The Saegertown Site is located in an industrial park in the Borough of Saegertown, Crawford County, in northwestern Pennsylvania. The site is approximately 100 acres in size and is located in a broad valley formed by the stream terrace of French Creek. In 1980, significant groundwater contamination by trichloroethylene was identified during routine sampling of Saegertown's municipal wells. Subsequent efforts to identify the source(s) of contamination focused on four facilities/properties within the industrial park's boundaries. As a result of an EPA-directed Remedial Investigation study, the 37-acre portion of the site formerly owned and operated by the General American Transportation Corporation (GATX), and another tract owned by the Lord Corporation, were identified as the primary areas in need of remediation.

From 1951 to 1967, GATX operated a wastewater treatment plant onsite and wash water and solvents used to clean railroad cars were disposed of in a sludge bed, lagoon, and pond on the site. The area of most concern was the GATX pond and its associated wetland area, which totaled approximately 2.3 acres. Sediment sampling in the pond revealed severe contamination by volatile organic compounds (39 ppm); aromatic volatiles such as benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, styrene, xylenes, and chlorobenzene (230 ppm); and semi-volatile compounds such as phenols, chlorinated benzenes, and PAHs (45,000 ppm). In addition, PCBs were found to occur in the pond sediments/wetland soils at concentrations as high as 830 ppm, along with lead (3410 ppm), and mercury (305 ppm). Over 32,000 tons of contaminated soils and sludge were removed from the site between summer 1995 and fall 1996. The property was then backfilled with clean material, regraded to the original contours, and reseeded. In October 1997, the former GATX property was deleted from the Saegertown Site and the National Priorities List.