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Superfund Program Implements the Recovery Act
Emmells Septic Landfill Site
Galloway Township, New JerseySite Description
The 38-acre site was the location of a septic landfill from 1967 until 1979, when the property was abandoned. The landfill operations involved discharging septic and sewage sludge into trenches and lagoons. The site’s contamination resulted from disposal of other chemical wastes at the landfill, including paint sludge. Contaminated media include soil on the site property and ground water present in the unconfined aquifer’s shallow and deep zones. Volatile organic compounds are the major contaminants in ground water, and the soil is contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls. Ground water in the vicinity of the site is used as drinking water. Two residential wells contained site-related contaminants at levels in excess of drinking water standards, prompting EPA to provide an alternate water supply.
Cleanup Activities to Date
EPA listed the site on the National Priorities List in 1999. From August 1999 through March 2000, EPA conducted a short-term removal action, which resulted in the excavation and off-site disposal of 438 drums and 28,046 cubic yards of contaminated soil. During the summer of 2003, 36 residences in the vicinity of the site, which were threatened by site-related ground water contamination, were connected to the municipal water supply.
Recovery Act Project Activity
The $1-5 million in Recovery Act funds allocated to this site will be used to speed up the cleanup of PCB-contaminated soil remaining at the site. The funds will support the start of excavation and off-site disposal of contaminated soil, backfilling of the excavated soil and re-vegetation of the affected area. This action will alleviate potential risks associated with direct contact with PCB-contaminated soil and the potential inhalation of contaminated dust. While addressing the site’s contaminated soil, EPA will begin interim cleanup activities to address ground water, which calls for the on-site construction of a ground water extraction and treatment system to control movement of the contaminated ground water off of the site property.
To find out more about:
- This Superfund site, go to: http://www.epa.gov/region02/superfund/npl/emmells/.
- The Recovery Act and:
- Superfund, go to: http://www.epa.gov/superfund/eparecovery/index.html;
- EPA, go to: http://www.epa.gov/recovery; and
- The United States, go to: http://www.recovery.gov.