EPA Finalizes Plan to Address Contaminated Groundwater at
Curtis Specialty Papers Superfund Site in Milford Borough and Alexandria
Township, N.J.
Contact: Elias Rodriguez, (212) 637-3664, rodriguez.elias@epa.gov
(New York, N.Y. – Oct. 1, 2015) The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency has finalized a plan to clean up contaminated groundwater at
the Curtis Specialty Papers Superfund site in Milford Borough and Alexandria
Township, New Jersey. The site includes the former Milford Paper Mill, which
operated for 96 years before shutting down in 2003.
This site has a toxic legacy that involves PCBs, volatile
organic compounds and other pollutants that persist in the environment. This
step in the cleanup process is important and will provide a cleaner environment
in these communities,” said EPA Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck.
Past operations contaminated the soil with PCBs, and
contaminated groundwater in several areas of the site with volatile organic
compounds. PCBs are chemicals that persist in the environment and can affect
the immune, reproductive, nervous and endocrine systems and are potentially
cancer-causing.
Previous cleanup work has addressed the immediate risks
and the sources of contamination at the site including PCB-contaminated soil,
buildings and structures, and debris and other risks. The EPA’s final plan
addresses the volatile organic compounds in the groundwater, the final part of
the site that requires a cleanup under Superfund. The EPA is requiring
bioremediation, monitoring and limiting the use of the groundwater to protect
people’s health.
The EPA held a public meeting in Milford, N.J. on May 28,
2015 and accepted public comments for 40 days and considered public input
before finalizing the plan.
In 2007, the New Jersey Department of Environmental
Protection turned the site over to the EPA and the EPA added the site to its
federal Superfund list in 2009.
From 2007 to 2014, EPA conducted and oversaw several
elements of this cleanup, including removing hazardous materials, storage
tanks, oil-containing electrical equipment, asbestos, construction and
demolition debris, concrete, scrap metal and contaminated soil. Over 10,500
cubic yards of soil were removed. In addition, a dozen buildings, garages and
other structures were demolished and six wells used by the facility were closed
and dismantled. A large outdoor basin that was used to aerate wastewater from
the operation was demolished and the area was restored to an open habitat area.
The slopes along the Quequacommisacong Creek, which had eroded, were restored
and replanted.
The final plan to address groundwater will require
bioremediation using non-hazardous additives to break down the volatile organic
compounds in the groundwater. The specific types of additives to be used will
be determined by the EPA as part of the design of the cleanup. Throughout the
cleanup, monitoring, testing and further studies will be conducted to ensure
the effectiveness of the remedy. Use of groundwater from the site as drinking
water will be legally restricted.
The Superfund program operates on the principle that
polluters should pay for the cleanups, rather than passing the costs to taxpayers.
The EPA searches for parties legally responsible for the contamination at sites
that are placed on the Superfund list and it seeks to hold those parties
accountable for the costs of investigations and cleanups. The majority of the
cleanup of the Curtis Specialty Papers Superfund that has been conducted to
date has been paid for by the International Paper Company and Georgia-Pacific
Consumer Products, LP with oversight by the EPA.
To view the web page for Curtis Specialty Papers
Superfund site, please visit http://www.epa.gov/region02/superfund/npl/curtisspecialtypapers/
