Below is the full text of a news release from Region 2 of the USEPA announcing proposed changes to the current cleanup plan for the Shieldalloy site in Newfield and Vineland, NJ. It also contains information about an August 12 public hearing on the modified plan.
(New York, N.Y. – July 30, 2015) The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency has proposed modifications to the plan to address
contaminated groundwater at the Shieldalloy Metallurgical Corp. site in
Newfield and Vineland, N.J. A plan
originally put into place by the New Jersey Department of Environmental
Protection when it was mainly responsible for the site had required a system
that pumps the groundwater out of the ground and treats it. The new EPA plan
proposed today instead calls for using non-hazardous additives to treat the
groundwater and break down the contaminants and then allow the contaminants to
naturally decline while monitoring them.
Protection Agency has proposed modifications to the plan to address
contaminated groundwater at the Shieldalloy Metallurgical Corp. site in
Newfield and Vineland, N.J. A plan
originally put into place by the New Jersey Department of Environmental
Protection when it was mainly responsible for the site had required a system
that pumps the groundwater out of the ground and treats it. The new EPA plan
proposed today instead calls for using non-hazardous additives to treat the
groundwater and break down the contaminants and then allow the contaminants to
naturally decline while monitoring them.
Groundwater at the site is contaminated with hexavalent
chromium and volatile organic compounds from ore and metal processing that took
place at the site from 1955 to 2006. Exposure to hexavalent chromium and
volatile organic compounds can damage health including nervous system damage
and an increased potential of developing certain types of cancer. The
groundwater at this site doesn’t present a direct threat because wells in the
area are not used for drinking water since residents have been connected to a
clean municipal water source.
chromium and volatile organic compounds from ore and metal processing that took
place at the site from 1955 to 2006. Exposure to hexavalent chromium and
volatile organic compounds can damage health including nervous system damage
and an increased potential of developing certain types of cancer. The
groundwater at this site doesn’t present a direct threat because wells in the
area are not used for drinking water since residents have been connected to a
clean municipal water source.
NJDEP’s 1996 groundwater cleanup plan included enhancing
an existing system of pumps to bring the polluted groundwater to the surface
where it could be cleaned. The EPA oversaw a study of using certain additives
to bring down contamination levels and data collected in recent years indicate
that natural processes are effectively reducing the levels of some contaminants
and that treatment of the groundwater by adding non-hazardous additives to the
groundwater effectively reduces levels of others. The EPA has concluded that a
system to pump the groundwater to the surface to be treated is not as effective
as using the non-hazardous additives, and that the pump system is no longer
necessary.
an existing system of pumps to bring the polluted groundwater to the surface
where it could be cleaned. The EPA oversaw a study of using certain additives
to bring down contamination levels and data collected in recent years indicate
that natural processes are effectively reducing the levels of some contaminants
and that treatment of the groundwater by adding non-hazardous additives to the
groundwater effectively reduces levels of others. The EPA has concluded that a
system to pump the groundwater to the surface to be treated is not as effective
as using the non-hazardous additives, and that the pump system is no longer
necessary.
The EPA will hold a public meeting to explain the
proposed plan on August 12, 2015 at 7:00 p.m., at the Newfield Borough Hall, 18
Catawba Avenue, Newfield, N.J. Public comments will be received by the EPA
until August 28, 2015.
proposed plan on August 12, 2015 at 7:00 p.m., at the Newfield Borough Hall, 18
Catawba Avenue, Newfield, N.J. Public comments will be received by the EPA
until August 28, 2015.
The proposal modifies the plan that relied on a pump and
treat system to treat the groundwater. The EPA is proposing the modification
after an in depth study, conducted from 2010 to 2014, which looked at the
effectiveness of applying non-hazardous
additives to the groundwater to promote the breakdown of contaminants. This
approach is proving effective. In addition, data collected since the original
cleanup plan was selected indicates that natural processes are viable for
reducing the levels of contaminants. The
EPA is requiring monitoring of the groundwater to verify that the level and
extent of contaminants are declining and that people’s health and the
environment are protected. The EPA will conduct reviews at a minimum of every
five years to ensure the effectiveness of the cleanup, until the cleanup is
finished.
treat system to treat the groundwater. The EPA is proposing the modification
after an in depth study, conducted from 2010 to 2014, which looked at the
effectiveness of applying non-hazardous
additives to the groundwater to promote the breakdown of contaminants. This
approach is proving effective. In addition, data collected since the original
cleanup plan was selected indicates that natural processes are viable for
reducing the levels of contaminants. The
EPA is requiring monitoring of the groundwater to verify that the level and
extent of contaminants are declining and that people’s health and the
environment are protected. The EPA will conduct reviews at a minimum of every
five years to ensure the effectiveness of the cleanup, until the cleanup is
finished.
The Superfund program operates on the principle that
polluters should pay for the cleanups, rather than passing the costs to
taxpayers. The EPA searches for parties legally responsible for the
contamination at sites and it holds those parties accountable for the costs of
cleanups. The cleanup of the Shieldalloy
site is being conducted and paid for by the company with oversight by the
EPA.
polluters should pay for the cleanups, rather than passing the costs to
taxpayers. The EPA searches for parties legally responsible for the
contamination at sites and it holds those parties accountable for the costs of
cleanups. The cleanup of the Shieldalloy
site is being conducted and paid for by the company with oversight by the
EPA.
The site includes a 67-acre area where the Shieldalloy
facility was located, as well as the Hudson Branch of the Maurice River. The
company discharged industrial wastewater directly into lagoons and surface
water. Contaminated areas of the facility, nine waste water lagoons, and
storage tanks have been addressed by previous actions. Processing operations
have stopped, but the site is still utilized today as office space and for
warehousing. The site was listed on the EPA’s Superfund list in 1984.
facility was located, as well as the Hudson Branch of the Maurice River. The
company discharged industrial wastewater directly into lagoons and surface
water. Contaminated areas of the facility, nine waste water lagoons, and
storage tanks have been addressed by previous actions. Processing operations
have stopped, but the site is still utilized today as office space and for
warehousing. The site was listed on the EPA’s Superfund list in 1984.
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