EPA Finds Cleanup of Sayreville Landfill Superfund Site Protective; Proposes Removal from Federal Superfund List (NJ)
(New York, N.Y.) A review of conditions at
the Sayreville Landfill Superfund site in the Borough of
Sayreville, Middlesex County, New Jersey by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency has found that the cleanup continues to protect
people’s health and the environment. Based on its findings
and recent monitoring data, EPA is proposing to remove the site
from the federal Superfund list of the most hazardous waste sites
in the nation. The site is a closed municipal landfill covering
approximately 30 acres. Part of the site is in a wetland near the
South River, a major tributary to the Raritan River. The soil and
ground water were contaminated with volatile organic compounds,
cadmium, lead, benzene, arsenic and polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons.
Volatile organic compounds are contaminants that
can easily evaporate into the air. Lead is a toxic metal that can
cause damage to a child’s ability to learn and a range of
health problems in adults. Even at low levels, lead in children can
cause I.Q. deficiencies, reading and learning disabilities,
impaired hearing, reduced attention spans, hyperactivity and other
behavior problems. Excessive exposure to cadmium can cause cancer.
Benzene causes cancer. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are a group
of chemicals that are formed during the incomplete burning of coal,
oil, gas, wood, garbage, or other organic substances and can cause
cancer.
“After completing all the work needed to
clean up contaminated soil and ground water and analyzing
monitoring data, EPA has determined that the site no longer poses a
threat to public health or the environment,” said Judith A.
Enck, Regional Administrator. “EPA will continue to monitor
the site to ensure that the community is protected in the
future.”
From 1971 to August 1977, the Sayreville
Landfill was operated by the Borough of Sayreville as a licensed
municipal landfill that accepted solid waste and some industrial
waste. Hazardous waste was suspected of being dumped at the site
during and after the landfill stopped operating in 1977. The site
was added to the federal Superfund list in 1983. Working with the
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, EPA oversaw the
removal of over 30 drums, capping the site, and the installation of
a storm water control system and methane gas collection system.
Remedial construction activities were completed in
1999.
Under Superfund law, EPA conducts reviews every
five years at sites where cleanups are complete to evaluate if they
are protective of people’s health and the environment. Based
on EPA’s first five-year review completed in 2002, the
landfill cap continued to protect the public and the environment
from potential risks. A second review was completed in 2007, and
included an evaluation of the monitoring data obtained over the
last five years. As before, the landfill cap continued to be
protective. Periodic reviews will continue every five
years.
The public is encouraged to comment on the
proposed plan to remove this site from the Superfund list. The
public comment period will begin on August 15, 2011 and extend to
September 14, 2011. Submit comments, identified by Docket ID no.
EPA-HQ-SFUND-1983-0002, by one of the following
methods:
On the internet: https://www.regulations.gov/
Follow on-line instructions for submitting comments.
Or mail to:
Diane Salkie, Remedial Project
Manager
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region
2
Emergency & Remedial Response
Division
290 Broadway, 19th Floor
New York, NY 10007
For more information about the Superfund program
in our region https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/epa-region-2
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