From 1957 to 1979, a munitions manufacturing facility operated on a 95-acre property in North East, Cecil County, Maryland. The plant made grenade fuses, detonators, and related military devices. Poor waste disposal practices, including open pit burial and discharge to unlined surface impoundments, contaminated the site. EPA added it to the Superfund National Priorities List in September 1997. The site is also known as the Mechanics Valley Ordinance Site.
Soil and groundwater at the site contain chlorinated volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, vinyl chloride, and benzene. Heavy metals including barium, chromium, cobalt, nickel, vanadium, and zinc were found in soil. Perchlorate, linked to munitions manufacturing, was detected in groundwater. Several residential drinking water wells near the site also contained VOCs. Earlier removal actions addressed cadmium, chromium, and zinc from abandoned electroplating wastewater impoundments.
EPA signed a Record of Decision in September 2006 that called for treating affected residential wells, connecting residents to municipal water, installing a groundwater treatment system, removing munitions and explosives, disposing of contaminated soils, and ongoing monitoring. A 2013 amendment added indoor air monitoring and anaerobic bioremediation. Soil cleanup ran from roughly late 2010 through mid-2011. Groundwater remediation construction ran from 2014 to 2015, reaching Construction Completion status. Long-term groundwater monitoring and response actions began in 2016 and remain ongoing. The Maryland Department of the Environment maintains residential well treatment systems, and EPA samples those wells every quarter. Residences near the site are also being evaluated for vapor intrusion risks.
EPA has determined that human exposure is under control across the entire site, groundwater migration is stabilized, and the site is ready for anticipated reuse. Zoning restrictions are in place to prevent residential and other incompatible land uses. The most recent Five-Year Review, completed in November 2025, confirmed the remedy continues to protect human health and the environment. The next Five-Year Review is scheduled for 2030.
Community members can review site records at the Cecil County Public Library in Elkton, Maryland, or at the U.S. EPA Region 3 Public Reading Room in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where appointments are required. EPA's Community Involvement Program offers additional ways for residents to participate in the cleanup process. For questions, residents can contact the Community Involvement Coordinator or the Remedial Project Manager.
