Publicly Funded Cleanups Site Status Report 1998 Section I. Introduction

	Cleanup milestones reached at publicly funded Superfund sites The clearest measure of the success of a Superfund cleanup is the removal, or deletion, of the site from the National Priorities List (NPL). This step indicates that the contamination at that site has been thoroughly investigated and remediated in accordance with strict federal and state standards. Through the joint efforts of NJDEP's Site Remediation Program, USEPA and in some cases the potentially responsible parties, sixteen Superfund sites in the state of New Jersey have been fully deleted from the NPL, and one additional site has been partially deleted as of early 1999. However, this statistic alone does not provide an accurate picture of the progress that has been made in addressing Superfund sites in New Jersey. At many sites, the major environmental hazards are eliminated or controlled and human health protected relatively early in the cleanup process, but a long-term remedial action, often spanning a period of years, is required to complete the remediation of residual contamination. A typical example is the extraction and treatment of ground water to restore a contaminated aquifer, a complex process that can often take more than a decade to accomplish. In addition, years of post-cleanup monitoring or operation and maintenance activities may be required to ensure the effectiveness of a remedial action. Figure 1 provides a summary of the Superfund sites being addressed with public funds that are undergoing a long-term remedial action or post-cleanup environmental monitoring as the final phase of remedial action. Clearly, the initiation of the final remedial action is a significant milestone event in the Superfund process and a key indicator of cleanup progress. In recent months, NJDEP's Division of Publicly Funded Site Remediation and USEPA brought five publicly funded Superfund sites in the state to this stage, as detailed below. At these sites a Record of Decision was signed that brought final cleanup of the site close to realization, a soil remedial action was begun or a long-term ground water remedial action was initiated. These events significantly advanced the sites toward completion, even though in most cases deletion of the sites from the NPL is not expected for some time. For additional details about these cases, please see the site description section of this report.   Final Phase O&M Projects at Publicy Funded Superfund Sites Project Name Action O&M Start Bog Creek Farm* LTRA Ground Water Pump & Treat 1994 Combe Fill North Landfill Monitoring, Cap Maintenance 1991 Combe Fill South Landfill Ground Water Treatment, Cap & POET Maintenance 1998 Florence Land Recontouring Landfill Leachate, Methane Gas Collection, Cap Maintenance 1995 Higgins Farm* LTRA Ground Water Pump & Treat 1997 Lang Property* LTRA Ground Water Pump & Treat 1997 Lipari Landfill* On-Site Leachate/Ground Water Pump & Treat 1992 Williams Property LTRA Ground Water Pump & Treat 1995 As of February 1999. Does not include three Superfund sites where the Responsible Parties assumed Operation and Maintenance (O&M) work after construction activities were completed by the Division of Publicly Funded Site Remediation. * USEPA manages O&M work at these sites LTRA - Long Term Remedial Action Figure 1 Burnt Fly Bog, Marlboro Township, Monmouth County (Go to Site Description) In September 1998, NJDEP signed a third Record of Decision for this site, where waste oil containing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) was once stored in several large unlined lagoons. The Record of Decision   The sedimentation basin at the Burnt Fly Bog Superfund site. The basin is designed to prevent contamination from migrating off site via Burnt Fly Brook. Contaminated sediments are trapped by the basin as they travel downstream from other affected areas at the site. calls for the excavation and off-site disposal of approximately 33,000 cubic yards of PCB-contaminated soil from two wetlands areas, restoration of the wetlands, and long-term environmental monitoring at another wetlands area that cannot be excavated due to its sensitive ecosystem. The soil excavation project, which is scheduled to occur in 2000, will be the third and final remedial action for this site. The two previous actions resulted in the removal and off-site disposal of over 90,000 tons of contaminated soil and hazardous sludge and hundreds of thousands of gallons of lagoon liquids from other parts of the property. In addition, NJDEP has installed a 10-acre sedimentation basin on a stream that flows through the property to intercept contaminated sediments and prevent these materials from migrating off site. Contamination of the ground water is not an issue because the site is located on a discharge area of the Englishtown aquifer, where ground water flows to the surface. By implementing the measures outlined in the final Record of Decision, NJDEP will ensure that human health is protected and all environmental concerns at the site have been fully addressed. Global Landfill, Old Bridge Township, Middlesex County (Go to Site Description) In September 1997, after completing an extensive study that revealed only minimal levels of contamination at this municipal landfill, NJDEP signed a Record of Decision that required long-term monitoring of the ground water and the nearby wetland surface water and sediments. This "No Action with Monitoring" decision has enabled the potentially responsible parties to proceed with a plan to install a landfill cap with methane gas and leachate collection systems pursuant to a 1991 Record of Decision for the site. The potentially responsible parties began the first stage of construction in 1997 by placing 25,000 cubic yards of clean soil on the top of the landfill to provide the base for the cap and help compact the waste fill. Data obtained on the compaction of the waste fill is being used to complete the Remedial Design for the landfill cap. NJDEP expects the potentially responsible parties to complete the Remedial Design and begin the final stage of the cap construction in 2000. The environmental monitoring required in the 1997 Record of Decision will be conducted at the landfill for up to 30 years after the cap is completed to ensure the effectiveness of the selected remedies. Garden State Cleaners and South Jersey Clothing Company, Buena Borough, Atlantic County (Go to Site Description) In December 1998, USEPA completed construction of a ground water remediation system to address the commingled plumes of contaminated ground water from these neighboring sites. The remediation system is   The ground water treatment plant for the Garden State Cleaners and South Jersey Clothing Company Superfund sites. capable of extracting and treating 550 gallons of ground water a minute and represents the largest publicly funded ground water treatment system in New Jersey. In addition to cleaning the ground water, the system is imposing hydraulic control over the plumes and thereby preventing the ground water contamination from spreading. Also in late 1998, USEPA completed installation of a soil vapor extraction system at the South Jersey Clothing Company Superfund site. This system is designed to volatilize and extract solvents present in the subsurface soil that are acting as a source of contamination to the ground water. Similar soil contamination at the Garden State Cleaners site has already been fully remediated. Operation and maintenance of the ground water remediation system and the soil vapor extraction system will mark the final phase of the remedial actions at these two sites. Pepe Field, BoontonTown, Morris County (Go to Site Description) In mid-1998, USEPA completed a Remedial Design to excavate organic wastes at this athletic field, which was built on top of an old industrial landfill. The anaerobic decay of the wastes was generating methane and hydrogen   Excavation activities begin at the Pepe Field Superfund site. sulfide gases, creating unpleasant odors and potentially hazardous conditions. The design for the cleanup was complicated by the fact that the wastes are extremely moist and must be stabilized before they can be handled. In addition, USEPA needed to establish the proper safety precautions for working under conditions where hazardous gases are present. USEPA demolished the tennis court and other site structures in the summer of 1998, and began stabilizing and excavating the estimated 25,000 cubic yards of waste several months later. USEPA will fill in the excavated area with clean soil and restore the site for use as an athletic field according to the Town's specifications. This cleanup and restoration project is expected to be completed in 2000.
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Last revision: 11 August 1999