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EPA Updates Cleanup Plan for Cosden Chemical Coatings Corporation Superfund Site in Beverly, N.J. Following Successful Pilot Study

EPA Updates Cleanup Plan for Cosden Chemical Coatings Corporation Superfund Site in Beverly, N.J. Following Successful Pilot Study

 

Contact: John Senn, (212) 637-3662, senn.john@epa.gov

NEW YORK (July 29, 2022) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed an update to its original cleanup plan for the Cosden Chemical Coatings Corporation Superfund site in Beverly, N.J., following a successful pilot study completed in 2021. The newly proposed cleanup technology will supplement earlier groundwater treatment by injecting chemical oxidants directly into the aquifer to help break down hazardous contaminants into less toxic byproducts.

"A full cleanup of the contamination at the Cosden Chemical Coatings Corporation Superfund site is critical to ensuring environmental and public health in Beverly, New Jersey," said EPA Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. "Carried out by EPA, working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the successful pilot study demonstrated a unique ability to address the remaining groundwater contaminants at this site, and EPA is committed to employing all available technologies to get the job done."

The cleanup technique, called in-situ chemical oxidation, uses various oxidizing chemicals to spur the reduction of harmful compounds found in contaminated groundwater. In 2021, through a network of 30 monitoring wells, EPA and the Army Corps successfully demonstrated that in-situ chemical oxidation could transform the remaining harmful contaminants at the Cosden site groundwater into less toxic byproducts. This method supplements EPA's earlier groundwater pumping and treatment work which has treated over 280 million gallons of water since 2009. In addition, the cleanup includes long-term monitoring to ensure the cleanup is working as intended and other controls to prevent exposure to the contaminants. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection concurs with EPA’s preferred alternative as presented in the proposed plan.

The Cosden Chemical Coatings Corporation was a paint formulation and manufacturing company that began operating in 1945 and produced coatings for industrial applications. The company recycled manufacturing solvents until 1974. However, inadequate controls of waste generated by facility operations contaminated soil and groundwater with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), metals, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection inspected the site in 1980, discovering surface spills and several hundred unsecured drums. As a result, EPA completed immediate removal actions to protect public health and selected a cleanup plan in 1992 to address the contaminated building, soil, and groundwater. Soil remediation is now complete, as is demolition of the contaminated building. EPA continued to oversee the groundwater treatment plant until putting operations on hold in 2018 to implement the in-situ chemical oxidation pilot testing.

The proposed plan's 30-day public comment period will occur from July 29, 2022, to August 29, 2022. In addition, EPA will host a virtual public meeting on August 16, 2022, at 6 p.m.  

To register for the public meeting, visit https://USEPACosdenChemical.eventbrite.com.  To learn more about the public meeting, contact Natalie Loney at Loney.Natalie@epa.gov or (212) 637-3639.

Written comments on EPA's proposed plan may be mailed or emailed to Tamara Rossi, Remedial Project Manager, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 290 Broadway – 19th Floor, New York, NY 10007, Email: Rossi.Tamara@epa.gov  

Visit the Cosden Chemical Coating Corp. Superfund site profile page for additional background and to view the proposed plan.

Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter and Facebook page. For more information about EPA Region 2, visit our website.

 

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