The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is inviting public input on a proposed update to the 2008 cleanup plan for the Emmell’s Septic Landfill Superfund Site in Galloway Township, Atlantic County, New Jersey. The updated plan aims to address soil contamination that continues to affect groundwater quality.
The public comment period will run for 30 days starting July 30, 2024. A virtual public meeting is scheduled for August 7, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. to discuss the proposed plan. Registration for the meeting can be completed online.
“The EPA encourages people to provide input on its proposal to use several cleanup methods at the Superfund site to further protect the Galloway Township community,” said EPA Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. “This updated plan will allow us to effectively tackle the remaining sources of pollution in the soil and ensure the continued protection of the local community.”
Key steps in the proposed update include removing contaminated soil down to five feet and disposing of it off-site. For deeper soil contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs), treatments will be used to bind or break down contaminants and prevent them from moving off-site. The excavated area will then be filled with clean soil and replanted.
Additionally, the updated plan proposes eliminating specialized biosparging wells originally required under the initial cleanup plan. These wells were designed to inject air into groundwater to help bacteria break down vinyl chloride, a harmful contaminant. Recent sampling indicates that vinyl chloride levels have decreased naturally and due to other remediation efforts, making these wells unnecessary.
Previous efforts by EPA at this site include constructing a groundwater pump and treatment system in 2010, expanding it in 2012, and replacing drinking water wells impacted by contamination—a project completed in 2022.
Written comments on the proposed plan may be submitted to Joseph Gowers, Remedial Project Manager at EPA, either by mail or email.
For more details on the proposed cleanup plan and additional background information, visit the Emmell’s Septic Landfill Superfund site profile page.
