(New York, N.Y.) The E.P.A. has added the Matlack, Incorporated location in Woolwich Township, New Jersey to the Superfund National Priorities List of the country's most hazardous waste sites. The location is a former truck terminal at which operations included truck maintenance and truck, trailer and tanker washing. As a result of past industrial activities, the soil and ground water are contaminated with volatile organic compounds and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Many volatile organic compounds are known to cause cancer in animals and can cause cancer in people. PCBs are chemicals that persist in the environment and can affect the immune, reproductive, nervous and endocrine systems and are potentially cancer-causing. Contamination from this location is impacting the Grand Sprute Run stream and nearby wetlands that have been identified among New Jersey's most significant natural areas.
E.P.A. suggested to add the location to the Superfund list in September 2012 and encouraged the public to review during a 60-day public review period. After considering public comments and receiving the support of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to list the site, the E.P.A. is putting it on the Superfund list.
"Placing the Matlack location on the Superfund list is an important step in protecting people's health and allowing E.P.A. to take action to clean up the site," said Judith A. Enck, E.P.A. Regional Administrator. "By adding the location to the Superfund list, the E.P.A. can do the extensive investigation needed to determine the best ways to address the contamination and protect public health."
Located on Route 322 in Woolwich, New Jersey the location operated as a truck terminal from 1962 to 2001. Previous activities at the 70-acre facility included the cleanup of trucks and tankers used for transporting a variety of materials including flammable and corrosive liquids. The polluted cleaning solution was disposed of in an unlined lagoon behind the terminal building from 1962 until 1976 when Matlack Incorporated began transporting the wastewater away from the location for disposal. The lagoon was subsequently filled with a variety of demolition debris and other material. Matlack discontinued the tanker cleaning operations in November 1997, but continued to service and store vehicles at the location until 2001 when it submitted a petition for bankruptcy. Sampling has shown that the soil in several areas of the location is contaminated with volatile organic compounds and PCBs. Sediment and water in Grand Sprute Run stream are contaminated with volatile organic compounds and sampling shows that the ground water beneath the location is contaminated with the industrial cleaning chemical trichloroethylene.
The E.P.A. periodically suggests sites to the Superfund list and, after responding to public comments, designates them as final Superfund sites. The Superfund final designation makes them eligible for funds to conduct long-term cleanups.
The Superfund plan operates on the principle that polluters should pay for the cleanups, rather than passing the costs to taxpayers. After sites are placed on the Superfund list of the most contaminated waste sites, the E.P.A. searches for parties responsible for the contamination and holds them accountable for the costs of investigations and cleanups. The search for the parties responsible for the contamination at the Matlack, Incorporated location is ongoing.
For more information about Superfund, please visit:
http://www.epa.gov/region02/superfund.
Follow E.P.A. Region two on Twitter at
http://twitter.com/eparegion2 and visit our Facebook page,
http://www.facebook.com/eparegion2.
13-048
