Scientific Chemical Processing
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Sophia Kelley – (212) 637-3670
EPA added the Scientific Chemical Processing site in Carlstadt, New Jersey to the Superfund National Priorities List on September 1, 1983 because hazardous chemicals were found in the soil and ground water. The six acre superfund site was used as a processing facility for the recovery and disposal of various wastes. Hazardous substances were stored improperly on-site and contaminated the soil and groundwater. On-site ground water and soil contamination include PCBs, heavy metals and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are potentially harmful contaminants that can easily evaporate into the air. Off-property ground water and the adjacent Peach Island Green are also contaminated. Approximately 14,500 residents live within a two-mile radius of the site, and several private residences are within one mile of the site. The site is now vacant. A group of more than 100 potentially responsible parties is conducting the cleanup work at the site.
EPA removed contaminated tanks and fenced off the entire site, reducing public access. In 1992, to prevent the contamination from spreading further, and to prevent exposure to the contaminated soil while the site was still being studied, EPA implemented a cap over the site, constructed slurry walls, which are underground walls that contain the ground water from migrating further from the contamination source, and removed ground water within the slurry wall using pumps. The contaminated ground water was then disposed of at an approved off-site facility.
In 2002, EPA selected a final remedy for the site soil and on-property ground water. The final remedy includes solidification of the most contaminated parts of the site, the installation of a new cap over the soil, and upgrading of the ground water recovery system and the underground barriers.