New Jersey Natural Gas Company Long Branch Plant
(aka Long Branch Manufactured Gas Plant)
100 Brook Street
Long Branch City, Monmouth County
PI #: 21314
Community Relations Coordinator: Heather Swartz (609) 984-7135
SITE DESCRIPTION/RESOLUTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS:
As
of 27 September 2004
This site is a 17-acre property located in a primarily residential area
of Long Branch. Troutmans Creek, a tributary of the Shrewsbury River,
flows through the site. Between 1860 and the 1950s, a series of utility
companies operated a manufactured gas plant (MGP) at the property that
extracted gas from coal. This process generated a viscous waste known
as coal tar, which leaked into the ground. Although MGP operations were
phased out more than 50 years ago, contaminants from the operations remained
in the soil, sediments, and ground water. The primary contaminants associated
with the MGP residues are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and
metals.
New Jersey Natural Gas (NJNG) acquired the site in 1952, when it purchased
the natural gas properties of Jersey Central Power & Light. The City
of Long Branch and several private individuals also currently own portions
of the former MGP site, including the original Jerry Morgan Park. NJNG
has been addressing the soil, sediment, and ground water contamination
that resulted from the MGP’s operations since entering into an Administrative
Consent Order with NJDEP in 1991. NJNG has removed contaminated soil from
the former MGP and several off-site areas, including the original Jerry
Morgan Park, backfilled the excavated areas with clean soil, and installed
engineering controls. (A new Jerry Morgan Park was constructed on a nearby
lot.) NJNG has also removed contaminated sediment from the majority of
the on-site portion of Troutmans Creek and plans to remove additional
sediment in the future. To facilitate remediation of the Seaview Manor
Housing Development, NJNG will demolish the adjacent residential buildings
that are owned by the Long Branch Housing Authority and remove contaminated
soil from these properties. This work is expected to begin in late 2004.
Additional on-site and off-site remediation of soil and product is planned
once NJNG negotiates final arrangements with the affected property owners.
As noted above, NJNG has removed most of the contaminated sediments from
the portion of Troutmans Creek that runs through the site and is working
with NJDEP to delineate the sediment contamination in the off-site portion
of the creek north of the site. The results of this sampling will be used
to determine the extent of remediation that NJNG will be required to conduct
in the off-site portion of Troutmans Creek.
NJNG must also remediate the ground water contamination associated with
the former MGP and is currently evaluating ground water quality by sampling
on-site and off-site monitor wells. The data obtained from the sampling
will allow NJNG to determine the extent of ground water contamination
and design an appropriate remedial action. |
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