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EPA Proposes Site in Edgewater, New Jersey for the Federal List of Hazardous Waste Sites

Release Date: 01/11/2001
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(#01002) NEW YORK, N.Y. -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to add the Quanta Resources site, along the Hudson River in Edgewater, New Jersey, to its federal Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) of hazardous waste sites. This action would make the site eligible for further investigations and cleanup actions. The site, located at 163 River Road, is a former waste oil terminal, and prior to that a coal tar facility, with numerous above and below ground tanks used to store oil, tar, asphalt, sludge and unknown liquids. The state of New Jersey shut the facility down in 1981 when its storage tanks were found to contain large quantities of waste oils contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls. From 1984 to 1988, EPA supervised a series of major Superfund actions to clean and decontaminate storage tanks on the site and remove some underground piping and soil that contained coal tar. EPA sampling in 1992 showed hazardous substances were still present at the site. Under an agreement with EPA, Allied Signal, a former owner of the property, hired a contractor to investigate the extent and nature of the contamination from 1998 to 2000. The findings, which showed the contamination extended beyond the property, prompted EPA to consider adding Quanta Resources to the NPL. According to EPA Regional Administrator Jeanne M. Fox, "The proposed listing will lead to a thorough and permanent cleanup of the site. The federal Superfund provides solutions for communities like Edgewater that face serious environmental problems such as this one." Ms. Fox also noted that "EPA intends to eliminate the impact of the site on the Hudson, an American Heritage River. We will also address contamination problems at the site that could hinder ongoing redevelopment efforts along that shoreline section of the river." Allied Signal’s investigation found the contamination from Quanta Resources extends from an area west of the site to an area 750 feet east of the site into the sediment of the Hudson River. Contamination at the site was also found to extend under neighboring properties located to the north and south of the original facility. The conclusion of this ongoing investigation will determine the exact boundaries of the site contamination and lead to a long-term cleanup plan. The Agency periodically proposes sites to the NPL and designates proposed sites as final. Proposed sites are investigated further to determine the extent of the risks they may pose to human health and the environment. Sites that are placed on the final NPL are eligible for long-term "remedial action" or cleanups financed under the Superfund Trust Fund. This proposed addition to the NPL brings the total number of federal Superfund sites in New Jersey to 114. EPA is soliciting public comments on its proposed listing of the Quanta Resources site on the NPL. The 60-day public comment period starts today when the NPL update is published in the Federal Register. Members of the public interested in obtaining copies of the notice, an updated NPL list or site description and commenting on the proposed addition, should contact the RCRA/Superfund Hotline at 1-800-424-9346 or 703-412-9810. Further information about the site and the Superfund program can also be obtained from EPA’s homepage: https://www.epa.gov/superfund.