EPA Finalizes $19.5M Cleanup Of Fair Lawn Superfund Site

FAIR LAWN, NJ — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Friday announced a finalized $19.5 million cleanup plan for the Fair Lawn Well Field Superfund site.

The plan will expand and enhance the system that extracts and treats the contaminated groundwater at the site. The plan expands three pump-and-treat systems at the Westmoreland Well Field to remove 1.4-dioxane, PFOA, and PFOS, all of which are potentially dangerous chemicals.

The plan includes long-term monitoring and measures to restrict the use of untreated groundwater from the site. Throughout the cleanup, monitoring, testing, and further studies will be conducted to ensure the plan is working.

The site is comprised of four municipal wells, two of which supply drinking water to residents. The wells are currently not used for the public water supply but the groundwater is being treated to remove contaminants and discharged to Henderson Brook. Fair Lawn is relying on other sources of water until the cleanup plan can be implemented. (See related: EPA Proposes New Cleanup Plan For Fair Lawn Superfund Site)

“EPA’s groundwater cleanup plan complements the state’s work to control the source of contamination and reflects years of thorough scientific studies and collaboration with our state and local partners,” said EPA Regional Administrator Pete Lopez. “By upgrading the groundwater treatment system, we are maximizing the removal of contaminants and ensuring the protection of people’s health.”

Several residences are within 300 feet of the site.

PFOA and PFOS have been used to make stain-resistant carpets and non-stick pans. They have been linked to kidney and testicular cancer.

The 1.4-dioxane is a carcinogen that can cause liver and kidney damage.

In 1978, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were detected in the wells located in a residential neighborhood adjacent to the Fair Lawn Industrial Park. Two local companies, Thermo Fisher Scientific Company LLC and Sandvik Inc., were identified as contributing sources to the groundwater contamination. The Site was placed on the Superfund National Priorities List in September 1983.

In mid-1995, the EPA and the Fair Lawn Health and Water Department conducted a residential well sampling and analysis program to determine the usage and quality of residential well water.

Vapor intrusion sampling was done in 2009, 2010, and 2013 at certain residential and commercial locations and at Westmoreland Elementary School in 2013.

The site was placed on the National Superfund Priorities List in September 1983.

Email daniel.hubbard@patch.com

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