EPA Seeks Public Input on Plan for Cleanup at Puchack Superfund Site in Pennsauken Township, New Jersey; Contamination Closed Down Public Drinking Water Supply (NJ)
(New York, N.Y.) The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency today announced a proposed plan to remediate soil
at the Puchack Well Field Superfund site in Pennsauken Township,
New Jersey that is contaminated with hexavalent chromium and is
contributing to the pollution of ground water underlying the site.
The 450,000-square-foot site contains six public drinking water
supply wells that have been taken out of use to protect
people’s health. Area residents have been connected to a
municipal water supply that provides a safe source of drinking
water. Hexavalent chromium is extremely toxic. It can cause cancer
and can have other serious health impacts, including nervous system
damage.
Because of the nature and complexity of the
contamination at the site, EPA divided the investigation and
cleanup into two phases. The plan announced today is the second of
the two phases of the cleanup. EPA will hold a public meeting to
explain the proposed plan for the second phase and receive comments
on June 21, 2011.
"Clean drinking water is a top priority for EPA.
By reducing the amount of chromium in the soil, EPA is protecting
people’s health by keeping the contaminated soil from
polluting ground water," said EPA Regional Administrator Judith A.
Enck. “The cleanup plan advances the essential work at the
Puchack Well Field site, and EPA encourages public input on the
proposed plan."
Ground water contamination was first detected at
a limited number of wells at the Puchack Well Field in the 1970s.
Subsequent testing in the early 1980s found contamination in
additional wells. By 1984, the well field was no longer used as a
source of drinking water. EPA added the Puchack Well Field to the
federal Superfund list in 1998. Sampling indicates that no
currently operating municipal wells are being impacted by the
contaminated ground water. EPA has worked with the New Jersey
Department of Environmental Protection and the United States
Geological Survey on this site.
The first phase of the cleanup is addressing the
investigation and cleanup of the chromium contaminated ground
water. Later this fall, as part of the continuing first phase of
the cleanup, EPA will begin treating the contaminated ground water
using lactate, a non-hazardous additive that will reduce the
contamination. The treatment with lactate was selected after the
EPA conducted a pilot study to test its effectiveness.
The second phase of the cleanup calls for the
investigation and cleanup of the contaminated soil that is
contributing to the hexavalent chromium ground water contamination.
Consistent with the first phase, EPA is proposing to mix the soil
with a nontoxic material that will convert the highly toxic
hexavalent form of chromium into the far less toxic form of
chromium called trivalent chromium. This approach will reduce the
levels of hexavalent chromium in the soil to prevent
recontamination of the ground water. EPA will conduct a study to
determine the type and quantity of the chemical agent to be used.
Structures on the site will be demolished to provide access to the
contaminated soil. After the treatment, soil samples will be
collected and studied to confirm that the treatment was effective.
Additionally, the ground water will be monitored to ensure that the
soil is no longer a source of contamination.
EPA is requesting public comments on the
proposed plan for the second phase of the cleanup and will hold a
public meeting on June 21, 2011 at 7:00 pm, Rutgers University
Camden Campus, Fine Arts Building, 314 Linden St, Room 110, Camden,
New Jersey. Comments will be accepted until July 13,
2011.
Written comments may be mailed or emailed
to:
Mr. Jonathan Gorin
Remedial Project Manager
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency –
Region 2
290 Broadway – 19Th Floor
New York, N.Y. 10007-1866
212-637-4361
[email protected]
The EPA has a web page on the site at:
https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/epa-region-2
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