Horseshoe Road Complex Superfund Site

Last updated

The Horseshoe Road Complex Superfund Site in Sayreville, New Jersey is a 12-acre property located near the Raritan River. The industrial site has been out of operation since the early 1980s after a fire revealed 70 drums containing silver cyanide, ethyl acetate, and acetonitrile. The drums caught the attention of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and by 1995 the Horseshoe Road Complex was on the National Priorities List. The site had three areas consisting of the Atlantic Development Corporation (ADC), Horseshoe Road Drum Dump, and Sayreville Pesticide Dump. The neighboring Atlantic Resources Corporation, the location for precious metal recovery, is addressed with the Horseshoe Road Complex (HRC) site due to the intermixing of chemical contamination. The on-site contamination is not an immediate threat to the surrounding community, although prolonged or repeated exposure to the site itself, will result in health effects. The HRC Superfund site is now in its final steps of cleanup in accordance to the EPA's plan. [1]

Contents

Origins

Sayreville, New Jersey is located in Middlesex County on the Raritan River, and near the Raritan Bay. According to the 2010 United States Census, the Borough of Sayreville accommodates 42,704 people, 15,636 households, and 11,414 families and has a population density that is 132% higher than New Jersey.

Town history

Sayreville was originally named roundabout after the riverbeds, until the 1860s when it was renamed after James R. Sayre. James R. Sayre was the co-founder of Sayre and Fisher Brick Company which was the first company to take advantage of Sayreville's substantial clay deposits. Sayreville was incorporated as a township up until 1919 when it was reincorporated as the Borough of Sayreville after a referendum was held on the matter. The Borough of Sayreville received scientific notice for their clay deposits as one of the world's major sources of museum-quality fossils.

Company history

The Atlantic Development Corporation facility on Horseshoe Road was leased by several companies from 1950 to the early 1980s, housing many operations including the production of sealants, roofing materials, polymers, and urethane. The facility consisted of several buildings, many which are demolished today due to structural safety hazards. The site contained incinerators as well, which were used for precious metals recovery during its years of operation. [1]

Superfund designation

Local and National intervention was involved in the recovery of the Horseshoe Road Complex site. Locally, the Edison Wetlands Association kept the community informed about the state of the Horseshoe Road Superfund site, the association also helped to advance the progress of assessing health risks that the site posed to the surrounding community. State intervention from the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, partnered with the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry was required in order to evaluate the hazards remaining on site, and in the aquatic life near the site. Nationally, the EPA placed the site on the National Priorities List, and due to the efforts of the EPA, as well as local and statewide organizations, the final steps for recovery should be completed by the end of 2017. [2]

State intervention

The Edison Wetlands Association (EWA) was the main local organization involved in recovery of the superfund site. In 1999 The EWA made a request for the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) to evaluate the potential health threats posed by the site. The Edison Wetlands Association was primarily concerned with health threats presented to trespassers on the site, as well as the consumers of “blue crabs” which are found in the Raritan river adjacent to the site. [3] Following the request of the EWA, the ATSDR and the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (NJDHSS) evaluated the Horseshoe Road Complex (HRC) site in a health consultation on June 28, 2000. The ATSDR is “required by law to conduct a public health assessment at each of the sites on the EPA National Priorities List” [4] .. With the data from the 1999 Remedial Investigation the ATSDR/NJDHSS completed two Health Consultations on the Horseshoe Road Complex site in 2000 and 2001 which found that it is unlikely that trespassers experience any adverse health effects upon exposure to the site; however, the Atlantic Resources facility (precious metals recovery operation) within the HRC site puts trespassers at risk to physical hazards. Regarding the “blue crabs”, 24 blue crab samples were collected from 11 locations including 12 crab muscle tissue samples, as well as 12 crab hepatopancreas (digestive gland) tissue samples. The EWA's effort to inform the surrounding community of the Horseshoe Road site was assisted with a Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) granted by the EPA. [4]

National intervention

The Horseshoe Road Complex site was brought to the EPA's attention after over 70 drums of toxic waste were exposed following a brush fire in the early 1980s. The HRC site was recommended to placed on the National Priorities List (NPL) on September 29, 1995. In order for a site to be placed on the NPL it must evaluate the site based on the Hazard Ranking System (HRS). The HRS “is a numerically based screening system that uses information from initial, limited investigations to assess the relative potential of sites to pose a threat to human health or the environment”. [5] The EPA considers sites receiving an HRS score of 28.5 and above eligible to be places on the NPL. Following the investigation of the Horseshoe Road Complex, the site was given HRS score of 51.37, qualifying the HRC site to be placed on the National Priorities List to begin clean-up.

Health and environmental hazards

Several chemical hazards from the Atlantic Development Corporation, Horseshoe Road Drum Dump and the Sayreville Pesticide dump within the Horseshoe Road Complex were investigated and recorded in different layers of soil on site, as well as in the adjacent marsh and Raritan River. The “Blue Crabs” in the river, which are consumed by locals were investigated for possible health effects. Much of the findings concluded that the soil, sediments, and crabs were contaminated by the chemicals on the site.

Surface soil contamination

Upon investigation of the surface soil at the Horseshoe Road Complex site, Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), as well as semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs), were discovered in shallow soil on the HRC site. VOCs are common air pollutants found in America. (“Volatile Organic Compounds”, 2017) The VOCs and SVOCs found on site included methylene chloride, trichloroethylene (TCE), benzene, methoxychlor, tetrachlorethylene (PCE), and xylene. [1]

Subsurface soil contamination

The subsurface soil contamination was predominantly volatile organic compounds. Inorganic compounds such as arsenic and antimony were found at elevated levels of the subsurface soil. [1]

Site-Wide groundwater contamination

Groundwater contamination on the Horseshoe Road Superfund site was found within the first 30 feet below ground surface. The contamination included high levels of inorganic compounds in monitoring wells on the Horseshoe Road site. The contamination of the groundwater was a result of plumes from both the Atlantic Development Corporation as well as the Atlantic Resources Corporation. [1]

Raritan River surface water and sediment contamination

High concentrations of contaminants were found upriver of the drainageway that discharges surface runoff from the marsh adjacent to the Horseshoe Road site. Several water samples detected higher arsenic levels than the New Jersey surface water criteria. [2]

Cleanup

Due to the complexity of the hazards at the Horseshoe Road Complex (HRC) site the EPA created a cleanup plan organized into three operational units. The first operational unit is the demolition of the structurally unstable buildings remaining at the HRC site. The underground storage tanks were removed before the demolition. The demolition of the remaining structures at the HRC site was completed in 2003. Operational unit two addresses the removal of contaminated soil and groundwater and operational unit three is concerned with the River and marsh sediment. The Record of Decision planned for the River and marsh sediment cleanup to be started in 2006. [1]

Initial cleanup

In regard to operational unit two, the EPA decided first on unearthing approximately 52,000 to 10,0000 cubic yards of deeper soils. The deeper soils were an active source of groundwater contamination on the HSR cite. The cleanup of soil and contaminated groundwater at the Horseshoe Road Complex site began February 2008 and was completed November 2009. The third operation unit addressing the contaminated sediments in the marsh and Raritan River began its progress in the summer of 2015. The dredging and capping in the Raritan River, as well as the marsh, was finished in 2016. [1]

Current status

All final actions in restoring the marsh should be completed in 2017. The last phase of the Horseshoe Road site remediation addressing the Raritan river and marsh sediments was started in 2015, and is planned to be completed in 2017 as well.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berry's Creek</span> River known for its pollution in northeastern New Jersey, United States

Berry's Creek is a tributary of the Hackensack River in the New Jersey Meadowlands in Bergen County, New Jersey. The creek watershed contains a diverse array of wetlands, marshes, and wildlife. The creek runs through a densely populated region and has been subject to extensive industrial pollution during the 19th and 20th centuries. Several companies discharged toxic chemicals into the creek in the 20th century, and these chemicals have remained in the sediment. The creek has the highest concentrations of methyl mercury of any fresh-water sediment in the world. Portions of the creek watershed are Superfund sites and cleanup projects began in the late 20th century.

Vapor intrusion (VI) is a process by which chemicals in soil or groundwater - especially Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) - migrate to indoor air above a contaminated site.

The Edison Wetlands Association was founded by noted activist Robert Spiegel in 1989 as a nonprofit environmental organization devoted to the cleanup of hazardous waste sites and the preservation of open space in densely populated central New Jersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Havertown Superfund</span> Superfund site in Pennsylvania

Havertown Superfund is a 13-acre polluted groundwater site in Havertown, Pennsylvania contaminated by the dumping of industrial waste by National Wood Preservers from 1947 to 1991. The state first became aware of the pollution in 1962 and initiated legal action against the owners in 1973 to force them to cleanup the site. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ranked the site the eighth worst cleanup project in the United States. The site was added to the National Priorities List in 1983 and designated as a Superfund cleanup site in the early 1990s. Remediation and monitoring efforts are ongoing and the EPA transferred control of the site to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milltown Reservoir Superfund Site</span> Hazardous waste site in Missoula County, Montana, United States

The Milltown Reservoir Sediments Superfund Site is a major Superfund site in Missoula County, Montana, seven miles east of Missoula. It was added to the National Priorities List in 1983 when arsenic groundwater contamination was found in the Milltown area. The contamination resulted from a massive flood three years after its construction in 1905, which washed millions of tons of mine waste into the Clark Fork River, ultimately ending up behind the Milltown Dam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalamazoo Superfund Site</span>

In 1990, the Allied Paper, Inc./Portage Creek/Kalamazoo River in southwestern Michigan was declared by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to be a Superfund site – in other words, an abandoned industrial site containing significant amounts of toxic waste. The EPA and companies responsible for the waste in this area, which includes a three-mile section of Portage Creek as well as part of the Kalamazoo River, into which it flows, are currently involved in an effort to reduce the amount of toxic waste at the site, which is contaminated by PCBs from paper mills and other factories.

The Omega Chemical Corporation was a refrigerant and solvent recycling company that operated from 1976 to 1991 in Whittier, California. Due to improper waste handling and removal, the soil and groundwater beneath the property became contaminated and the area is now referred to as the Omega Chemical Superfund Site. Cleanup of the site began in 1995 with the removal of hazardous waste receptacles and a multimillion-dollar soil vaporization detoxifying system.

The Atlas Asbestos Mine Superfund Site is located within the Clear Creek Management Area near Fresno County, eighteen miles northwest of Coalinga, California. The mine started operating in 1963, covering 435 acres of a large naturally occurring asbestos deposit. The mine closed in 1979 and was placed in the EPA's National Priorities List (NPL) in 1983 due to the pollution of asbestos in the surrounding soil, air and water creating potential health hazards for local populations and environment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Waste Disposal Inc. Superfund site</span> Waste disposal

The Waste Disposal Inc. Superfund site is an oil-related contaminated site in the highly industrialized city of Santa Fe Springs in Los Angeles County, California. It is approximately 38 acres (15 ha), with St Paul's high school immediately adjacent to the northeast corner of the site. Approximately 15,000 residents of Santa Fe Springs obtain drinking water from wells within three miles (4.8 km) of the site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">California Gulch</span>

The California Gulch site consists of approximately 18 square miles in Lake County, Colorado. The area includes the city of Leadville, parts of the Leadville Historic Mining District and a section of the Arkansas River from the confluence of California Gulch downstream to the confluence of Two-Bit Gulch. The site was listed as a Superfund site in 1983.

Emmell's Septic Landfill (ESL) is located at 128 Zurich Ave, Galloway Township, New Jersey and takes up about 38 acres of space. The landfill was in operation from 1967 until 1979. ESL disposed of liquid and solid waste including many chemicals such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs), Trichloroethene and Vinyl chloride which all had their own effect on the environment and community. These chemicals affected the groundwater required millions of dollars to reconstruct the groundwater pathways and provide clean water to residents. The landfill holds a Hazardous Ranking Score of a 50/100, qualifying for the Superfund National Priority List. In August 1999, the state acknowledged the site's contamination and held town meetings and provided research upon the site such as groundwater samples. In July 1997, a sitewide investigation was called upon by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. In total the clean up was estimated to cost $5 million to fund this superfund site, and a grant of $3.9 million was given by the Federal Government under the Recovery Act Funding (Previti). Today, the project is still ongoing however, greatly improved since the landfill was discovered.

Bog Creek Farm, located in Howell Township, New Jersey, is a designated Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund site. Lying on 12 acres of land, Bog Creek Farm is home to several hazardous and life-threatening contamination beginning in 1973 and continuing for a year. Over a decade later, actions began to take place to clean and restore the contaminated soil and water. Bog Creek Farm is situated near several other farms that house horses, growing crops and flowers, and livestock. Less than a mile down the road lies Allaire State Park, a park used by golfers, hunters, and fisherman.

Brook Industrial Park (BIP) is an industrial area occupying 4.5 acres of the Borough of Bound Brook, New Jersey, in the United States of America. It is located on the northern bank of the Raritan River. Industrial, chemical and pesticide operations began in 1971 and eventually lead to the contamination of groundwater and exposure of workers to harmful dioxins. Throughout 1980 to 1988 the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) conducted studies to determine if there were any threats being posed on the workers, community or environment by the BIP companies in their disposal of processed and stored chemicals.

The Chemical Control Corporation superfund site is located at 22 South Front St. Elizabeth, New Jersey. Once a marsh, the 2-acre (0.81 ha) area next to the Elizabeth River is primarily flat land that is slightly above sea-level. The company, known as the Chemical Control Corporation, worked as a hazardous waste disposal plant from 1972 until its condemnation in 1979. Before the April 21, 1980 fire, it was reported that over 50,000 drums of chemicals, ranging from dioxin, benzene, cyanide, toluene, ethylene dichloride and more, were present on the site. State intervention was taken prior to the fire, but it became a matter of national intervention following the fire due to the level of contamination that impacted the environment and community. Cleanup operations have been underway since the early 1980s. The Environmental Protection Agency is considering removing the site from the National Priorities List because of the extensive cleanup that has been done.

The Zschiegner Refining Company (ZRC) was located in Howell, New Jersey, and operated as a metal refining facility. Some of their operations included stripping the chemicals off of precious metals from watch bands, photographic film, and electrical components. In 1992, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) discovered that 3,000 chemicals had contaminated the soil, surface water, and groundwater. These areas were contaminated due to discharge of waste to the ground surface, the movement of waste and contamination downhill from the site building, along with surface water runoff. When the EPA investigated the site and found the chemicals in the groundwater and soil, they shut down the company that same year in 1992. In that area, the environment and people were affected, especially the workers in the facility. After a Hazard Ranking System report was conducted by the EPA, the site was placed on the National Priorities List in March 1998. In 2008, the cleanup was completed, but groundwater and wetland is still being monitored.

The Orange Valley Regional Groundwater Superfund site is a group of wells in Orange and West Orange, two municipalities in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. The groundwater in the public wells are contaminated with the hazardous chemicals of Trichloroethylene (TCE), Dichloroethene (DCE), Tetrachloroethylene (Perchloroethene), 1,1-Dichloroethene (1,1-DCE), and 1,2-Dichloroethene (1,2-DCE). These chemicals pose a huge risk to the towns nearby population, as the wells are a source of public drinking water. In March 2012, the site was added to the National Priorities List (NPL) of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund site list.

Price Landfill is a 26-acre site located in Pleasantville, Egg Harbor Township, Atlantic County, New Jersey. Price Landfill is also known as Price Sanitary Landfill, Prices Pit, Price Landfill No.1 and Price Chemical Dump. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) added Price Landfill to the Superfund National Priorities List on September 20, 1983, because of the hazardous chemicals found on the site and in the groundwater. The site was originally owned by Mr. Charles Price and was used to mine sand and gravel, which was shut down in 1968. The site was then turned into a private landfill in 1969 and then a commercial solid waste landfill in 1971. At this point the landfill was used to dispose of liquid waste by companies, specifically Atlantic City Electric Company. The liquid waste consisted of industrial chemicals, oils and greases/sludges, septic tank and sewer wastes, which were disposed on the site for 8 years, ending altogether in 1976, but in the meantime, having contaminated the groundwater, soil, air, and nearby creeks, specifically Absecon Creek. Chemicals dumped on the site are believed to be 1,2-Dichloroethane, arsenic, benzene, chloroform, lead, and vinyl chloride, all of which contaminated the groundwater, soil, air, and nearby creeks. The USEPA originally got involved in 1982 by beginning to correct the damage. Currently the USEPA states that they are continuing to monitor and treat the groundwater and land, and that hazards to humans are controlled.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raritan Bay Slag Superfund Site</span>

The Raritan Bay Slag Superfund Site consists of a seawall along the coast of the Raritan Bay in the Laurence Harbor section of Old Bridge Township, New Jersey, United States. The seawall itself is made of slag. In this seawall, are large concentrations of lead, antimony, arsenic, and copper. The lead in particular has contaminated the nearby soil and surface water. The slag deposits are a by-product from NL Industries, a lead smelting company, dumping its wastes in the Raritan River. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) investigated the area and found large concentrations of metals to be dangerous to human health. The NJDEP called the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to investigate the area further, which resulted in some of the slag being physically removed and the toxic areas being fenced off.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ohio River Park</span> Contaminated site in Pennsylvania, U.S.

Ohio River Park is a Superfund Site located in Neville Island, Pennsylvania. Between the 1920s-1970s, the Site was used for municipal waste, pesticide manufacturing, coke sludge disposal, cement manufacturing disposal, and pesticide waste. In 1977, Neville Land Company donated the Site to Allegheny County who started developing the Site as a community park. In 1979, Allegheny County found various hazardous contaminants on the Site. On August 30, 1990, the Site was determined to be a Superfund Site due to VOCs, SVOCs, inorganics, and pesticides being present in the surface soil, subsurface soil, surface water, river sediment, and groundwater. Soil remediation began in February 1998 and ended in September 1999. Today, Ohio River Park has the Robert Morris University Island Sports Center and Coraopolis Bridge on top of it. Additionally, benzene continues to be monitored because it is still present in the Site's groundwater.

The Garfield Groundwater Contamination site is a Superfund site located in Garfield, New Jersey. The site was formally occupied by E.C Electroplating, an electroplating company that used chromic acid solution in their products. In 1983, a tank at the E.C Electroplating property malfunctioned and spilled chromic acid into the groundwater underneath the property that subsequently spread to the surrounding area. The contamination presented a health risk to Garfield residents in the area due to exposure to hexavalent chromium, a toxic form of chromium. The site was designated a Superfund site in 2011. Cleanup of the site is ongoing as of 2022.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Environmental Protection Agency. "Record of Decision" (PDF). Environmental Protection Agency. Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved 5 October 2017.[ permanent dead link ]
  2. 1 2 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. "Health Consultation" (PDF). nj.gov. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  3. ↑ U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. "Health Consultation" (PDF). nj.gov. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  4. 1 2 Atlantic Resources Corporation, Atlantic Resources Corporation. "Public Health Assessment" (PDF). Environmental Protection Agency. Atlantic Resources Corporation. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  5. ↑ Environmental Protection Agency, Environmental Protection Agency. "Introduction to the Hazard Ranking System". epa.gov. Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.