$152 million cleanup of South Plainfield Superfund site gets federal funding
SOUTH PLAINFIELD – The Cornell Dubilier Electronics Superfund site on Hamilton Boulevard is one of three sites in New Jersey to get funding from the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) to bolster cleanup of contaminated properties
"The bill funding will be used to continue the work already underway to dig up and dispose of the PCB-contaminated soil and sediment in the Bound Brook and nearby areas," U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia said at a press conference Monday. "The bill funding will ensure the continuation of the project along the length of the Bound Brook."
The Cornell Dubilier work is estimated to cost $152 million, according to the EPA.
The EPA said it will use the BIL funding for future phases of work downstream, at least as far as the New Market Pond in Piscataway, over the next several years.
Garcia was joined by Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., Sen. Bob Menendez, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Deputy Commissioner Sean Moriarty, Mayor Matthew Anesh and others at Monday's announcement at the site.
Cornell Dubilier manufactured electronics parts at the 26-acre site from 1936 to 1962, after which it was converted to an industrial park.
PCBs and solvents were used in the manufacturing process, and the company disposed of PCB-contaminated materials and other hazardous waste on the site, contaminating the soil, groundwater and nearby areas, including the Bound Brook. In 1998, the EPA added the site to the National Priorities List and the remediation has been proceeding in phases.
On Friday, the EPA announced that about $1 billion will go toward remediating 22 sites around the country, including three in New Jersey. In addition to the Cornell Dubilier site, the Mansfield Trail Dump in Byram and Matteo & Sons Inc. in West Deptford will get funding, Pallone said.
"I say it's a great day because we are announcing another historic investment of federal funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law," Pallone said. "New Jersey has more Superfund sites than any other state. Middlesex County has more Superfund sites than any other county, so this is not only important to the country, but particularly to our state and particularly to Middlesex County."
Superfund sites are the most toxic sites in the country, Pallone said.
"We don't want them to just sit around and languish," he said. "That's why this is so important. It's what we call legacy pollution."
Cornell Dubilier has contributed to the cleanup, he said.
"We use this money from the Superfund, or in this case the Infrastructure bill, for orphan sites," Pallone said. "That's where there's either no responsible party because you can't find them or their bankrupt or because they've paid for some of it, but they are not willing to pay for the rest."
Superfund money is funded through a tax on the chemical, oil and gas industries.
Pallone said it is estimated that over the next five years, the Superfund levy will generate $25 billion.
Related:Electronics manufacturer to pay $4M for South Plainfield Superfund site cleanup
Also see:Polluted sites in Central Jersey focus of state lawsuits looking to force cleanup
The Superfund program is about a promise to our communities, said Menendez.
"It is a promise that health and safety come before profits and pollution," he said. "It's a promise that there is accountability and justice for communities who have long suffered the consequences of contamination."
When the site is fully reclaimed and cleaned up, it will be a "tremendous" opportunity for the community, Menendez said.
The mayor said he was thankful for the funding.
"For many of us present here today, the phrase Cornell Dubilier is always synonymous with manufacturing sins of the past," Anesh said. "Today as the EPA announces the additional investment of $152 million to continue the cleanup of the site it is our hope that future generations will simply remember the wrong that government was able to get right. The continued cleanup and removal of PCB contaminated soil along the length of the Bound Brook is welcoming news to South Plainfield and nearby communities."
Moriarty said Superfund designations are a mark of the government's commitment to remediating environmental hazards from past industrial uses.
"The years of work led by EPA has changed the course of history for this once highly contaminated site, protected the community from exposure and positioned it for future beneficial use for the people of South Plainfield," he said. "The work that we're focused on today to address the impacts to wetlands along the Bound Brook and critically the brook itself, includes removal of miles of contaminated sediments and soils and represents one of the largest waterway cleanups the state of New Jersey Superfund has ever proposed."
According to the EPA, in the latest phase contaminated sediment is being removed from Bound Brook. Once the material is excavated, it will be disposed of at a licensed disposal facility. This phase of the project is expected to take a year to complete.
For more information on the work, visit the Cornell-Dubilier Electronics Inc. Superfund site profile page.
Email: sloyer@gannettnj.com
Susan Loyer covers Middlesex County and more for MyCentralJersey.com. To get unlimited access to her work, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: South Plainfield NJ Superfund site cleanup gets federal funding
