Chemical Drum Cleanup In Howell Prompts Meeting, Evacuation Map

HOWELL, NJ — The federal Environmental Protection Agency will meet with the Howell and Farmingdale community March 21 to discuss the removal of chemical waste drums from the former Compounders Inc. site on Marl Road.

And the township Office of Emergency Management has now issued a map it previously prepared as a precaution showing streets in Farmingdale that are in an evacuation zone of the cleanup area. Click here to see the map on the township Facebook site.

The township Office of Emergency Management released the map that shows a half-mile radius and a one-mile radius of the cleanup area. Hundreds of drums containing adhesives and asphalt were found at the site after a drum fire there in February.

The cleanup site, 15 Marl Road, continues off of Preventorium Road but it is the last parcel of land in the township before the Borough of Farmingdale, explained Michael Mannino, the site coordinator for the EPA - hence the evacuation plan for Farmingdale.

Mannino, who lives in Monmouth County, said adjacent to the cleanup site is a JCP&L operation and railroad tracks - all part of a mixed-use zone in Farmingdale.

Mannino said the evacuation plan for Farmingdale was developed by the township following the fire in early February.

"Howell Township wanted to have a plan in place to be prepared in the event of any subsequent incident at the site," he said.

Victor Cook, head of the OEM, said the town was being proactive in preparing the map and that Howell immediately notified county and state environmental offices of the drums, once they were discovered at the fire.

In general, Cook urged residents of the entire town to sign up for emergency alerts to keep informed of any issues that may arise. The township website has a link here to sign up for emergency alerts.

Mannino also said that at this time, EPA has posted a 24/7 security service at the property "to ensure no such incidents take place."

Mannino said the evacuation map was already prepared as part of township emergency planning once the drums were discovered. He said it was "shared publicly by the township as a matter of government transparency."

The EPA is currently working with the property owner to establish a fence around the area of concern, as well as establish a workplan to secure and remove the drums and containers from the property. Compounders Inc. closed in 2019 and sold the property.

When EPA has a schedule of site work established, it will be shared with the township, Mannino said.

He said that EPA will be "establishing perimeter air monitoring during any work with the drums and containers to ensure that there is no off-site travel of materials during removal activities."

In the evacuation plan, the township said the Borough of Farmingdale is split into Zones A and B.

In the unlikely event of an evacuation, Zone A's "reunification" spot would be the PAL building at 115 Kent Road (former Southard School). Zone B residents would go to the Xscape Theater parking lot at 5361 Route 9, according to the information posted on the township Facebook site.

Community outreach meeting March 21

The community outreach event with the EPA will include several members of the EPA’s Region 2 Office who will be in attendance to give more information about the activity at the property, as well as to answer any questions from residents, the township said in a Facebook notice.

The meeting is March 21 at 6 p.m. at Howell's municipal building, main meeting room, 4567 Route 9, second floor, Howell, 07731.

The meeting will also be live streamed on YouTube, and a link will be posted on the Township website prior to the meeting, Howell township officials said.

Last week, Howell informed the community that the EPA was on the site of the former Marl Road business to clean up hundreds of deteriorating 55-gallon drums containing chemicals.

The drums were discovered in February by Howell firefighters at a former industrial plant at 15 Marl Road, and now federal environmental workers will be at the site for several weeks to manage their removal, the township said. See a previous Patch story on the cleanup here.

The Environmental Protection Agency has informed the township it will have workers at the former Compounder’s Inc. site for the "next several weeks," the township said in a news release.

Compounders Inc. manufactured a number of chemical compounds, including glues, adhesives, and asphalt materials, the EPA said. The company closed in 2019.

The agency is "overseeing the sampling and removal of around 200 to 300 drums and containers found at the site," the EPA said in a statement. The site now has 24-hour security, the township said.

"Despite some workers wearing protective equipment and clothing, this does not mean there is a risk to the public or surrounding residents," the township said.

The EPA said there will also be increased traffic in the area during the operations at the site.

The township first alerted residents to the presence of activity in the area late last week. The township is providing the information through its website.

All members of the public are invited to attend the March 21 meeting. The regularly scheduled Council Meeting will start at the completion of this meeting, but no earlier than 7 p.m., the township said.