Metropolitan Mirror and Glass Company operated an 8-acre mirror manufacturing facility in Frackville, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania from 1959 to 1982. The company used silver solutions, paint strippers, paint thinners, and other solvents. Waste from those operations went into four unlined settling lagoons, which allowed contaminants to seep into the soil and shallow groundwater.
Contaminants found at the site included aluminum, heavy metals such as silver and lead, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), the chemical components of solvents. The unlined lagoons, absorbent soil, and shallow groundwater made it easy for those substances to spread. Workers at the neighboring St. Jude Polymer Co. faced a risk of exposure through contaminated soil in a drum storage area on the site.
EPA studied the contamination from 1995 to 1996. A removal action ran from May through August 1997 and involved draining, excavating, and backfilling the four lagoons with clean soil, and excavating and backfilling the contaminated drum storage area. After that work, EPA determined that contaminants remaining in groundwater and sediment were not related to the site. EPA issued a "No Action" Record of Decision in September 1998, meaning no further cleanup was required. A five-year review completed in December 2003 confirmed that the cleanup remained protective of human health and the environment.
Human exposure is under control, with no unacceptable exposure pathways currently present. Groundwater migration is also under control, with no unacceptable discharge to surface water. The site was deleted from the National Priorities List in August 2005 and achieved sitewide ready for anticipated reuse status in June 2006. EPA continues monitoring to confirm that affected groundwater stays within the original contamination area.
Community members with questions can contact the EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager. The complete Administrative Record is available online or in person at the EPA Region 3 office at 1600 John F. Kennedy Boulevard in Philadelphia. Appointments to review records in person can be scheduled by calling 215-814-2396.
