The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) concluded its summer information sessions at the Edgewater Community Center Aug. 5 with a presentation on soil and groundwater contamination at the Quanta Resources Superfund site.
Grant Anderson, an EPA hydrogeologist, discussed the types of contaminants at the site. High concentrations of arsenic were found in soil approximately 25 to 30 feet below the surface on the northwest portion of the site. That area includes a former sulfuric acid plant and a roadway connecting River Road to the City Place, a nearby residential and retail complex.
Anderson said the arsenic concentrations are some of the highest he has seen on a site. The location of the arsenic in the soil may also be the source of arsenic in the groundwater on the site. The groundwater is not used as a source for drinking water, he said.
Anderson concluded that exposure to arsenic and other contaminants on the site does not pose an immediate health threat. He said exposed soil on the property is fenced off.
"Most of the exposed soils are covered with pavement, buildings, or roads," Anderson said.
The 15-acre site contained a coal tar distillation plant from 1878 to 1971. An oil recycling facility was on the site from 1974 to 1981. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) shut down operations at the site in July 1981 after finding large amounts of polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, in storage tanks. The site was placed on the National Superfund Priorities List since September 2002.
Fort Lee resident Mitchell Meyer tried to get approval to construct a recreational facility on the site in 2005. The Board of Adjustment denied Meyer’s application for a use variance twice. Meyer appealed the rulings in court and was eventually granted the variance. The EPA must approve any project before construction commences on the site. The site must also be remediated first.
The EPA will present a report at a public hearing in the spring of 2009 outlining the options for cleaning the site on the southern end of River Road.
Residents can comment on the report for up to 30 days after it is issued. The report will address any long-term health risks the site poses.
"This is all in anticipation of the proposed plan for remediating the site," said Natalie Loney, a community involvement coordinator with the EPA.
For more information on the Quanta property, call Loney at 212-637-3639 or e-mail her at loney.natalie@epa.gov.
