Publicly Funded Cleanups Site Status Report 2000 Index Hudson County Index of Sites Site Name Amoco Service Station Union City Grand Street Mercury Hudson County Chromate Publicly Funded Sites Ideal Cooperage Inc. Liberty State Park Municipal Sanitary Landfill Authority Syncon Resins

Amoco Service Station Union City
2600 John F. Kennedy Boulevard		Union City		Hudson County
BLOCK:	146	LOT:	6
CATEGORY:	Non-Superfund State Lead	TYPE OF FACILITY:		Gasoline Service Station
		OPERATION STATUS:		Active
PROPERTY SIZE:	0.25 Acre	SURROUNDING LAND USE:		Commercial/ Residential
MEDIA AFFECTED Ground Water		CONTAMINANTS Volatile Organic Compounds		STATUS Removed/ Further Monitoring Required
Soil		Volatile Organic Compounds		Further Monitoring Required
FUNDING SOURCES Spill Fund		AMOUNT AUTHORIZED $420,000
SITE DESCRIPTION/RESOLUTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS: Soil and ground water at this site became contaminated with volatile organic compounds due to leaking underground storage tanks. In 1987, NJDEP installed a ground water extraction and treatment system and monitor wells at the site, as well as a soil vapor extraction (SVE) system to abate potentially explosive gasoline vapors in the basement of an adjacent apartment building. Operation of the SVE continued until 1993, when the system was shut down because significant amounts of vapor were no longer being collected. Treatment of the ground water was also discontinued that year after sampling revealed the levels of contaminants in the ground water had been reduced. A Classification Exception Area (CEA) has been established for the ground water at the site and NJDEP is conducting periodic ground water monitoring pursuant to the requirements of the CEA.
PROJECT NAME RI/RAS DESIGN CONSTR O&M Ground Water Pump & Treat        Planned  Underway  Completed  Not Required back to top

Grand Street Mercury
720-732 Grand Street		Hoboken City		Hudson County
BLOCK:	85	LOT:	14
CATEGORY:	Superfund Federal Lead	TYPE OF FACILITY:		Mercury Vapor Lamp Manufacturing
		OPERATION STATUS:		Inactive
PROPERTY SIZE:	0.3 Acre	SURROUNDING LAND USE:		Residential/ Commercial/ Industrial
MEDIA AFFECTED Structure		CONTAMINANTS Mercury		STATUS Delineated
Air		Mercury		Confirmed
Soil		Mercury		Confirmed
Ground Water		Mercury		Potential
FUNDING SOURCES 1986 Bond Fund Superfund		AMOUNT AUTHORIZED $1,073,000 $9,660,000
SITE DESCRIPTION/RESOLUTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS: Also known as the former Quality Tool and Die Company, this site is a former industrial facility that was converted into residential and studio properties. Various industries operated in the existing building between 1910 and 1988. For several decades, mercury containing switches, mercury vapor lamps and other lighting products were manufactured at the facility by different companies. The Quality Tool and Die Company, the last industrial occupant, manufactured precision tools between 1955 and 1988. In 1990, the owner of the Quality Tool and Die Company filed an application for cessation of operations under New Jersey's Environmental Cleanup Responsibility Act (ECRA, now known as the Industrial Site Recovery Act, or ISRA), and a cleanup was conducted under that program that entailed placing an asphalt cap over a parking lot contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons. In 1993, the Grand Street Artists Partnership (GSAP) purchased the building and began converting it into residential condominiums. Tenants gradually moved into the building in 1994 as the individual units were completed. Shortly after the tenants began moving in, puddles of mercury were discovered under the flooring of units that were being renovated. An air survey conducted by GSAP indicated mercury vapors were present in various parts of the building. GSAP removed mercury-contaminated flooring and conducted other remedial activities in the building throughout 1995. In 1996, on the advice of the New Jersey Department of Health, the Hoboken Health Department ordered the 34 residents to vacate the premises. USEPA began a Superfund Removal Action that included providing temporary relocation assistance for the residents, securing and maintaining the building, screening the personal belongings of the residents for mercury, and delineating the mercury contamination. A Focused Feasibility Study and Risk Assessment subsequently conducted at the site by USEPA revealed mercury contamination was present in the structural components of the building and in the soil beneath the parking lot. In 1997, based on the findings of the Focused Feasibility Study and Risk Assessment, USEPA added the site to the National Priorities List of Superfund sites (NPL) and issued a Record of Decision (ROD) with NJDEP concurrence. The ROD required the permanent relocation of the residents, removal and disposal of the flooring and other contaminated materials and demolition of the building, additional sampling to delineate the extent of the mercury contamination in the soil around the site, and excavation and off-site disposal of the soil contaminated with mercury above cleanup guidelines. The ROD also required an off-site soil investigation and ground water sampling to determine whether the mercury at the property has contaminated the underlying aquifer. The Remedial Designs for the building demolition and soil remedial action are underway and scheduled to be completed in 2001. Two Potentially Responsible Parties have entered into a Unilateral Administrative Order with USEPA to perform the building demolition and soil remediation activities.
PROJECT NAME RI/FS DESIGN CONSTR O&M Residential Buyout   Building Demolition   Ground Water & Off-Site Soil Investigation        Planned  Underway  Completed  Not Required back to top

Hudson County Chromate - Publicly Funded Sites
Various Locations		Jersey and Bayonne Cities		Hudson and Essex Counties
BLOCK:	Various	LOT:	Various
CATEGORY:	Non-Superfund State Lead	TYPE OF FACILITY:		Not Applicable
		OPERATION STATUS:		Not Applicable
PROPERTY SIZE:	Various	SURROUNDING LAND USE:		Industrial/ Commercial/ Residential
MEDIA AFFECTED Ground Water		CONTAMINANTS Chromium		STATUS Suspected
Surface Water		Chromium		Suspected
Sediment		Chromium		Suspected
Soil		Chromium		Suspected/ Delineating/ Capped
Structures		Chromium		Suspected
Air		Chromium		Suspected
FUNDING SOURCES Spill Fund 1981 Bond Fund 1986 Bond Fund Corporate Business Tax		AMOUNT AUTHORIZED $7,181,000 $6,328,000 $10,832,000 $2,301,000
SITE DESCRIPTION/RESOLUTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS: NJDEP has identified 180 sites in Hudson and Essex Counties that were contaminated with chromite ore processing residue, also known as chromate waste. This waste resulted from extracting chromium from chromite ore at three chromium processing facilities in Hudson County. The facilities, which are no longer in operation, used the waste as fill at residential, commercial and industrial properties. It is estimated that approximately two million tons of chromate waste were disposed of in this manner. The Potentially Responsible Parties have completely remediated 36 residences by excavating the chromium-contaminated soil and disposed of it at a hazardous waste landfill. The Potentially Responsible Parties have also completed cleanups at 17 nonresidential sites and are in the process of addressing contamination at 74 other nonresidential sites. NJDEP's Division of Publicly Funded Site Remediation is conducting Remedial Investigations and Remedial Action Selections (RI/RAS) at the remaining 52 sites to delineate the chromium contamination and identify cleanup options. These include 29 sites for which no responsible parties have been identified, known as the Orphan sites, and 23 sites known as Allied Directive sites that NJDEP believes are the responsibility of AlliedSignal Inc. The company has denied responsibility for these sites. Various Interim Remedial Measures (IRMs) have been conducted at these sites by NJDEP, including capping 16 sites and fencing nine others. NJDEP began the RI work on the Allied Directive sites in 1994 and on the Orphan sites in 1997. The RI work consists of soil, sediment, surface water, ground water, biota and building sampling and analysis. NJDEP will use the findings of the RI/RAS to select final remedial actions for the sites.
PROJECT NAME RI/RAS DESIGN CONSTR O&M Original 42 Sites   Metro Field   Isabella Ave. & Conrail Rail Spur Site   IRM-Caps (16)   IRM-Fencing   Orphan Sites 1   Orphan Sites 2   Allied Sites (23)        Planned  Underway  Completed  Not Required

NJTP = New Jersey Turnpike

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Ideal Cooperage Inc.
3-25, 29 New York Avenue		Jersey City		Hudson County
BLOCK:	712	LOT:	A-10, A-11
CATEGORY:	Non-Superfund State Lead	TYPE OF FACILITY:		Drum Reconditioning
		OPERATION STATUS:		Inactive
PROPERTY SIZE:	4.5 Acres	SURROUNDING LAND USE:		Commercial
MEDIA AFFECTED Ground Water		CONTAMINANTS Volatile Organic Compounds Semi-Volatile Organic Compounds Metals		STATUS Potential
Soil		Volatile Organic Compounds Semi-Volatile Organic Compounds Metals Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)		Confirmed
Sediments		Volatile Organic Compounds Semi-Volatile Organic Compounds Metals Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)		Potential
Surface Water		Volatile Organic Compounds Semi-Volatile Organic Compounds Metals		Confirmed
FUNDING SOURCES 1986 Bond Fund Corporate Business Tax		AMOUNT AUTHORIZED $30,000 $600,000
SITE DESCRIPTION/RESOLUTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS: Ideal Cooperage, Inc. operated a drum reconditioning facility at this site from 1952 until 1981, when the company filed for bankruptcy. A portion of the property was then sold and redeveloped as a trucking terminal. The remainder of the property, approximately 1.3 acres, was abandoned with approximately 2,000 drums on site. A drainage ditch flows through the site to a nearby river. In 1991, USEPA conducted a removal action at the site, disposing of 200 drums of wastes and 1,200 empty drums. Samples collected from test pits after the removal action indicated the soil was contaminated with various organic compounds and metals, including PCBs, petroleum products and mercury. Contaminants were also detected in surface water samples collected from the drainage ditch. NJDEP's Division of Publicly Funded Site Remediation began a Remedial Investigation (RI) in 1999 to delineate the nature and extent of the contamination at the site. The RI will include sampling of the soil and ground water and of the surface water and sediments in the drainage ditch. If the results of the RI indicate that remediation of the site is necessary, NJDEP will conduct a Remedial Action Selection (RAS) to evaluate cleanup alternatives.
PROJECT NAME RI/RAS DESIGN CONSTR O&M USEPA Removal Action   Sitewide        Planned  Underway  Completed  Not Required back to top

Liberty State Park
Morris Pesin Drive and Freedom Way		Jersey City		Hudson County
BLOCK:	2154	LOT:	22K
CATEGORY:	Non-Superfund State Lead	TYPE OF FACILITY:		Landfill/ Rail Yard
		OPERATION STATUS:		Inactive
PROPERTY SIZE:	1,156 Acres	SURROUNDING LAND USE:		Recreational/ Industrial
MEDIA AFFECTED Ground Water		CONTAMINANTS Metals		STATUS Levels Not of Concern
Surface Water		Metals Pesticides		Levels Not of Concern
Soil		Metals Base Neutral Extractable Compounds Petroleum Hydrocarbons		Delineating/ Capping
Sediments		Metals Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Petroleum Hydrocarbons Pesticides		Confirmed
FUNDING SOURCES Spill Fund 1981 Bond Fund General State Fund Hazardous Discharge Site Cleanup Fund 1992 Green Acres Bond Fund		AMOUNT AUTHORIZED $68,000 $320,000 $1,628,000 $300,000 $717,000
SITE DESCRIPTION/RESOLUTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS: The park land was originally created by filling in a marsh with New York City garbage and dredge material from the Hudson River Basin. Between the mid-1800s and the 1960s, the property was used extensively for railroad activities and for several small business operations. Various areas of the park have undergone development in recent years. Due to the previous operations and the historic use of fill material at the site, NJDEP conducted Remedial Investigations (RIs) as development progressed to determine whether remedial measures were needed to protect human health and the environment. Between 1988 and 1995, NJDEP conducted RIs for the Dog Show Field, the Liberty Science Center, the Terminal Parking Lot, Liberty Walk, the Freight Yard (which includes the Dredge Spoils Area), the Northern Marina and the McAllister Tug and Barge Area (which includes the Middle Cove). At the Dog Show Field, heavy metals and tar residues were detected which render the site unsuitable for use as a football field, but does not pose a health risk for passive recreation. Therefore, no remedial action is planned for this area at this time. The Liberty Science Center, the Terminal Parking Lot, Liberty Walk and the Northern Marina exhibited soil contamination consistent with historic fill. These areas have been developed utilizing a minimum of one foot of clean fill cover and/or asphalt cover to eliminate the exposure pathways of inhalation and direct contact. Soil at Millennium Park, located near the intersection of Audrey Zapp Drive and Freedom Way, has also been covered with one foot of clean fill to prevent contact with contaminants identified during the RI. In 1993, NJDEP implemented an Interim Remedial Measure (IRM) that involved excavating the eight-foot high earthen berms that formed the impoundment for the Dredge Spoils Area and placing the soil over the dredged materials to prevent it from being spread by the wind. Upon development of the Freight Yard area a minimum of one foot of clean fill will be placed as cover in accordance with New Jersey remediation regulations for historic fill sites. Surface water and sediments collected from the Northern Marina during the RI indicated the presence of inorganic and organic contamination. These contaminants pose no threat to human health under current uses, except in the case of ingestion of marine life. Signs have been posted advising the public that fishing is prohibited at the Marina. NJDEP's Division of Parks and Forestry has received $10 million in bond funds to develop the McAllister Tug and Barge Area (which is bordered by North Cove, Liberty Walk, the Interpretive Center and Freedom Way) as a passive recreation Green Park area. The RI for this area revealed that the soil is contaminated with residual oil from McAllister's former operations, as well as arsenic above levels typically found in historic fill. In 1998, NJDEP issued a Remedial Action Selection Report (RASR) for this area of the park that required installation of one foot of clean cover material and periodic removal of free product from on-site extraction wells. Construction of the soil cover was completed in 1999 and the periodic free-product removal is underway. Three additional areas of the park are under investigation to determine whether chromate waste had been used as fill material at these sites. At two of the areas, Caven Point Pier and Sewer Line Area of the Freight Yard, the presence of chromate waste has been confirmed and further investigations are necessary. No chromate waste has been detected in the soil at the third area, the Cabana Club, but additional sampling is being performed to complete the site characterization. The ground water at the park is not used for potable purposes and therefore does not present a risk to human health from ingestion.
PROJECT NAME RI/RAS DESIGN CONSTR O&M Science Center & Marina   IRM-Dredge Spoils   Freight Yard Soils   Ground Water   McAllister Petroleum   Green Park Development        Planned  Underway  Completed  Not Required back to top

Municipal Sanitary Landfill Authority
1500 Harrison Avenue		Kearny Town		Hudson County
BLOCK:	285	LOT:	2
CATEGORY:	Non-Superfund State Lead	TYPE OF FACILITY:		Landfill
		OPERATION STATUS:		Inactive
PROPERTY SIZE:	94 Acres	SURROUNDING LAND USE:		Commercial
MEDIA AFFECTED Ground Water		CONTAMINANTS Volatile Organic Compounds Metals		STATUS Confirmed
Soil		Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Pesticides		Confirmed
Surface Water		Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Pesticides Inorganic Compounds		Confirmed
Sediments		Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Pesticides Inorganic Compounds		Confirmed
FUNDING SOURCES Corporate Business Tax		AMOUNT AUTHORIZED $1,812,000
SITE DESCRIPTION/RESOLUTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS: This site, also known as the MSLA 1-D Landfill, is located in a wetlands area near the Passaic River and Exit 15W of the New Jersey Turnpike. The Municipal Sanitary Landfill Authority (MSLA) operated the landfill during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Records indicate that in addition to municipal waste, approximately 1.5 million gallons of waste oil were deposited there. Various industrial wastes were also reportedly disposed of in the landfill, including pharmaceuticals, sewage sludges, asphalt sludges and insecticides. NJDEP ordered the landfill to cease operations in 1982 because it reached maximum allowable height and the MSLA had failed to maintain the leachate collection system. A soil cover was placed over the landfill at the time of closure but the site was never properly capped or maintained. Since disposal operations ceased, large volumes of leachate have routinely discharged from the landfill into the surrounding wetlands and the Passaic River. A private company installed a landfill gas recovery system at the site in 1989 to capture the methane gas being generated by the waste fill for use as an energy source. USEPA conducted a limited remedial investigation at the site in 1990 that revealed the soil, ground water, surface water and sediments at and near the landfill were contaminated with a variety of organic and inorganic compounds and metals. NJDEP's Division of Solid and Hazardous Waste has referred this site to the Division of Publicly Funded Site Remediation to implement closure actions to prevent the release of methane, a greenhouse gas, from the waste fill and mitigate the impact of landfill leachate on the environment. The Division of Publicly Funded Site Remediation has begun to design landfill closure measures including: 1) installing a subsurface containment wall around the landfill and a leachate collection system to prevent leachate-contaminated ground water from discharging to the surrounding areas; and 2) installing a solid waste-type impermeable cap over the landfill to prevent infiltration of precipitation and thereby minimize the generation of additional leachate. NJDEP expects to complete the Remedial Design for the landfill closure in 2002.
PROJECT NAME RI/RAS DESIGN CONSTR O&M Sitewide        Planned  Underway  Completed  Not Required back to top

Syncon Resins
77 Jacobus Avenue		Kearny Town		Hudson County
BLOCK:	289	LOT:	12, 13, 13R
CATEGORY:	Non-Superfund State Lead	TYPE OF FACILITY:		Paint Manufacturing
		OPERATION STATUS:		Inactive
PROPERTY SIZE:	15 Acres	SURROUNDING LAND USE:		Industrial
MEDIA AFFECTED Ground Water		CONTAMINANTS Volatile Organic Compounds Base Neutral Extractable Compounds Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) Pesticides Metals		STATUS Treating
Soil		Volatile Organic Compounds Base Neutral Extractable Compounds Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) Pesticides Metals		Partially Removed/ Treating
Structures		Asbestos		Removed
FUNDING SOURCES Superfund Spill Fund General State Fund 1986 Bond Fund Corporate Business Tax		AMOUNT AUTHORIZED $25,000,000 $1,300,300 $2,300,000 $755,000 $465,000
SITE DESCRIPTION/RESOLUTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS: Syncon Resins manufactured paint, varnish and resins at this site until 1982. The plant is located in a coastal management area and borders the Passaic River. The facility consisted of 13 buildings, numerous large storage vessels and tanks, and two unlined wastewater lagoons. At the time operations ceased, approximately 13,000 55-gallon drums of various chemicals were being stored at the site, most of which were in poor condition and leaking. USEPA added the Syncon Resins facility to the National Priorities List of Superfund sites in 1983, and the following year NJDEP removed all of the drums under an Interim Remedial Measure (IRM). Between 1984 and 1986, NJDEP conducted a Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study (RI/FS) that concluded there was extensive contamination in the soil, ground water and buildings and large volumes of liquid and solid chemical wastes in the various storage vessels and tanks at the site. Based on these findings, USEPA issued a Record of Decision (ROD) with NJDEP concurrence in 1986 that required the following remedial actions: 1) removal of the lagoon liquids and sediments and the contents of the storage vessels and tanks; 2) excavation and disposal of the grossly contaminated soil and decontamination of the buildings and other site structures; 3) installation of an on-site remediation system to extract and treat the contaminated ground water; and 4) treatment of residual soil contamination by soil flushing. In 1989, NJDEP conducted a second IRM to remove thousands of small containers of chemicals from the on-site laboratory, and initiated the remedial actions specified in the ROD. By 1992, NJDEP had removed the lagoon liquids and other wastes from the site, decontaminated the buildings and tanks, excavated and removed the grossly contaminated soil and completed construction of a soil flushing/ground water treatment system. These actions were subsequently designated Operable Unit 1 (OU1). While operation of the soil flushing/ground water treatment system was underway, NJDEP conducted supplemental studies that concluded highly contaminated soil and ground water at the southwestern portion of the plant were not being adequately addressed with the existing system. Based on these findings, USEPA issued a second ROD for the southwestern portion of the site, which was designated OU2, in September of 2000. The ROD requires excavation of approximately 30,000 cubic yards of heavily contaminated soil from an area of about 2.5 acres followed by treatment and disposal of drained free product from the soil, improvement of the subsurface drainage at the southwestern portion of the site, and backfilling the excavation with the drained soil after nutrients have been added to enhance biodegradation of the residual organic contaminants. USEPA and NJDEP anticipate that these actions will significantly improve the effectiveness of the soil flushing/ground water treatment system and expedite the cleanup of the site. The ROD also requires establishment of a Deed Notice or other institutional controls to ensure that the property is used for industrial or commercial purposes only. NJDEP expects to begin the Remedial Design for the OU2 remedial action in the spring of 2001.
PROJECT NAME RI/FS DESIGN CONSTR O&M Drum Removal   Lab Removal   Pilot Studies   Soil & Ground Water Treatment (OU1)   Building, Tanks & Scrap Metal   Southwest (OU2)        Planned  Underway  Completed  Not Required back to top

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Last Updated: January 9, 2002