SOUTH JERSEY CLOTHING COMPANY CONGRESSIONAL DIST. 02 NEW JERSEY Buena Borough EPA ID# NJD980766828 Site Description The South Jersey Clothing Company (SJCC) was once engaged in the manufacture of military uniforms. As part of the manufacturing process, assembled garments were treated by a dry cleaning unit that utilized trichloroethylene (TCE). These operations generated TCE-contaminated wastewaters and sludges that were routinely discharged onto the ground behind the process building and along the adjacent railroad tracks. In addition, a fire in 1979 may have released an estimated 275 gallons of TCE from a storage tank located on site. In 1981, various sampling efforts by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and the Atlantic County Department of Health and Institutions revealed significant contamination of groundwater and soils in the vicinity of the site. Later the same year, a number of drums and contaminated soils were excavated and removed from the SJCC site by the site owners. Between 1981 and 1983, the SJCC installed 10 groundwater monitoring wells in the vicinity of the site. In addition, SJCC installed a groundwater extraction and treatment system. Buena Borough began construction of a municipal water supply system in 1985 and expanded it in 1988 to serve approximately 75 percent of its population. The SJCC is located 500 feet from the Garden State Cleaners (GSC) site, also on the NPL. The SJCC and GSC sites were addressed in a combined investigation due to their proximity to one another and similar contamination. The surrounding area is predominately rural and one of New Jersey's prime agricultural areas. Approximately 9,000 people obtain drinking water, and 3,800 acres of farmland are irrigated from wells within 3 miles of the site. Site Responsibility: This site is being addressed through Federal actions. NPL LISTING HISTORY Proposed Date: 06/24/88 Final Date: 10/04/89 Threats and Contaminants Groundwater is contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including primarily TCE. Use of contaminated groundwater for domestic purposes and agricultural irrigation may pose a potential health threat. Private residences located within the 1 March 2002 ------- n-Kjvj-s borough boundary down gradient from the sites are connected to the municipal water ^3-5 supply system. Cleanup Approach This site is being addressed in a single long-term remedial phase focusing on cleanup of the entire site with the construction of a soil vapor extraction (SVE) system and a groundwater extraction and treatment system. Response Action Status Immediate Actions: In 1981, the NJDEP and the Atlantic County Department of Health and Institutions responded to a complaint of odors by an area resident. A series of sampling events revealed significant contamination of groundwater and soils in the vicinity of the site. In May 1981, an area of contaminated soils was excavated from the SJCC site by the site owners. Between 1981 and 1983, the SJCC installed 10 groundwater monitoring wells in the vicinity of the site. In addition, in 1985, the SJCC installed a small-scale groundwater extraction and treatment system at the site. Entire Site: The EPA began an intensive investigation of the sites in 1989 to determine the nature and extent of contamination and to identify alternatives for cleanup of the sites. Based on the results of the investigation, the following remedy was chosen: (1) in- situ treatment of contaminated soil via the vapor extraction process; (2) extraction of groundwater with concentrations of VOCs above cleanup levels; (3) treatment of groundwater with an on-site air stripping column and carbon adsorption units; (4) reinjection of the treated water into the aquifer; and (5) long-term monitoring of groundwater. Site Facts: Based on information obtained from the site owners and other sources, EPA determined that the company is neither financially nor technically capable of undertaking the remedial actions chosen. Instead, the EPA is conducting the required work using Trust Fund monies. Cleanup Progress (Actual Construction Underway) A design for the soil vapor extraction (SVE) and groundwater extraction and treatment systems was completed in August 1995. To prepare for the implementation of these systems, EPA completed the demolition of an existing structure at the site in spring 1997. Construction of the SVE and groundwater extraction and treatment systems was begun in fall 1997 and was completed in January 1999. After construction was completed, an initial 30-day period of operations was conducted and completed in February 1999. Cleanup of the soils was completed in February 2001. The groundwater system has been operating since February 1999. The groundwater system is presently undergoing several adjustments to optimize plant functions. The most important adjustment is the abatement of a naturally occurring bacteria that has been clogging the injection wells necessitating replacement of several of the injection wells. March 2002 2 SOUTH JERSEY CLOTHING COMPANY ------- |