EPA Press Office:

EPA Seeks Public Input on Re-evaluation of the Cleanup Plan for Woodbrook Road Dump Superfund Site

Contact: Stephen McBay, (212)-637-3672, mcbay.stephen@epa.gov

NEW YORK (July 14, 2023) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is providing an opportunity for public input on changes to the cleanup plan to address contaminated soil and debris at the Woodbrook Road Dump Superfund site in South Plainfield, New Jersey. EPA has prepared a document called an Explanation of Significant Differences to summarize the changes and the reasons for them.

The proposed changes that are being announced today document that the estimated cost of the selected cleanup rose from $45.4 million in 2018 to $70 million in 2023 due in part to inflation and increased construction costs. In addition, in 2021, New Jersey created the Peter J. Barnes III Wildlife Preserve which includes the Woodbrook Road Dump Site.

A 30-day public comment period for the proposed Explanation of Significant Differences begins July 14, 2023. EPA will host a public meeting at the South Plainfield Township Courtroom on July 27, 2023, at 6:30 pm to explain the cleanup proposal.

“EPA values community input and involvement as we work to clean up Superfund sites,” said Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. “This site is part of a large conservation area in South Plainfield, but it has been polluted by household and industrial waste for decades. After careful re-evaluation, EPA has made a few updates to the original remedy, which the public can review and comment on.”

In 2020, EPA reviewed the selected cleanup plan for the site. The results of EPA’s review, carried out in coordination with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, are presented in the proposed Explanation of Significant Differences. The review confirmed that the 2013 selected cleanup plan remains the best option.

EPA’s cleanup plan for the site was originally documented in a 2013 Record of Decision and modified in a 2018 Explanation of Significant Differences. The cleanup plan includes:

• Removing an estimated 4,000 cubic yards of soil and debris that contains capacitors, capacitor parts and PCB-contaminated soil and debris with PCB concentrations greater than 100 parts per million (ppm) to an approved off-site disposal facility.
• Removing an estimated 143,000 cubic yards of soil and debris that contains PCBs at concentrations greater than 1.1 ppm to an approved off-site disposal facility.

Written comments on the proposed Explanation of Significant Differences may be mailed or emailed to Diane Salkie Sharkey, Remedial Project Manager, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 290 Broadway – 18th Floor, New York, NY 10007, Email: salkie.diane@epa.gov.

For additional background and to see all of the changes in the proposed Explanation of Significant Differences, visit the Woodbrook Road Dump Superfund site profile page.

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