$46.7M Paint Sludge Cleanup Planned
The next step in removing tens of thousands of tons of paint sludge, paint waste and tainted soil from an old Ford Motor Co. site in New Jersey will cost $46.7 million, under a cleanup plan proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency.
The 28-page proposed EPA plan, released Monday (Sept. 30), aims to address contamination in three areas of the Ringwood Mines/Landfill Superfund site in Ringwood, NJ.
During the late 1960s and early 1970s, these areas were used to dispose of drums full of paint sludge, paint waste and other waste materials from the Ford Motor Co. automobile assembly plant in Mahwah, NJ, EPA said.
"Sampling of the paint waste found that it contained lead, arsenic, chromium and other contaminants," EPA said.
30-Year Superfund Site
The 500-acre Ringwood Mines/Landfill site, located in a historic iron mining district, has been on and off the Superfund list for 30 years. The rugged, forested area, one-half mile wide and one and one-half miles long, has about 50 private homes as well as abandoned mine shafts and pits, inactive landfills and open waste dumps.
The site was added to the Superfund list of hazardous waste sites in 1983, then removed in 1994, based on a finding that "all appropriate cleanup actions had been taken," according to EPA. However, additional areas of paint sludge were found in 1995, 1998 and 2004, in addition to other contaminated materials, prompting the EPA to restore the site to the Superfund list in 2006.
The plan for the next phase of cleanup, estimated at $46.7 million, addresses contamination at three areas, known as Peter's Mine Pit, the Cannon Mine Pit, and the O'Connor Disposal Area.
Ford and the Borough of Ringwood are conducting and paying for the cleanup, with oversight by the EPA.
Toxic History
The actions in the proposed plan build on cleanup work performed at the site over many years.
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The heavily forested site includes about 50 private homes as well as abandoned mine shafts and pits, inactive landfills and open waste dumps. |
Between 1984 and 1988, Ford conducted an investigation—overseen by the EPA—of the nature and extent of contamination at the site. Based on the results, the EPA then ordered Ford to excavate and dispose of the paint sludge found and to monitor ground water and surface water on a long-term basis.
(EPA's series of Administrative Orders to Ford regarding its duties at the site are detailed in an EPA Fact Sheet.)
Since then:
In 2011, the EPA began testing for lead on residential properties and dioxin in people’s homes. Wherever either was found to exceed protective levels, the EPA has cleaned it up. The agency says it has removed more than 2,400 tons of soil from people’s yards.
The Next Phase
The EPA's proposal for the next phase of cleanup includes:
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The Ringwood Mines/Landfill site was added to the national Superfund list in 1983, removed in 1994 after cleanup was deemed complete, then restored to the list in 2006 after additional paint sludge and other contaminants were found. |
The EPA also has a second option for the area, because the borough recently announced that it would move its municipal recycling center to the O'Connor Disposal Area.
The public comment period for the proposed plans opened Wednesday (Oct. 2) and runs through Dec. 7. A public heaing is set for Nov. 7.
The full history of the Ringwood Mines/Landfill Superfund Site, including documents and photos, is available on EPA's web site.
