ASBESTOS DUMP NEW JERSEY EPA ID# NJD980654149 Site Description The Asbestos Dump site consists of the 11-acre Millington site and three separate satellite sites. The Millington site lies in a residential and commercial area. Beginning in 1927, a succession of owners operated an asbestos products manufacturing plant at the Millington site. Asbestos was disposed of at the Millington site, comprising a large mound approximately 1.5 acres in size. Prior to remediation, erosion and weathering of the mound exposed areas of asbestos along the Passaic River bank. Approximately 650 people live within a mile of the Mllington site, and the site itself currently employs approximately 200 people. One satellite site, known as the Dietzman Tract or the Great Swamp area, is located within the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, about 2 miles southeast of New Vernon Road. This site was used as a refuse and asbestos disposal area for approximately 40 years and is bordered by Great Brook and a woodland habitat. The New Vernon Road and White Bridge Road satellite sites are residential properties. The New Vernon Road site occupies approximately 30 acres. Broken asbestos tiles and siding, as well as loose asbestos fibers, were landfilled on this former corn and dairy farm during the late 1960's. The White Bridge Road site, covering 12 acres, is bounded by the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge and private residences. This property was a farm until 1969, when the current owner started landfilling asbestos waste from the Mllington facility. The wastes were present on the site as subsurface fill or as part of an asbestos waste mound. Disposal continued until 1975. Site Responsibility: This site is being addressed through Federal actions. NPL LISTING HISTORY Proposed Date: 12/01/82 Final Date: 09/01/83 Threats and Contaminants Asbestos is the contaminant of concern at the site. Different levels and types of contaminants have been detected at the different subsites, however, asbestos has been detected at all four subsites. ASBESTOS DUMP March 2002 ------- UK Cleanup Approach The four subsites comprising the Asbestos Dump site are being addressed in three operable units: the Millington site is the first operable unit, the New Vernon Road and White Bridge Road sites are the second operable unit, and the Dietzman Tract is the third operable unit. Response Action Status Immediate Actions: In 1983, the National Gypsum Company, a potentially responsible party for the site contamination, restabilized the Passaic River bank by correcting erosion that took place during heavy spring rains at the Millington site. In 1990, federally funded, temporary actions were conducted to immobilize asbestos contamination at the New Vernon Road and White Bridge Road sites. These actions included: erecting signs and fences, sampling of air and soil, capping two driveways, covering visible asbestos containing materials with geotextile fabric, removing a dilapidated shed, and removing asbestos containing materials from the ground surface. w Millington Cleanup: A Record of Decision was signed on September 30, 1988. The remedy selected by EPA for cleaning up the Millington site includes: installing a soil cover on areas of exposed asbestos; building a chain-link security fence around all areas of known or suspected asbestos disposal; protecting and stabilizing the slope along the base of the asbestos mound embankment; building channels to divert surface runoff; conducting operations, maintenance, and long-term monitoring; and recommending restrictions on development of the asbestos fill areas on site. In 1990, the potentially responsible parties submitted a work plan for technical designs and specifications for the final cleanup at the site. However, as a result of a bankruptcy settlement with the PRP, EPA undertook the remedial design activities. In July 1998, the remedial design was finalized. Construction of the remedy for this portion of the site began in June 1999 and was completed in June 2000. m New Vernon Road and White Bridge Road Cleanup: Removal activities were conducted at each property in response to a Health Advisory issued by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. A Record of Decision was signed on September 27, 1991. The selected remedy involved in-situ solidification/stabilization treatment of asbestos containing materials. A treatability study was initiated in the fall of 1991 and completed in the winter of 1993. Remedial design activities were initiated in January 1992 and completed in May 1993. A contract for construction of the remedy was competitively bid and a construction subcontractor was selected on April 1, 1994. A public meeting was held on June 30, 1994 to discuss site activities. Construction activities began on July 14, 1994. Phase I, consolidation and solidification of asbestos containing materials, was completed as of December 1994. However, Phase II, which consists of site restoration and wetland mitigation, was delayed due to the use of unacceptable fill material to backfill the residential properties. This issue was resolved at the White Bridge Road site and remediation of this property was completed in November 1995. In June 1998, ASBESTOS DUMP 2 March 2002 ------- EPA acquired the New Vernon Road property. In July 1998, additional work to complete remedial activities at the New Vernon Road portion of the site was initiated. This work, which included the excavation and off-site disposal of the unacceptable fill and site restoration activities, was completed in March 1999. In September 2000, EPA approved the final Remedial Action Report for the New Vernon Road portion of the Site. In January 2002, EPA, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) reached an agreement on the terms of the transfer of a portion of the New Vernon Road property to FWS to expand the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. The transfer is expected to occur later this year. Dietzman Tract Cleanup: The Dietzman Tract is located in the Great Swamp Natural Wildlife Refuge, which is owned by the U.S. Department of the Interior. A remedial investigation was initiated by the National Gypsum Company in 1986. Due to the bankruptcy of National Gypsum Company, the Dietzman property is being addressed by the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI). DOI completed an additional Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study for this operable unit (OU3) in 1997. As part of its field work, DOI conducted removal actions on small areas where asbestos contaminated materials may have been a potential exposure threat to refuge visitors. EPA issued a ROD in September 1998, and by November 1998, cleanup activities were completed including consolidation of asbestos and the construction of a cap to contain asbestos. Site Facts: EPA and the National Gypsum Company signed an Administrative Order on Consent in 1985, under which the National Gypsum Company agreed to perform site studies. In 1989, EPA issued a Unilateral Order to the National Gypsum Company for cleanup activities at the Millington site. In October 1990, the National Gypsum Company filed for bankruptcy and the government settled its claims against the Company in the winter of 1993. The Dietzman Tract is being addressed through a joint effort between the Department of the Interior and EPA. Cleanup Progress Millington Site Cleanup: The remedy selected for the Millington site includes the installation of a soil cover, retaining wall and slope stabilization measures. EPA completed the final remedial design in July 1998. Cleanup activities began in June 1999 and were completed in June 2000. White Bridge Road and New Vernon Road Cleanup: In November 1997, EPA approved the Final Remedial Action (RA) Report for the White Bridge Road site. The remedial action at this site included the consolidation of asbestos containing material (ACM) into one area of the site and the solidification/stabilization of the top two and a half feet of the ACM. At the conclusion of the solidification/stabilization process, a soil cover was placed on the disposal area. Approximately 27,200 tons of ACM were treated in this manner. In July 1998, additional work to complete remedial activities at the New Vernon Road property was initiated and all work was completed by March 1999. In summer 1999, EPA conducted activities at White Bridge Road to install a french drain in a ponding area of the cap. In May 2000, EPA conducted activities to re-establish the vegetative growth at the site. In August 2000, EPA completed all activities at White Bridge Road. On February 8, 2002 EPA deleted the White Bridge Road property from the NPL. (ConstructionComplete) ASBESTOS DUMP 3 March 2002 ------- Dietzman Tract Cleanup: In October 1997, a removal action at Site A was completed by DOI removing approximately 200 drum carcasses and 60 drums with suspected hazardous waste. All drums were disposed at an appropriate off-site disposal facility. In June 1998, a removal action at Site B, Refuse Areas 1,3, 6 and the Unimproved Access Road, included the removal of asbestos contaminated material (ACM), lead contaminated soil and debris. The ACM was removed from the subject areas and consolidated at Site A, while lead impacted soil and debris were disposed of at an appropriate off-site facility. In September 1998, a Record of Decision (ROD) was signed by EPA and DOI. The selected remedy incorporates the aforementioned removals, consolidation of ACM at Site A and containment (biotic cap). Construction activities began in October 1998 and were completed in November 1998. In May 1999, a final inspection of the construction was conducted by DOI, with EPA and NJDEP in attendance. Construction was approved as complete by both regulatory agencies. In September 1999, EPA approved the Final Remedial Action Report (RAR) documenting that all remediation is complete at the Dietzman Tract portion of the Asbestos Dump site. Currently, FWS is conducting Operation and Maintenance activities. Site Repository Long Hill Township Free Library, 91 Central Avenue, Stirling, NJ 07980 ASBESTOS DUMP 4 March 2002 ------- |