CLEANUP WORK AT FIVE SITES BEGINS DEP RARITAN
INITIATIVE
Focus of Water Quality Improvements
(04/101) TRENTON -- Department of Environmental
Protection (DEP) Commissioner Bradley M. Campbell today
announced a Raritan River initiative that requires specific
cleanup work by responsible parties at five contaminated
sites along the river's lower section to improve water quality.
"This initiative calls for renewed action to eliminate
pollution to the Raritan River, a source of drinking water
for thousands of New Jersey residents and a source of enjoyment
for anglers and boaters," said Commissioner Campbell.
"Because of cleanup delays, we seek timely action to
protect this valuable ecological resource."
DEP's Raritan River initiative focuses on contaminated
sites where cleanup work to address both ongoing discharges
and long-term remediation has lagged in recent years. With
help from the Edison Wetlands Association, DEP identified
the five sites along the Raritan River with continuing discharges:
Edison Township Landfill, Edgeboro Landfill, ILR Landfill,
Hatco and Rhône-Poulenc/Bayer CropScience. DEP is
reviewing additional sites along the river. If appropriate
action is not taken within new timeframes set by DEP to
address the immediate concerns, the Department will proceed
with formal enforcement measures against the responsible
parties.
The Lower Raritan Watershed covers 352 square miles in
the central New Jersey counties of Middlesex, Monmouth,
Somerset and Union. It contains the Raritan River, Green
Brook, South River, Lawrence Brook and Manalapan Brook.
Land use is more than 50 percent urban, with remaining lands
wetlands (19.7 percent), forest (17.5 percent), agriculture,
water, and barren land.
Commissioner Campbell also announced that DEP is preparing
to undertake similar initiatives. The next focus will be
on the lower Delaware River and environmental justice communities.
DEP will conduct an analysis similar to the Raritan River
effort to identify contaminated sites that need increased
oversight, and the use of necessary enforcement action to
ensure responsible parties stop ongoing discharges and complete
long-term, permanent cleanups.
The specific actions required by DEP under the Raritan
River initiative include work at several types of sites.
Edison and Edgeboro landfills
At Edison Township Landfill and Edgeboro Landfill in East
Brunswick, recent DEP site visits identified areas where
floatable material and debris were going directly into the
river. DEP directed both parties to remove all waste along
the riverbank to construct a shoreline stabilization system
and to provide a schedule for taking these actions. The
facilities are currently developing landfill closure plans
for DEP approval.
Edison Township Landfill is comprised of a 35-acre main
site, as well as an adjacent older landfill about 20 acres
in size. DEP registered Edison Landfill in 1978 to accept
municipal, bulky and non-chemical industrial waste. The
landfill ceased operating in 1990 and is covered with soil
and dense vegetation.
The Edgeboro Disposal, Inc. Landfill (EDI) site in East
Brunswick operated from 1954 to 1987 and is now closed.
EDI consists of two designated areas: the first, approximately
213 acres contained within an impermeable cut-off wall;
and, the second, approximately 155 acres, designated as
Areas 1 through 7, located out-side the wall. EDI's area
inside the cut-off wall is shared with the presently operating
Middlesex County Landfill (MCLF) that purchased portions
of the site from EDI in 1988. Of the 155 acres outside the
cut-off wall, EDI previously remediated areas 5 and 6 that
consist of 47 acres.
ILR
At the ILR Landfill in Edison, the facility operators have
complied with all closure requirements except for leachate
management at the site. DEP has instructed ILR to construct
a leachate management system and submit the necessary progress
reports for this work. ILR is working to meet a December
16, 2004 schedule.
The ILR Sanitary Landfill is a privately owned sanitary
landfill covering 145 acres, of which approximately 131
acres comprise the landfill. The facility began accepting
waste in 1964 and ceased operations in April 1985. Municipal,
construction and demolition, vegetative and dry non-hazardous
industrial wastes were disposed of at this landfill. Landfill
gas is collected at ILR, Edgeboro and Edison Township landfills
for use at an electric generation station on the other side
of the Raritan River.
Hatco
DEP is requiring a large-scale PCB cleanup at the Hatco
site in Woodbridge, currently owned by W.R. Grace. DEP is
working with EPA to approve cleanup limits for a site-wide
remedy for PCBs that involves both capping and off-site
removal. The cleanup under DEP review will cost more than
$20 million funded by the responsible parties.
W. R. Grace & Co. (Grace) owned and operated the site
from 1959 to 1978 as the Hatco Chemical Division. On August
21, 1978, Grace sold the assets of the Hatco Chemical Division
to an entity that became known as Hatco Chemical Corporation.
Hatco Chemical Corporation changed its name to Hatco Corporation
(Hatco) in 1986. Since the late 1980s and pursuant to a
1992 administrative consent order between DEP and Hatco,
the site has undergone significant investigation and interim
emergency cleanups to address environmental contamination.
Rhône-Poulenc/Bayer CropScience
At the Rhône-Poulenc/Bayer CropScience site in Middlesex
Borough, DEP is requiring the company to install an interim
ground water collection and treatment system for arsenic
this fall to end discharges to surface water entering the
Raritan River. DEP also is requiring the responsible party
to begin construction by May 2005 of a ditch liner system
to prevent contaminants from entering the river.
Rhône-Poulenc was a pesticide manufacturing facility.
Arsenic is the predominant contaminant of concern. Rhône-Poulenc
entered into an administrative Consent Order May 1986 to
remediate the extensive arsenic and pesticide contamination
of the main site and neighboring properties. The contamination
covers about 50 acres of light industrial and business park
property. The present day responsible party is Bayer CropScience.
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