U.S. EPA Finalizes Plan to Upgrade Groundwater Treatment System in New Jersey

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) finalized a $19.5 million cleanup plan for the Fair Lawn Field Superfund in Fair Lawn, N.J. Previous industrial and commercial at the site contaminated the soil and groundwater with chlorinated volatile organic compounds. The U.S. EPA will expand and enhance the system that extracts and treats the contaminated groundwater.

“[U.S.] EPA’s groundwater cleanup plan complements state work to control the source of contamination and reflects years of thorough scientific studies and collaboration with out state and local partners,” said Pete Lopez, U.S. EPA Regional Administrator. “By upgrading the groundwater treatment system, we are maximizing the removal of contaminants and ensuring the protection of people’s health.”

The U.S. EPA held a public meeting in August 2018 to explain the cleanup proposal, discuss cleanup options that were considered, and solicit public comments.

“I don’t want any parents in Bergen County, in the Fifth District, or anywhere in New Jersey to have to worry if the water their children are drinking is safe,” said Josh Gottheimer, New Jersey Congressman. “It’s important for the [U.S.] EPA to move forward and clean up the Fair Lawn Well Field Superfund site, removing harmful groundwater contaminants and making sure the site is monitored over the long term. We need to work together to ensure every North Jersey family has access to clean, safe drinking water.”

Most contamination at the Superfund sites came from Fair Lawn Industrial Park. The impacted municipal supply wells are currently not used for the public water supply but the groundwater is being treated to remove contaminants and discharged to Henderson Brook. To ensure the public is provided with secure drinking water supply, Fair Lawn is relying other other sources of water until the cleanup plan can be implemented.

Groundwater treatment is ongoing and preventing contaminated groundwater from spreading, while effort by New Jersey are addressing the sources of contamination. The U.S. EPA’s cleanup plan will upgrade the groundwater treatment equipment at the Westmoreland Well Field and will remove the contaminant 1,4 dioxane. The two other municipal wells at the Westmoreland Well Field will be re-started to further control the contaminated plume. The cleanup plan includes long-term monitoring and measures to restrict use of untreated groundwater from the site.