State Recovers Cost of Hazardous Waste Dumping in Burnt Fly Bog

The state has recovered $1.9 million from a federal lawsuit which charged Dominick and Carmella Manzo dumped hazardous waste in Burnt Fly Bog.

The Superfund site spans Marlboro and Old Bridge Townships. According to the state Attorney General, the lawsuit sought damages brought on by waste dumped on the site by Ace-Manzo, Inc.

The lawsuit was settled in 2011, and the state has recovered over $1 million to date. In 2012, Ace-Manzo, Inc. paid $863,000 to the fund from federal and state claims.

According to Environmental Protection Agency reports, contamination of Burnt Fly Bog began in the 1950's from "recycled waste oil operations," and several owners of the land allowed the property to become "oil lagoons" and degenerate.

Studies show contaminants include PCB and lead. As of today, contaminated soil and water form the site have either been removed or fenced in, according to the EPA. Ecological assessments are ongoing.

The Burnt Fly Bog lawsuit joins a list of lawsuits which collected $29 million for the clean-up of environmental sites around the state, including the Paulsboro Terminal, formerly owned by Exxon.

“We are committed to aggressively enforcing New Jersey’s environmental laws, cleaning up polluted properties and dealing as swiftly and decisively as possible with  contamination issues that can affect the health and welfare of our residents,’’ said Department of Environmental protection Commissioner Bob Martin. “The bill for these property cleanups should be paid by the parties that caused the contamination, not the taxpayers and residents of our state.’’

Recently, Marlboro Township and the Environmental Protection Agency