"Keeping an Eye on Morris County's Superfund Sites"

By: Cindy Forrest

Published in the September 25, 2013 edition of the Neighbor News (Denville Edition)

 

On Oct. 14, 1947, Chuck Yeager wowed the world by breaking the sound barrier. Today, almost 66 years later, New Jersey residents are still paying a part of the price - financially and environmentally - for the events on that momentous occasion. 

In Rockaway Township, the engine and propellant used by Yeager to achieve Mach 1 speed were produced on a 263-acre property off Lake Denmark Road. 

From the 1940s up through 1972, activities at the site included the testing and development of rocket engines and propellants, including the ones used by Yeager. Since 1972, operations at that location have included radiation sterilization, production of architectural products, and production of and finishes for hardwood flooring. 

Given the materials being used at the site, concerns about possible environmental impacts led the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and the Rockaway Township Health Department to conduct numerous inspections beginning in the early 1980s.

The inspections revealed that toxins, including benzene, carbon tetrachloride and trichloroethylene, were improperly stored and disposed of resulting in contamination of soil and surface water And so in 1983 after decades of toxic chemicals and solvents being stored and used on the property, the site was proposed for inclusion on the Superfund and the Environmental Protection Agency's National Priorities List (NPL). It was placed on the list on Sept. 21, 1984.

Superfund is the name given to the federal government's environmental program established to address abandoned hazardous waste sites. It is also the name of the fund established by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980. This law was enacted in the wake of the discovery of toxic waste dumps such as Love Canal and Times Beach in the 1970s. It allows the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to clean up such sites and to compel responsible parties to perform cleanups or reimburse the government for EPA-led cleanups.

The Superfund cleanup process is complex. It involves the steps taken to assess sites, place them on the National Priorities List, and establish and implement appropriate clean-up plans.

New Jersey has led the nation in the number of Superfund sites, with more locations than any other state. 

In the 11th Congressional District, the tracking and mediation status review of the five Superfund sites has been an annual event for the past 25 years. It began when the late Congressman Dean Gallo represented the 11th District and has continued under the leadership of Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen. 

The only year that the annual review had to be cancelled was 2010 when Frelinghuysen was called back to Washington, DC, because the House of Representatives was called into session. 

"It is important for me to personally visit Superfund sites to assess the progress being made," said Frelinghuysen. "New Jersey has more Superfund sites than any other state in the nation (147) but considerable progress has been made. Since 1980 when the Superfund program began, 33 sites in New Jersey have been removed from the National Priority List." 

Remediation at the Radiant Technology site has been ongoing since it was placed on the NPL list and continues today. According to EPA Regional Administrator Judith Enck, 75 rusting and leaking drums of toxins were removed from the site between January and March of this year. 

"No state benefits more from EPA's Superfund program than New Jersey," said Enck, "where the program is protecting people's health by removing the contamination left behind by the state's industrial past."

EPA Project Manager Brian Quinn explained that the cost for the clean-up work performed so far has been about $4.3 million.

The Radiation Technology site and two others on the tour, a well field on Enterprise Road in Rockaway Township and a well field on Union Street in Rockaway Borough, are connected, according Quinn. 

The source of the contamination from volatile organic compounds (VOCs) found at these two locations was linked to rocket motors that were built at the Lake Denmark site then loaded with the chemical compounds and tested in the borough. The EPA identified six parties potentially responsible for the contamination and in the end a settlement was reached with Cordant Technologies (formerly know as Thiokol Corporation and now a part of Alliant Techsystems).

The two-square-mile well field contamination site on Enterprise Road contains a cluster of three municipal wells within 100 feet of each other. The area is contaminated with various volatile organic chemicals from nearby industrial buildings.

An NJDEP clean-up plan called for the treatment of the contaminated ground water and the replacement of the existing air stripper, which forces air through polluted ground water to remove harmful chemicals. The air causes the chemicals to change from a liquid to a gas that is then collected and cleaned. 

Only one of the three wells is in operation. As recently as 2010, samplings revealed elevated concentrations of VOCs below several buildings on the site indicating the potential for vapor intrusion. Remediation was performed and samplings continue to be taken. The EPA has prepared a five-year review plan to ensure the remedy is effective. 

The Rockaway Borough well field site includes three municipal water supply wells that supply drinking water to 11,000 people.

In 1985, the NJDEP investigated the site and concluded that contamination of the municipal water supply was coming from multiple source areas within the borough. 

Based on these findings, EPA initiated a follow-up investigation to identify the sources of contamination, determine the extent of it, and evaluate potential clean-up methods.

The EPA's investigation revealed that the contaminated area encompassed nearby businesses including dry cleaners, auto body/service repair shops, banks, hardware stores, hairdressers, convenience stores, and food establishments. The borough police and fire departments, Memorial Park, and municipal parking lots were also within the investigation area.

The investigation further confirmed the presence of volatile organic compounds, including perchloroethylene. The source of the contamination was a facility belonging to a company, Klockner and Klockner, which was responsible for presence in the soil of tetrachloroethene, a commonly used industrial solvent.

Over the years progress has been made.