Community Update for I American Cyanamid Superfund Site Quarterly Update Volume III, Summer 2013 Introduction The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing this quarterly update to inform the community and local officials about the status of the American Cyanamid Superfund Site (Site) in Bridgewater Township, New Jersey. The quarterly updates will focus on major tasks completed at the Site over the previous three (3) months, as well as provide important notice(s) to anticipated future events. EPA, CRISIS (the recipient of an EPA technical assistance grant), and the Site owner (Wyeth Holdings Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pfizer, Inc.) provide updated information on the Site at the following web sites: • http://www.epa.gov/region02/superfund/npl/american cyanamid/ • http://www.crisistoxicwatch.org • http://www.amcvrestoration.com • http://health.bridgewaterni.gov/ Site-wide Remedy Status EPA issued a Record of Decision in September 2012 to address contaminated soils, ground water, and impoundments that have not been previously addressed, with the exception of Impoundments 1 and 2. This remedy, referred to as the site-wide remedy, called for the treatment via in-situ solidification/stabilization and/or the installation of engineered capping systems to address three highly contaminated impoundments and all site soils, as well as the collection and treatment of site-related contaminated groundwater. The remedy also called for the completion of an ecological risk assessment to determine whether three additional impoundments would require excavation and relocation. A settlement agreement was executed in March 2013 for the remedial design of the site- wide remedy, as well as for the completion of a focused feasibility study (FFS) for impoundments 1 and 2. The remedial design of the site-wide remedy is currently underway and is generally being addressed in two components: (1) impoundments and site-wide soils; and, (2) groundwater. It is currently anticipated that the design of these two remedial components will be completed in 2015. Focused Feasibility Study for Impoundments 1 and 2 Due to the unique and highly complex nature of the contaminants within Impoundments 1 and 2 and their proximity to the Raritan River, these two impoundments were not included in the Site-wide remedy and are being addressed separately through a FFS. A lab treatability study was completed on the contents of these impoundments in August 2012 and, based upon the results, it was concluded that solidification/stabilization, thermal treatment, or a combination of the two technologies could potentially be implemented for these two impoundments and that field-scale testing is necessary. It is anticipated that the design of a field-scale pilot study will be completed by Fall 2013, followed by the construction of the pilot system later in 2013 with the implementation of the actual pilot testing in late ------- 2013 into early 2014. A public information session will be held prior to initiating the pilot test in order to inform the community of the details of the study, as well as to address all community concerns. Impoundments 1 and 2 Area Ground Water Removal Action In May 2012, a ground water collection and treatment system was completed under the oversight of EPA's Removal Program to address ground water discharges (i.e. seeps) into the Raritan River and continues to operate. This system includes a collection trench to intercept and capture impacted ground water, a containment wall to further prevent the migration of impacted ground water to surface water, and an interim treatment plant to treat collected ground water prior to its discharge. The interim treatment system, as well as new ground water inputs and bedrock ground water currently conveyed to the local sewerage authority, will eventually be incorporated into the Site-wide remedy. Ambient Air Monitoring The Site owner continues to implement a quarterly monitoring program for ambient air to use as a baseline during the implementation of the Site-wide remedy. The monitoring program includes eight locations along the perimeter of the Site and another four locations in the vicinity of impoundments 1 and 2. The results of the recent quarterly monitoring events have exhibited low level concentrations of constituents consistent with urban background monitoring stations measured by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Surface Water & Sediment Monitoring The Site owner continues to implement a quarterly surface water and sediment monitoring program, which includes an expansive analyte list with over 20 surface water and sediment monitoring stations located throughout the Raritan River, Cuckel's Brook, the Millstone River, and Middle Brook. The results of the 1st and 2nd quarter monitoring events continue to indicate significant reductions in benzene concentrations near the previously discovered seep discharge points suggesting that the groundwater capture system is operating effectively. Contaminant concentrations in Cuckel's Brook have generally increased in the most recent monitoring events, which is primarily believed to have occurred due to the re-routing of the local sewerage authority's discharge from Cuckel's Brook to the Raritan River, resulting in less dilution in the brook. In early May, a discharge was identified in Cuckel's Brook containing elevated levels of benzene, chlorobenzene, xylene, toluene and acetone. A reconnaissance of the brook conducted in mid-June resulted in the identification of several other potential seeps. These potential seeps were sampled in mid-July and the analytical results, which are expected in August 2013, will be utilized to determine whether further action is required. Ground Water Monitoring The Site owner continues to implement a semi-annual groundwater monitoring program, which includes monitoring of ground water quality and the extraction of bedrock ground water at a minimum rate of 650,000 gallons per day. The results of the November 2012 monitoring event are currently available and the results of the May 2013 monitoring event will be available in the next quarter. If you have any questions about the information in this quarterly update, please contact the EPA community involvement coordinator, Melissa Dimas at dimas.melissa@epa.gov or 212-637-3677. http://www.epa.gov/region02/superfund/npl/american_cyanamid/ ------- |