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EPA Reaches $4.8 Million Settlement With 60 Minor Contributors To Hazards At Federal Superfund Suite in Carlstadt, New Jersey

Release Date: 07/08/1997
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(#97096) NEW YORK, N.Y. -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has settled part of the past and future cleanup costs for the Scientific Chemical Processing (SCP) federal Superfund site in Carlstadt, New Jersey with 60 private responsible parties for $4.8 million. In return the federal government has agreed not to sue these parties for any future liability associated with the site unless its total, final cleanup costs exceed $200 million. The agreement is embodied in a Superfund Administrative Order on Consent(AOC).

The AOC is called a deminimus settlement because the parties involved are considered to be minor contributors to the chemical contamination at the Superfund site either in the volume or toxicity of their wastes.

EPA Regional Administrator Jeanne M. Fox, who signed the order on June 23rd, said, "Through this process, EPA has provided all these generators with a way to avoid costly litigation while ensuring that they pay their fair share of cleanup costs."

The parties agreed to pay a total of $4.87 million. Of that amount approximately $975 thousand will be paid directly to EPA for partial reimbursement of its past costs. The remaining $3.9 million will be placed in a trust fund for future remedial actions at the site. This amount will remain in the trust fund until the final overall remedy for the site is determined and ready to be carried out.

Other responsible parties have already paid approximately $3 million for an interim cleanup at the site. The interim cleanup involved the removal of tanks and drums containing hazardous wastes. In addition, a dewatering system was built, a cap was constructed and the site was surrounded with a cut-off wall to stop the movement of contaminants in the groundwater and soil.

The 5.9 acre site at 216 Paterson Plank Road once housed an industrial waste handling, treatment, and disposal enterprise. It was put on EPA's National Priorities List in September 1983.

For more information contact:
Richard Cahill, Press Office
EPA Region 2
290 Broadway
NY, NY 10007-1866
Voice: 212-637-3666 FAX: 212-637-5046 E-Mail: cahill.richard@epamail.epa.gov