LODI MU NIC I PA
WELL
EPA ID# NJD980769301
NEW JERSEY
Site Description
The Lodi Municipal Well site consists of the Home Place Well, which is located in the Borough of
Lodi. Groundwater from the Home Place Well showed both radiological and chemical
contamination. In addition to the Home Place Well, ten other municipal wells exist in the area. All
eleven municipal wells were investigated to varying degrees to determine the quality of groundwater
in the vicinity of the Home Place Well. All of these municipal wells, including Home Place, were
closed by 1987 due to elevated levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Approximately 95%
of Lodi's drinking water is now supplied by the Passaic Valley Water Commission, and the
remainder is purchased from the Hackensack Water Company. Approximately 24,000 people live in
Lodi.
Site Responsibility: This site is being addressed through
Federal actions.
NPL LISTING HISTORY
Proposed Date: 10/01/84
Final Date: 08/30/90
Deleted: 12/29/98
Threats and Contaminants
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The Home Place Well contains uranium, radium-226 and VOC contamination. The other
wells contain various volatile organic compounds. However, the Borough of Lodi has
closed all the wells that tap into the contaminated aquifer.
Cleanup Approach
This site was addressed in two phases: an initial action and a remedial phase focusing on the entire
site.
Response Action Status
Initial Action: During the 1980s, the Borough of Lodi closed 11 wells, based on
sampling data from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the
Lodi Water Department. Additionally, alternate water supplies were installed.
Entire Site: EPA conducted a study to determine the type, extent, and source of the
groundwater contamination. The study indicated that the volatile organic contamination
found at and near the site is sporadic and regional in nature. At the request of the State, additional
bedrock and groundwater sampling was performed to determine if the radionuclide contamination
found in the Home Place Well was the result of natural or "man-made" sources. The investigation
was initiated in mid-1991 and was completed in July 1993. The investigation showed that the
radionuclide contamination found in the Home Place Well is naturally occurring. Section 104 of the
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, provides limitations on
response actions and directs that no remedial action be taken in response to a release or threat of
release of a naturally occurring substance in its unaltered form. In addition remedial action is not
necessary to ensure protection of human health and the environment from non-radiological
compounds at the site since the concentrations of those compounds in the groundwater at the well do
not pose an unacceptable risk. For these reasons, on September 27, 1993, EPA signed a Record of
Decision (ROD) which selected a "No Action" remedy for the site. The Site was deleted from the
NPL on December 29, 1998.
Cleanup Progress
Closing contaminated wells and providing an alternate water supply has greatly reduced the
potential for exposure to contaminants from the Lodi Municipal Well site. However, ground
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water should not be used for potable purposes without appropriate treatment.
All remedial work on this site was completed by September 27, 1993. The Site was deleted from
the NPL on December 29, 1998.
Site Repository
Lodi Memorial Library, 1 Memorial Drive, Lodi, N.J.07644

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