The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing a cleanup plan to address about 40 non-residential contaminated properties that remain impacted by the Former Kil-Tone Company Superfund Site in Vineland, New Jersey. Previous operations at the former Kil-Tone Company pesticides facility contaminated the soil with arsenic and lead.
“EPA’s cleanup plan to address these non-residential properties in Vineland builds on previous work by our state partners and reflects our coordinated effort to protect people’s health,” said EPA Regional Administrator Pete Lopez. “This cleanup work reflects EPA’s dedicated commitment to utilizing the Superfund program to protect human health and the environment. We want to ensure that these sites are cleaned up as quickly and safely as possible.”
The initial comment period began on July 30, 2019 and was intended to end on August 28, 2019. As part of the public comment period, EPA held a public meeting on August 13 in Vineland. Due to unforeseen issues with the initial public comment period announcement, EPA will extend the comment period until September 26, 2019 and hold another public meeting on September 4 at 6:30 p.m. at the Vineland Council Chambers, 640 East Wood Street, Vineland, New Jersey.
Written comments on EPA’s proposed plan may be mailed or emailed to: Sharon Hartzell, Remedial Project Manager, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 290 Broadway, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10007, E-mail: [email protected]
EPA is proposing to remove an estimated 57,800 cubic yards of soil from the contaminated non-residential properties. The extent of excavation and cleanup for each property will vary and depend on EPA’s evaluation of property-specific conditions. Excavated soil would be sent off-site for disposal and the properties would be restored. EPA would defer action at properties where contamination extends below the groundwater table until EPA assesses how to address the groundwater at the site. The agency will work closely with the property owners or occupants to coordinate EPA’s activities and minimize disruption to their businesses. EPA will monitor the air near the work areas. Additional properties may require a cleanup. Under the proposed plan, EPA determines the properties that need soil remediation during the design phase of the project.
Throughout the cleanup, EPA will monitor and further study the cleanup progress to ensure the effectiveness of the remedy. The plan requires periodic assessments of the cleaned-up properties. EPA will conduct a review of the cleanup every 5 years to ensure its effectiveness. Under the proposed plan, the estimated cost of cleanup is approximately $36 million.
Background: The Kil-Tone Company manufactured pesticides, which included arsenic and lead, from approximately 1917 to 1926 on the property at 527 East Chestnut Avenue in Vineland, New Jersey. In 1926, the Kil-Tone Company sold the property to Lucas Kil-Tone Co., which is believed to have continued manufacturing pesticides at the property until at least 1933. The property is currently occupied by an unrelated and active business. From 2015 to 2016, EPA completed an interim removal action to reduce exposure to arsenic and lead contaminated soil at a subset of the properties that have the highest concentrations of arsenic and lead in the surface soil.
Because of the nature and complexity of contamination at the site, the investigation and cleanup of the site has been conducted in stages by EPA and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. For the first phase, EPA issued a cleanup plan in 2016 to address contaminated soil at about 60 residential properties. That work is active and ongoing. This proposed cleanup plan is the second phase and consists of approximately 50 non-residential properties near the former Kil-Tone property, as well as the property itself that spans approximately 26.5 acres. The third phase addresses groundwater in the vicinity of the former Kil-Tone property. EPA is studying the nature and extent of groundwater contamination and will issue a cleanup plan for the groundwater. The fourth phase covers the Tarkiln Branch of the Maurice River and adjacent residential properties that are within floodplain areas and that have arsenic and or lead contamination related to releases from the Kil-Tone property.
To view the proposed cleanup plan, visit: www.epa.gov/superfund/former-kil-tone
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