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. 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 phase of work reflects EPA’s commitment to prioritize the Superfund program and ensure that these sites are cleaned up as quickly and safely as possible.”
The EPA will hold a public meeting on Tuesday, August 13, to explain the proposed plan. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at the Gloria M Sabater Elementary School at 301 So. East Blvd., Vineland. Comments will be accepted until August 28.
Written comments on EPA’s proposed plan may be mailed or e-mailed to: Sharon Hartzell, Remedial Project Manager, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 290 Broadway, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10007, e-mail: hartzell.sharon@epa.gov
The Kil-Tone Company manufactured pesticides, including arsenic and lead, from approximately 1917 to 1926 on the property at 527 East Chestnut Avenue in Vineland. 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.
EPA is proposing removal of 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 activities and minimize disruption to businesses. The EPA will monitor the air near work areas. Additional properties may require a cleanup. Under the plan, EPA determines properties that need soil remediation during the design phase of the project.
During cleanup, EPA will monitor and further study cleanup progress to ensure effectiveness of the remedy. EPA will conduct a review of the cleanup every five years to ensure its effectiveness. Under the proposed plan, the estimated cost of cleanup is approximately $36 million.
Due to the nature and complexity of contamination at the site, investigation and cleanup of the site has been conducted in stages by EPA and the NJ 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 about 26.5 acres.
The third phase addresses the nature and extent of groundwater contamination. The fourth phase covers the Tarkiln Branch of the Maurice River and adjacent residential properties within floodplain areas that have arsenic and/or lead contamination related to releases from the Kil-Tone property.
To view the proposed cleanup plan, visit epa.gov/superfund/former-kil-tone.
