Cleanup Of Polluted Superfund Site In Essex County Hits Huge Milestone

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — There are more than 100 federal Superfund sites spread across New Jersey, each awaiting cleanup of hazardous waste that was dumped, left out in the open or improperly managed. But now – thanks to about $30 million in federal funding – a major milestone has been reached in the effort to clean up one of them, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Friday.

The Unimatic Manufacturing Corporation site at 25 Sherwood Lane in Fairfield is one of 115 Superfund sites in New Jersey. The site includes three properties: General Hose Products to the east, National Precision Tools Co. to the south, an office building to the west, and a buried water delivery pipeline for the Jersey City water system to the north.

According to the EPA, the metals molding facility operated machines using lubricating oil that contained polychlorinated biphenyls, also referred to as PCBs. Wastewater from the facility contaminated the on-site building, soil and groundwater, including the soil on three nearby properties.

The nearest public drinking water wells are located less than one-half mile from the site. However, the water supply is monitored regularly and meets federal and state drinking water standards, officials say.

Learn more about the Unimatic Manufacturing Corporation site and its history here.

The EPA placed the Unimatic Manufacturing Corporation site on the Superfund Program’s National Priorities List in May 2014, kicking off a remediation effort that has lasted more than a decade. Read More: Feds Have New Plan To Clean Up Superfund Site Near Passaic River

Ongoing investigations and cleanup efforts have been taking place at the site since 2001, the EPA pointed out. Before the feds became involved, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection oversaw the removal of nearly 5,000 tons of PCB-contaminated soil from the Unimatic property, which reduced some risk associated with the site. However, widespread PCB- and pesticide-contaminated soil remained in the subsurface, both underneath and outside the building footprint.

In 2021, the EPA announced that cleanup at the site would advance as part of the first wave of sites to benefit from a $3.5 billion Superfund earmark approved in a landmark $1 trillion infrastructure law passed under the Biden Administration. See Related: NJ House Members All Vote Yes On $1 Trillion Infrastructure Bill

With oversight from the EPA, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and its contractor, Sevenson Environmental Services, began cleaning up soil contamination at the Unimatic Manufacturing Corporation Superfund site in January 2023.

The EPA initiated the cleanup in 2023, demolishing the former Unimatic building in May and starting the job of digging up and removing contaminated soil in October. It hasn’t been a light lift: to date, the EPA has removed and replaced more than 50,000 tons of PCB and pesticide-contaminated soil.

In September, this first phase of the cleanup will come to an end, and the EPA will begin the second phase of cleanup work downstream of the site. The federal agency will dig up and remove PCB-contaminated sediment in wetlands and streams downstream from the site and monitor groundwater.

Friday’s announcement got a big round of applause from several elected officials in New Jersey, including Gov. Phil Murphy, who credited the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law with helping the state to confront its environmental challenges.

Another supporter of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, said the funds are helping to clean up toxic chemicals from former manufacturing plants across the Garden State – including the Unimatic Superfund site.

“I first visited this site back in 2019, and it is so exciting to be back to see how our federal tax dollars continue to be used to clean up Unimatic and improve the quality of life for New Jerseyans,” said Sherrill, who represents the town of Fairfield and others in the 11th Congressional District.

One of the best parts about the cleanup from Fairfield’s perspective, according to Mayor William Galese? There have been about 50 thousand tons of hazardous material removed from the township – without increasing the local tax burden by one single penny.

“On behalf of the grateful residents of Fairfield, I would like to thank the EPA for eliminating this threat from our town,” Galese said.

Other praise came from:

U.S. Sen. Cory Booker – “New Jersey is home to the most Superfund sites in the nation, and I’m proud to see federal, state, and local partners come together to secure urgently needed funding for the cleanup of this heavily contaminated site.”

EPA Regional Administrator Lisa Garcia – “Three years ago, I stood at this very site and made a promise that the EPA would use funding from the Biden-Harris Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to clean up legacy pollution at our country’s most toxic sites. Today we have delivered on that promise here in Fairfield, with a cleaned-up property and the opportunity to redevelop it and make it into something better for the community.”

New Jersey DEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourette – “New Jersey has a long history of industrial pollution, and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds have made it possible for communities across the state to start fresh and make transformational investments that enhance residents’ quality of life and the environment we share.”

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