Federal funds to help clean up Superfund site

The Mansfield Trail Dump Superfund site in Byram Township is among the sites where cleanup projects will be funded with about $1 billion from the bipartisan infrastructure law enacted by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden in 2021.

The Mansfield Trail Dump site, which is in a residential neighborhood, includes former waste-disposal trenches that have contaminated the soil with lead and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The groundwater has trichloroethylene, causing drinking water-quality issues for nearby residents.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plans to build a new water line for impacted residents, providing them with secure access to clean drinking water.

The agency also will remove soil that has been contaminated and will begin capping and removing harmful vapors at the source of the contamination as well as treating the groundwater to remove any harmful pollutants.

Until the EPA installs the new water line, the state Department of Environmental Protection will continue to monitor and maintain the water-filtration systems at affected properties, ensuring they are functioning properly.

Work on the water line is estimated to cost $8.7 million while the cleanup of soil and groundwater contamination is estimated to cost $11.5 million.

The EPA said the second wave of funding from the infrastructure law will be used to start cleanup projects at 22 Superfund sites and expedite more 100 ongoing cleanups across the country.

Thousands of contaminated sites exist nationally because of hazardous waste being dumped, left out in the open or otherwise improperly managed, including in manufacturing facilities, processing plants, landfills and mining sites.

Superfund cleanups help transform contaminated properties and create jobs in overburdened communities while permitting the sites to be used for public parks, retail businesses, office space, residences, warehouses and solar-power generation.

‘Moving faster’

“Thanks to President Biden’s historic investments in America, we are moving faster than ever before to progress cleanup at contaminated sites – from manufacturing facilities to landfills – in communities across the country,” said EPA Administrator Michael Regan. “We’re continuing to build on this momentum to ensure that communities living near many of the most serious uncontrolled or abandoned releases of contamination finally get the investments and protections they deserve.”

The bipartisan infrastructure law allocated $3.5 billion for Superfund cleanup work. With the first wave of funding announced in December 2021, the EPA deployed more than $1 billion for cleanup activities at more than 100 Superfund National Priorities List sites across the country.

The agency also started 81 new cleanup projects in 2022, including projects at 44 sites previously on the backlog. That was four times as many construction projects as the year before.

Regional EPA Administrator Lisa Garcia pointed out that New Jersey has the most Superfund sites in the country. “With these new funds from President Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure law, we are excited to continue our cleanup efforts by removing contaminated waste and soil, ensuring access to clean drinking water, and bringing more sites closer to finishing cleanup.”

Gov. Phil Murphy said, “New Jersey thanks its congressional delegation for securing funds that will further advance efforts by the EPA and DEP (state Department of Environmental Protection) to foster healthy neighborhoods in our state.

“Together with our federal partners, my administration has worked tirelessly to confront legacy environmental hazards that for far too long have limited the potential of New Jersey communities. Remediating contaminated soil and water in every corner of our state will safeguard the growth and development of our children for generations to come.”