Known Contaminated Sites - NJ

Foreward

Table of Contents

Welcome to the seventh edition of the Known Contaminated Sites in New Jersey (KCS-NJ) report, which contains basic information on approximately 14,000 contaminated sites. The report, prepared by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s (NJDEP) Site Remediation and Waste Management (SRWM) Program, provides a list of sites where contaminated soil and/or ground water has been confirmed. The sites are grouped by municipality to make locating the sites of interest easier. Sites with a confirmed on-site source(s) of contamination, as well as some sites where the source(s) of contamination is unknown, are included in the list. In addition, the report lists sites where the completed remediation requires engineering and/or institutional controls. Engineering controls involve the placement of physical barriers as a means of preventing exposure, such as placement of a cap. Institutional controls involve formal documentation of steps that must be taken to ensure the contamination is contained, such as maintenance and/or monitoring activity. An Institutional control can also place limits on the future use of a site, such as a deed notice.

Since the Department began tracking cleanup progress in the 1970s, more than 37,000 site cleanups were completed. These sites received a No Further Action (NFA) designation. A No Further Action designation for a contaminated site ensures that the remediation required has been completed in compliance with the appropriate NJDEP regulations. The NFA designation can be granted for an entire site (NFA-E) or for part of a site or Area of Concern (NFA-A).

The KCS-NJ is a list of contaminated sites sorted by county, municipality, and site name. The report provides basic information about each site being addressed by the KCS-NJ. See the section entitled "How to Use This Report" for guidance on working with information included in the KCS-NJ report. For assistance with site specific questions, please refer to "What Contact Bureaus Do." You will find phone numbers and a brief description of each of the SRWM bureaus in this section. You will find some sites highlighted in other SRWM reports such as the "Publicly Funded Cleanups Site Status Report" and the Office of Community Relations' "Active Sites List". If a thorough file review is necessary, please follow the directions listed on the NJDEP Open Public Records Act (OPRA) Web site.

It is important to realize that as new sites are identified and others are remediated, the number of contaminated sites in New Jersey and their statuses constantly change. At any given time thousands of sites are being investigated by SRWM. In addition, sites that were previously known as pending are being reevaluated and are not included in this edition of the KCSNJ report. Once the reevaluation is complete, these sites will either be added to the KCSNJ report or closed. The status known as pending will then be eliminated. Consequently, the KCS-NJ is a dynamic list and should always be thought of as a “snapshot” in time.

The SRWM plans to update the KCS-NJ at the beginning of each calendar year and the beginning of each state fiscal year (i.e. January and July). However, SRWM and the NJDEP Office of Information Resources and Management are currently working on new Internet reporting methods, which will enable SRWM to create a "live" KCS-NJ report in the future.

The SRWM's role is not limited to the oversight and cleanup of sites with confirmed contamination. The program also handles cases where contamination is suspected, but not yet confirmed. For example, SRWM is regularly called upon to oversee environmental investigations to confirm that properties are clean. Prospective buyers, insurance companies and banks are especially interested in SRWM oversight of environmental investigations at properties involved in real estate transactions. If an investigation reveals that contamination does not exists or contamination levels do not exceed cleanup standards, these properties will also receive an NFA letter. Sites where contamination has not been confirmed are not listed in the KCS-NJ. As these sites undergo evaluation, if contamination is confirmed, the site will be assigned to a program and added to the KCS-NJ report. When contamination falls below the cleanup standards and all regulatory requirements and controls are satisfied, the site will be closed and a NFA issued.

The SRWM hopes that you find this publication useful and that you continue to visit our web site in the future.

Introduction - I: Overview