r/EPA
United States
Environmental Protection-
Agency
EPA announces the proposed cleanup plan
for the Chemical Leaman Tank Lines Site
Logan Township, New Jersey
July 2009
What does EPA's proposed cleanup plan for the
Chemical Leaman Tank Line Superfund Site
consist of?
The cleanup plan that the United States Environmental
Protection Agency is proposing to address
contamination at the Chemical Leaman Tank Lines
Superfund site consists of a combination of methods.
In areas of the site where contamination is present in its
liquid phase undissolved in groundwater a
Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid (NAPL) recovery system
will be used. In areas where soils are contaminated, in
situ thermal treatment with soil vapor extraction will be
used, and a pump and treat system will be used to
address contaminated groundwater.
Where is the Chemical Leaman Tank Line Site
located?
The Site is located in a predominantly rural area of
Logan Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey.
The Site consists of a 3 8.5-acre active tanker truck
washing terminal area, as well as surrounding
property that remains unused, and is bordered to the
north by a Conrail rail line, to the east by Cedar
Swamp, to the south by Moss Branch Creek and
adjacent wetlands, and to the west by Pierson
Materials, Inc. sand pits.
Most of the northern and western portions of the Site
consist of unpaved (sand and gravel) parking and
driveway areas. Wetlands occupy the eastern and
southern portions of the Site. The Site property west
Oak Grove Road is undeveloped. Land use in the
immediate vicinity of the Site is predominately
residential, industrial and agricultural. The
groundwater in the vicinity of the Site is a potable
water supply; however, residential properties located
in the vicinity of the Site are connected to the public
water supply.
What kind of activities took place at the Chemical
Leaman Tank Line Site?
Chemical Leaman Tank Lines, Inc. (CLTL) has
operated a tank-washing facility at the site since 1961.
Prior to 1975, the wastewater generated from washing
and rinsing the tanker trucks was placed in a series of
seven unlined lagoons and ultimately was discharged
to Cedar Swamp and Moss Branch Creek which
border the site.
In 1980 and 1981, the NJDEP found carbon
tetrachloride and other organic compounds in the
groundwater on the Site, as well as in neighboring
private supply wells. The presence of these
compounds in the groundwater of the area apparently
resulted from former wastewater handling and
disposal practices at the Site. Contamination was also
found in Site soils and the adjacent wetland area.
Investigation findings indicated that contaminated
groundwater affected areas beyond the truck washing
facility and nearby residences. Therefore, the Site was
placed on the National Priorities List (NPL) of
Superfund Sites on September 21, 1984.
What cleanup has been done at the Chemical
Leaman Tank Line site?
Following the closure of the lagoons in 1975, sludge in
the settling lagoons was excavated and disposed of
off-site. These lagoons were then backfilled with clean
sand. The aeration lagoons were backfilled with sand
and construction debris, but no sludge was removed.
In 1980 and 1981, the New Jersey Department of
Environmental Protection found carbon tetrachloride
and other organic compounds in the groundwater on
the site as well as in neighboring private wells. In 1987,
residences north of the site along Route 44 were
connected to the Bridgeport Municipal Water System.
In 1993 and 1995, residences south and west of the
site were connected to the municipal water supply.
A Record of Decision (ROD) addressing groundwater
contamination was issued by EPA on September 28,
1990 that selected groundwater extraction and
treatment as the groundwater remedy. Construction
of the groundwater treatment plant was completed in
January 2007. The groundwater extraction and
treatment system consists of 20 recovery wells with a
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total pumping rate of 230 gallons per minute (gpm)
from the shallow and intermediate aquifer zones and
is currently in the startup phase.
On October 5, 1993 EPA issued a ROD addressing
the impacted wetlands that selected excavation and
off-site disposal of contaminated wetland soils and
sediments along with wetland restoration activities.
Remediation and restoration activities in wetland
areas of the Site were completed in July 2007.
What contaminants are at the Chemical Leaman
Tank Line Site?
The groundwater on site is contaminated with
volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including
trichloroethene, benzene, and vinyl chloride, and
heavy metals including arsenic, chromium, and zinc.
Many of the same contaminants have been found in
private wells in the vicinity of the CLTL facility.
Contaminants found in subsurface soils include heavy
metals, VOCs, and phthalates (semi-volatile organic
compounds).
Does the Chemical Leaman Tank Line Site pose a
danger tome or my family?
Residents who use water from VOC-contaminated
wells for drinking, bathing, or clothes washing may
ingest, inhale, or dermally absorb contaminants. Area
homes have been connected to the municipal water
supplies so that no one is being exposed to
contaminated drinking water. Workers could be
exposed to VOCs by direct contact with or by
inhaling contaminants. Cedar Swamp, located
adjacent to the facility, had been impacted by the
direct discharge of contaminants, contaminant laden
surface water runoff, and migrating contaminants in
the groundwater. These contaminants posed an
ecological risk to the Cedar Swamp ecosystem,
however contamination in the wetlands was
addressed during the implementation of the 1993
ROD.
at the Logan Township Municipal Building located at
125 Main Street in Bridgeport, New Jersey. This
public meeting provides community members an
opportunity to formally comment on the proposed
cleanup plan for CLTL. Additional information about
the site is available on the EPA webpage at:
www.epa.gov/region02/superfund/npl/chemicalleaman/
If you have any questions about the Site, or any of
EPA's activities, you can call the Community
Involvement Coordinator for the Site, Natalie Loney,
at (212) 637-3639 or the Remedial Project Manager,
Theresa Hwilka at 212-637-4409.
How will I be kept informed about what EPA is
doing at the Chemical Leaman Tank Line Site?
It is important to the EPA that members of the
community near a Superfund site are kept informed
about all of the activities at the site. We will be
holding public meeting on July 20, 2009 at 7:00 p.m.
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