EPAANNOUNCES RESULTS OF TEST FOR
LEAD AND THE START OF A SUPERFUND
REMOVAL ACTION AT THE RARITAN BAY
SLAG SITE IN RARITAN BAY
Community Update March 2009
The NJDHSS, in cooperation
with ATSDR, has deter-
mined that portions of the
Raritan Bay Slag site pose a
ยป/ O IT
Public Health Hazard and
recommend restricted access
to the seawall and a beach in
Laurence Harbor and a jetty
in Sayreville.
QUESTIONS? Please Contact
Community Involvement
Coordinator
Pat Seppi
212-637-3679
seppi.pat@epa.gov
On-Scene Coordinator:
Andrew Confortini
732-906-6827
confortini.andrew@epa.gov
Visit EPA's Web site at:
www. epa. gov/region02/superfund
DEFINITIONS:
Removal Action - a short-term action
taken under the Superfund Program to ad-
dress a release or threat of release of a haz-
ardous substance that may present an im-
minent and substantial danger to the public
health or welfare, or the environment.
Slag - a by-product of processing rocks to
extract minerals such as lead.
EPA has been evaluating the Raritan Bay Slag site for a Superfund
Removal Action. Samples were collected at the site in September
2008 as part of an assessment, which also included the gathering of
listorical information and available data. The sampling included
the collection of soil, sediment, water, biological, and waste sam-
)les along the seawall in Laurence Harbor, the western jetty at the
Cheesequake Creek Inlet, and the beaches and park area situated
near these two locations.
Analytical results generated by both EPA and the New Jersey De-
partment of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) indicate that sig-
Ir \ / O
pificantly elevated levels of lead and other heavy metals are pre-
sent in the soils, beach sand, and sediment, in and around both the
seawall in Laurence Harbor and the western jetty at the Cheese-
quake Creek Inlet. Lead was also identified on the first beach be-
tween the western end of the seawall and the first jetty in Old
Bridge Waterfront Park. At this time, EPA is awaiting the results
of the biological and waste samples.
EPA requested that the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease
Registry (ATSDR) evaluate the analytical data generated at the
site. ATSDR is the lead federal public health agency responsible
for determining human health effects associated with toxic
exposures. The New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Ser-
vices (NJDHSS), in cooperation with ATSDR, evaluated the data
and concluded that a Public Health Hazard exists at the seawall in
Laurence Harbor, the beach between the western end of the seawall
and the first jetty, and the western jetty at the Cheesequake Creek
Inlet (including the waterfront area immediately west of the inlet).
Samples collected from the developed portion of the park, includ-
ing the playground, and the beach located east of the Cheesequake
preek Inlet, were determined to represent No Apparent Public
www.epa.gov/regi
Health Hazard.
Based on the available data, EPA has determined that a Superfund
Removal Action is warranted at the Raritan Bay Slag site. Actions
to be taken include: restricting access to the areas of known con-
tamination and placement of signs alerting the public to the pres-
ence of contaminants. EPA plans to provide timely, concise, and
accurate information to the community through updates, meetings
and mailings as necessary.
on02/superfund/npl/raritanbayslag
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HISTORY/BACKGROUND INFO:
The Raritan Bay Slag site is located in the Laurence Harbor section of Old Bridge and in Sayreville
along the Raritan Bay. The overall site spans approximately 1.3 miles in length and consists of the wa-
terfront area between Margaret's Creek and the area just beyond the western jetty at the Cheesequake
Creek Inlet. The portion of the site that is in Laurence Harbor is part of what is now called Old Bridge
Waterfront Park. Lead slag, reportedly in the form of blast furnace pot bottoms, was deposited along the
beachfront in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The other portion of the site that is in Sayreville is located
on, and adjacent to, the western jetty at the Cheesequake Creek Inlet. The slag on the jetty is similar in
appearance to that which is present on the seawall. Crushed battery casings are also evident on the jetty.
The Raritan Bay Slag site is part of a larger effort which includes the area around Margaret's Creek, an
area in which the NJDEP discovered lead-contaminated material.
US EPA Region 2 has designated an Ombudsman as a point-of-contact for community concerns and
questions about the federal Superfund program in New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and the US Vir-
gin Islands. To support this effort, the Agency has established a 24-hour, toll-free number that the pub-
lic can call to request information, express their concerns or register complaints about Superfund. The
ombudsman for EPA's Region 2 office is:
George H. Zachos
US EPA, Region 2
2890 Woodbridge Avenue, MS-211
Edison, New Jersey
(732)321-6621
Toll free (888) 283-7626
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