SAYREVILLE
LANDFILL

NEW JERSEY

EPA ID# NJD980505754

EPA REGION 2

CONGRESSIONAL DIST. 06

Middlesex County
Sayreville

Site Description 	

The Sayreville Landfill is an inactive municipal landfill covering approximately 30 acres in a
moderately industrialized area of Middlesex County. The site was one of a number of disposal
operations located along the tidal South River. The Borough of Sayreville owned and operated the
site as a municipal landfill beginning in 1970. It was licensed to receive municipal waste and light
industrial waste; however, hazardous waste was allegedly disposed of during operations, and after
closure in 1977. Part of the site is in a wetland adjacent to the South River. Approximately 67,000
people live within a 3-mile radius of the site; the closest residence is located Vi mile away. Because
of the tidal influence and the infusion of salt water, private wells in the area are not used. The
Sayreville and Perth Amboy well fields are located within three miles of the site. There are other
municipal wells in the vicinity which are tested regularly.

Site Responsibility: This site is being addressed through a

combination of Federal, State, and
potentially responsible parties' actions.

NPL LISTING HISTORY

Proposed Date: 12/01/82
Final Date: 09/01/83

Threats and Contaminants

m

Phenol, heavy metals including iron and manganese, volatile organic compounds (VOCs),
and poly cyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), were detected on-site in shallow
monitoring wells. On-site surface water was found to be contaminated with cadmium and
lead. On-site sediments also contained toluene and trichloroethylene (TCE). Benzene,
arsenic, and chloroform were detected in on-site soils. Groundwater and leachate from
the landfill apparently migrate into the South River. However, due to mixing and other
factors, significant contamination from the landfill has not been detected in the South
River's waters, which flow into the Raritan River. Potential risks exist for individuals
coming into direct contact with contaminated material at the site.

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Cleanup Approach 	

The site is being addressed in three stages: initial actions and two long-term remedial phases.
Response Action Status 	

Initial Actions: The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP),
in coordination with the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice, excavated 30 drums at
the site in 1982.

Site Cleanup: EPA and NJDEP selected a remedy for cleanup of the site in 1990.
' The remedy includes the removal of remaining hazardous waste drums, capping the site,

	 and installing a stormwater control system and methane gas collection system. Design

of the remedy was completed in February 1996. The contract for construction of the remedy was
awarded in May 1997. Remediation work began in June 1997 and physical construction was
substantially completed in July of 1998. The Remedial Action was officially completed in September
1999 with the approval of the Remedial Action Report.

r*v Ground Water, Surface Water and Sediments: Additional investigations of
ground water and off-site surface water and sediments have been completed. Based on
these studies, EPA and NJDEP do not believe that further cleanup work will be
necessary. The final Record of Decision was signed in September 1998 and includes no further
action for surface water and sediments and a five year ground-water monitoring program to observe
changes, if any, in ground-water contamination levels. At the conclusion of this monitoring program,
a decision will be made on deleting this site from the NPL.

Enforcement Status

The State of New Jersey signed an Administrative Order on Consent (AOC) with the potentially
responsible parties (PRPs) in 1986 requiring that they fund the investigation to determine the nature
and extent of contamination. In late 1991, a second AOC with the PRPs was signed which required
them to perform the cleanup activities at the site.

(Threat Mitigation by Physical Cleanup Work)

Cleanup Progress

Initial actions were completed to restrict access to the site and to remove drums from the landfill. In
accordance with the remedy selected in the 1990 ROD, the remedial action completed in 1999
included the removal of additional drums, capping of the site, and the installation of a stormwater
control and a methane collection system. A five year ground-water monitoring program has been
implemented to observe changes, if any, in ground-water contamination levels. This monitoring
program is currently in its third year, having obtained four rounds of semi-annual monitoring data.
At the conclusion of this monitoring program, a decision will be made on deleting this site from the
NPL. EPA is scheduled to complete a Five Year Review Report on the Sayreville Landfill at the end
of May, 2002, which will assess the protectiveness of the remedial actions on the public health and
environment.

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Site Repository I 5	

Sayreville Public Free Library, 1050 Washington Road, Parlin, NJ08859

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April 2002


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