential development on contaminated areas. However, cleanup goals for all land uses have not yet been fully met, and EPA is investigating whether OU3 contamination is slowing progress on OU2. The site has not been deleted from the NPL.

Once the RI/FS for OU3 is complete, EPA will release a Proposed Cleanup Plan for 30 days of public comment before issuing a final cleanup decision called a Record of Decision. The site's Community Involvement Plan was updated in January 2024 and is available to the public. Community members can review the full Administrative Record at the Lower Providence Community Library in Eagleville, Pennsylvania, or at the EPA Region 3 office in Philadelphia, both by appointment. EPA staff are available to answer questions directly using the contact information below.