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Ringwood Mines/Landfill Site Now Officially a Superfund Site

Release Date: 09/26/2006
Contact Information: Ben Barry (212) 637-3651, barry.benjamin@epa.gov

(New York, NY – September 26, 2006) Furthering the progress toward cleaning up the Ringwood Mines and protecting the surrounding community, EPA today restored the Ringwood Mines/Landfill site in New Jersey to its Superfund National Priorities List of the country’s most contaminated sites. EPA restored the site to the list because contaminated material was discovered since the site was originally taken off the list. EPA has since directed the Ford Motor Company to renew the cleanup and this has led to investigations of the ground water, surface water and sediment, and the removal of over 17,000 tons of waste. The Agency continues to direct and oversee cleanup activities at and around the site.

“I made a commitment to the community that this site would be put back on the Superfund list, and this is the last step in that process,” said Regional Administrator Alan J. Steinberg. “Thanks to EPA Administrator Steve Johnson this site got the highest level of attention and we were able to get it restored to the list quickly. While cleanup work has been progressing all along, now that this is an official Superfund site, the community can apply for grant funds to obtain technical assistance to help them better evaluate the ongoing work at the site.”

EPA is currently overseeing several investigations at the site and the continuing removal of paint sludge. These investigations will help to identify additional areas of contamination that may not be visible from the surface as well as ground water sampling in various parts of the site. The goal of these investigations is to better understand the nature and extent of the contamination at the site to make sure all potential sources are addressed.

The Ringwood Mines/Landfill site is located in an historic iron mining district in Passaic County, New Jersey. The site spans 500 acres and includes abandoned mine shafts, pits, inactive landfills, and open waste dumps. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, the site was used for various periods of time by the Borough of Ringwood, Ford and others (including illegal third-party dumpers) for the disposal of a large variety of waste materials including commercial and municipal wastes, abandoned cars, appliances, paint sludge and other miscellaneous waste and debris.

For information about the Ringwood Superfund site: epa.gov/region02/superfund/npl/ringwood