EPA Finalizes Updated Cleanup Plan for Emmell’s Septic Landfill Superfund Site in Galloway, NJ
Galloway, N.J. - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has finalized its update to the 2008 cleanup plan for the Emmell’s Septic Landfill Superfund Site in Galloway Township, Atlantic County, New Jersey. Based on scientific study and new information, the EPA’s finalized updated cleanup plan will better address soil contamination at the site that continues to impact groundwater quality.
The EPA will remove soil down to 5 feet and dispose of soil with elevated levels of contamination at a licensed facility off-site. For the remaining deeper soil, which is contaminated with Volatile Organic Compounds, the EPA will use treatments that either bind or break down the contaminants and help prevent the contamination from moving off-site. After treatment, the excavated area will be filled with clean soil and replanted.
Additionally, the cleanup update will eliminate the installation of specialized wells that were required under the original cleanup. These wells, called biosparging wells, were designed to inject air into the groundwater, aiding naturally occurring bacteria in breaking down vinyl chloride, a harmful contaminant. However, recent sampling shows that vinyl chloride levels have decreased naturally and because of other cleanup efforts at the site, making the biosparging wells unnecessary.
This updated plan builds on earlier efforts by EPA to control groundwater contamination at the site, including the construction of a groundwater pump and treatment system completed in 2010, followed by an expansion of the system in 2012. In 2017, the EPA further refined its cleanup plan by replacing drinking water wells that had been impacted by site-related contamination, and this project was completed in 2022.
For additional background and to see the final cleanup plan, called a Record of Decision, visit the Emmell’s Septic Landfill Superfund site profile page.
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