HORSESHOE NEW JERSEY EPA ID# NJD980663678 Site Description The Horseshoe Road site is a 10-acre property located in Sayreville, New Jersey, near the Raritan River. The former chemical processing site includes three areas: (1) the Horseshoe Road Drum Dump; (2) the former Atlantic Development Corporation facility; and (3) the Sayreville Pesticide Dump. These three areas have been grouped together as one site on the National Priorities List (NPL) based on their close proximity, and the assumption that the contaminants are commingled and threatening the same resources. The former Atlantic Resources Corporation site is also located on Horseshoe Road but is not part of the Horseshoe Road NPL site; however, portions of the Atlantic Resources site were included in the site remedial investigation. The area around the site includes residential properties, and contains business, commercial, and industrial areas as well. About 63 residential properties are located within Vi mile of the site, and about 14,000 people obtain drinking water from public wells within 4 miles of the site. The Site first came to EPA's attention in 1981, when a brush fire at the Horseshoe Road Drum Dump exposed approximately 70 partially filled drums containing acetonitrile, silver cyanide and ethyl acetate. The Horseshoe Road Drum Dump was used for disposal from 1972 into the early 1980s. The Sayreville Pesticide Dump was also used for disposal, from about 1957 into the early 1980s. The Atlantic Development Corporation facility contained three buildings that were owned or leased by many companies during the years of operation. Historical aerial photography indicates that the area was developed in the early 1950s and operated into the early 1980s. The operations included the production of roofing materials (coal tar and asbestos), sealants, polymers, urethane and epoxy resins, resin pigments, wetting agents, pesticide intermediates and recycled chlorinated solvents. Site Responsibility: The site is being addressed through Federal and State actions. ROAD EPA REGION 2 CONGRESSIONAL DIST 6 Middlesex County Sayreville NPL LISTING HISTORY Proposed Date: 05/10/93 Listing Date: 09/29/95 1 June 2002 ------- Threats and Contaminants | In 1989, the EPA analyzed the site soils and found that the soils contained volatile organic / \ compounds (VOCs), semi-VOCs, base-neutral compounds, heavy metals, pesticides, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The sediments and surface water on-site are contaminated with VOCs, heavy metals and pesticides. The site contains wetland areas, and there are additional off-site wetlands that have been impacted by site contaminants. People who come in contact with or ingest contaminated soils, or sediments may face a health risk. Cleanup Approach This site is being addressed in several stages: initial actions and long-term remedial phases focusing on a cleanup of the entire site. Response Action Status ^ Initial Actions: In 1985, at the request of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), EPA used Superfund emergency funds, to relocate corroded drums from the Horseshoe Road Drum Dump to a fenced area at Atlantic Development. Shortly thereafter, NJDEP removed more than 1,000 drums from the Atlantic Development Area. In October 1991, EPA performed a removal action at the Atlantic Development Area to remove hazardous materials in and around the buildings. In October of 1992, EPA initiated two additional actions, one at the Horseshoe Road Drum Dump and the other at Sayreville Pesticide Dump, to remove the hazardous materials known to be buried there. The removal action at the Horseshoe Road Drum Dump was completed in July of 1993, and the Sayreville Pesticide Dump removal action was completed in December of 1994. In 1996, EPA performed a removal assessment of the entire site to determine if any remaining contaminant sources could be addressed by a removal action, and to further define contamination at the site for the remedial investigation. In 1999, EPA performed another removal that posted warning signs and removed surface debris throughout the site. Entire Site: In July 1997, EPA initiated a remedial investigation to determine the nature and extent of contamination remaining at the site. The final remedial investigation report was submitted in May 1999, and the Baseline Human Health Risk Assessment was completed in October 1999. Based on these documents, EPA determined that some additional data was needed to determine the extent of the site's impacts to the marsh and river. In addition, EPA determined that removing the buildings was a necessary first step toward addressing the site. In September 1999, a Focused Feasibility Study was completed, and a Proposed Plan that recommended demolishing the buildings was presented to the public in December of that year. EPA issued a Record of Decision in September 2000. The demolition of the buildings on the Atlantic Development property was June 2002 ------- completed in April 2001. A Proposed Plan to address the site soils and ground water (Operable Unit 2), is planned for the Summer of 2002. Site Facts: On September 29, 1995, the site was placed on the National Priorities List. Based upon the results of the EPA's remedial investigation the neighboring Atlantic Resources site was proposed as a separate NPL site an September 25, 2001. The two sites have been addressed jointly by EPA due to their close proximity. To date, the potentially responsible parties (PRPs) have either declined to perform any of the work required at the site, or have been financially incapable of doing so; therefore, this work has been conducted using Federal funds. (Threat Mitigated by Physical Cleanup Work) EPA and NJDEP have stabilized the site by removing more than 3,000 drums (found buried and on the surface), emptied and disposed of materials found in numerous tanks and vats throughout the site, and excavated and disposed of contaminated soils and debris. EPA has demolished the buildings and other on-site structures. Building materials and other surface debris were disposed of as part of the first phase of the Site cleanup. Final remedies for the second and third phases will address site soils, ground-water, and sediments in the marsh and river. Cleanup Progress 3 June 2002 ------- |