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EPA Seeks Public Input on Cleanup Plan for Crown Vantage Landfill Superfund Site in Alexandria Township, New Jersey

Release Date: 07/11/2011
Contact Information: Elias Rodriguez, 212-637-3664, rodriguez.elias@epa.gov

(New York, N.Y.) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a proposed plan to cleanup the Crown Vantage Landfill Superfund site in Alexandria Township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey. The former landfill is contaminated with volatile organic compounds, polychlorinated biphenyls and other pollutants. Volatile organic compounds are a group of chemicals that evaporate easily into the air and have serious health effects. Polychlorinated biphenyls are potentially cancer-causing in people and build up in the fat of fish and animals. The landfill is 10 acres and a small portion sits on the eastern bank of the Delaware River. The EPA has already completed most of the cleanup work at the site, including removing over 2,450 drums and related waste from the landfill, and the site does not present an imminent risk to public health.

EPA’s proposed cleanup plan will ensure that the remaining pollutants from the site are contained under an existing forested cover and bordered by a stabilization wall. EPA’s proposed plan will put into place new deed restrictions to prevent any activity that would disturb the site and prohibit any future construction at the site. The plan also requires long term monitoring to ensure that the existing forested cover and slope stabilization wall continue to prevent direct contact with underlying wastes and to protect against erosion. EPA will hold a public meeting on the proposed plan and welcomes comments on July 12, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. at the Milford Firehouse, 21 Water Street, Milford, New Jersey. Public comments will be accepted through July 30, 2011.

“Long after they stop accepting waste, landfills often leaves a legacy of pollution that must be controlled,” said EPA Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck. “By containing the remaining landfill materials and taking other control measures, EPA is ensuring that conditions at the Crown Vantage Landfill Site protect human health and the environment. EPA encourages public input on the proposed plan.”

In the past, EPA oversaw the digging up and backfilling with clean fill of the area and the construction of an engineered wall that stabilizes the landfill and prevents landfill materials from reaching into the Delaware River. Fencing and signage have also been installed to discourage trespassers from disturbing the existing surface of the site. EPA’s proposed plan incorporates and builds upon these earlier cleanup actions.

Crown Vantage was used as a landfill from in the 1930s and until the early 1970s. Access to the landfill area is restricted by locked chain-link fencing. The landfill reportedly was utilized by the adjacent Curtis Specialty Papers mill, as well as by other nearby Riegel Paper Company facilities for the disposal of waste beginning in the late 1930s through the early 1970s.

In November 2004, EPA completed shoring up specific areas of the Crown Vantage Landfill that were severely damaged by flooding. In addition, EPA repaired flood-damaged sections of the fence along the northern and southern edges of the site and placed warning signs along the perimeter. EPA added the Crown Vantage Landfill Site to the federal Superfund list in 2005.

EPA is requesting public comments on the proposed plan and will hold a public meeting to explain the plan and receive comments July 12, 2011 at 7:00 pm at the Milford Firehouse, 21 Water Street, Milford, New Jersey. Comments will be accepted until July 30, 2011. Written comments may be mailed or emailed to:

Alison Hess
Remedial Project Manager
Special Projects Branch
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
290 Broadway, 19th Floor
New York, New York 10007-1866
Tel. 212-637-3959
hess.alison@epamail.epa.gov