Issued: Mar 29, 2023 (11:22am EDT)

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EPA Seeks Public Input on Proposed Plan to Address Newly Discovered Contamination at the Matlack Inc. Superfund Site in NJ

Contact: Stephen McBay, (212)-637-3672, mcbay.stephen@epa.gov

NEW YORK (March 29, 2023) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) seeks public input as it proposes to augment its original plan for cleaning up the Matlack, Inc. Superfund site in Woolwich Township, New Jersey. A 30-day public comment period for the proposed plan begins March 29, 2023. EPA will host a virtual public meeting on April 12, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. to explain the new cleanup proposal. To attend the public meeting, please register here before the meeting begins.

"EPA is committed to ongoing engagement with communities near Superfund sites," said Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia.  "EPA is proposing a new treatment to address an additional source of contamination found at the Matlack, Inc. Superfund site in Woolwich. We invite the public to join us and hear about the new cleanup proposal."

As a result of past truck maintenance and tanker washing operations at the site, the soil, sediment, surface water and groundwater are contaminated with volatile organic compounds, which can potentially harm people's health.

EPA's proposed cleanup technique for cleaning up the drum disposal area is called in-situ thermal treatment. In situ (or in place) thermal treatment methods remove harmful chemicals in soil and groundwater using heat. The chemicals move through soil and groundwater toward wells, where they are collected and piped to the ground surface to be treated using other cleanup methods. Some chemicals are destroyed underground during the heating process.

This method is separate from and in addition to EPA's original 2017 cleanup plan.

Under that plan, EPA will install underground barriers designed to remove volatile organic compounds from the groundwater. As groundwater flows through the barriers, they trap harmful contaminants and also make them less harmful. The treated groundwater flows out the other side of the barriers. EPA will monitor the groundwater beyond the barrier to ensure the success of the barrier technology. In addition, EPA will remove an area of contaminated sediment along Grand Sprute Run and will remove contaminated soil within a former lagoon area. The sediment and soil will be disposed of at off-site facilities licensed to handle the waste. By cleaning up the groundwater and removing ongoing sources of contamination in the soil and sediment, the cleanup also prevents contaminants from getting into Grand Sprute Run, a nearby stream.

Written comments on the proposed plan may be mailed or emailed to Supinderjit Kaur, Remedial Project Manager, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 290 Broadway – 18th Floor, New York, NY 10007, Email: kaur.supinderjit@epa.gov.

Visit the Matlack, Inc. Superfund site profile page for additional background and site documents.

Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter and visit our Facebook page. For more information about EPA Region 2, visit our website.

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