EPA Cleaning Up 400-Acre Superfund Site In Cinnaminson, Delran

CINNAMINSON, NJ — The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is working on cleaning up a superfund site in which several contaminants were discovered in the early 1980s. The EPA is currently working on the cleanup of a superfund site that covers about 400 acres of land in Cinnaminson and Delran, according to the EPA’s website.

The cleanup focuses on properties bounded by Union Landing Road, U.S. Route 130, River Road, and Taylors Lane, as well as “properties outside these boundaries where contaminants may have migrated or threaten to migrate.”

Groundwater contamination was discovered by NJDEP through the review of groundwater monitoring data collected as part of the closure plan for the landfills in the early 1980s, according to the EPA. Contaminants including vinyl chloride, 1, 2- dichloroethane, PCE, TCE, cis-1, 2-dichloroethene (cis-1, 2-DCE), benzene and arsenic were found in the groundwater, soil and soil vapor.

Vinyl chloride is a colorless, man made contaminant predominantly used to make a variety of plastic products. 1, 2- dichloroethane, or ethylene dichloride, is used to make vinyl chloride.

TCE and PCE are man-made chemicals and were used often in manufacturing. TCE is a nonflammable colorless liquid. It was used as a solvent to remove grease from metal parts. It is also found in adhesives, paint removers, and spot removers. PCE is a nonflammable liquid. It is used frequently in dry cleaning and to remove grease. It is also referred to as perchloroethylene or PERC.

1, 2-Dichloroethene, also called 1, 2-dichloroethylene, is a highly flammable, colorless liquid with a sharp, harsh odor used to produce solvents in chemical mixtures.

Benzene is a natural, colorless odorless chemical used to make plastics, lubricants, rubbers, dyes, detergents, drugs, and pesticides

Arsenic is a naturally occurring element that is widely distributed in the Earth’s crust. It is found in water, air, food, and soil.

• Cleanup of the groundwater contamination from the landfill at the site and the construction of a groundwater remediation system;
• Analysis of the effectiveness of the landfill’s clay cap in reducing the generation of leachate, the contaminated liquid flowing from the site that contains many of the landfill's pollutants;
• Analysis of other industrial facilities located on the northwestern part of the site that contain soil and groundwater contamination and are the source of vapor intrusion in two nearby residential developments; and
• Analysis of contaminated groundwater that is not covered through implementation of the other three phases of work.

As part of the first phase of the project, EPA operated a groundwater remediation system from 2000-2013. EPA then shut down the system for two years, and is currently evaluating the results of that shutdown. The analysis of the clay cap discovered that it and other previous actions taken in response to the contamination have eliminated existing or potential risks to human health and the environment, and that no further action is needed for this phase of the project.

For the third phase, EPA installed vapor mitigations in homes in two nearby residential areas in 2010 that remain in place. An ongoing investigation into the nature and extent of vapor intrusion into these areas is also ongoing. Independent Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Studies (RI/FS) are currently underway for the third and fourth phases of the project.

Representatives from the EPA who are involved in the investigation of the site didn’t respond to phone messages from Patch requesting comment.

For more on the cleanup of the Cinnaminson Superfund site, visit epa.gov.

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