EPA removing more contaminated soil at East Brunswick park

EAST BRUNSWICK – The federal Environmental Protection Agency has announced a change to the cleanup plan of the Fried Industries Superfund site, home to Beaver Dam Park, which may result in the periodical closing of the park entrance or sections of the park trail.

"EPA is completing some additional excavation work at the Fried Industries Superfund site," the agency said in a statement. "This work is not in the area of the existing walkway system and the trails can, in general, continue to be used safely."

However, the EPA said it will likely need to close the entrance to the park or sections of the trail from time to time to allow EPA and its contractors access for the additional cleanup work.

"EPA will continue to coordinate closely with the township to assure that the park remains a safe resource for the community to enjoy," the agency said.

The original 1994 plan for the remediation of the site called for removing approximately 3,600 cubic yards of soil contaminated with arsenic and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), according to the EPA's Fried Industries Superfund Site page.

But the EPA found additional VOC-contaminated soil that extended into the adjacent wetlands during soil testing in 2021 and now plans to remove an additional 8,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil to a depth of approximately 12 feet below ground, which is acting as an ongoing source of contamination to the groundwater, the EPA said.

The EPA will spend about $4.8 million to perform the additional soil excavation.

The 26-acre site at 11 Fresh Ponds Road is in the northwest corner of the township near the Milltown border. The site contains a three-acre pond, a former clay borrow pit, a marsh area, several wetland areas and woodland/upland areas, according to the EPA.

Beaver Dam Park, a passive recreation park, opened in November 2021.

Earlier:East Brunswick to open park on formerly contaminated land

"The Township was fully aware that the additional cleanup activities would be needed prior to opening Phase 1 of the trail system and has worked cooperatively with us throughout this process," the EPA said.

The bulk of the soil cleanup was completed in 1999, the agency said.

"An additional area of VOC-contaminated soil remains to be addressed on the west side of the site," the EPA said. "The cleanup is expected to begin in the spring of 2023 and finish in early 2024. Once EPA completes the additional cleanup work, it is our understanding that the town will begin work on Phase 2 of the trail system. EPA will continue to coordinate closely with the Township on these efforts."

Contaminated groundwater at the site is being treated through an extraction and treatment system.

From 1906 to 1920, the Milltown Sand and Clay Company operated a clay quarry at the site. Once quarry operations stopped, no significant activities are known to have occurred at the site until 1965, when Fried Industries began operations.

For more than 20 years, Fried Industries manufactured industrial-strength aqueous detergent solutions, floor-finishing products, adhesives, algaecides and other chemical products, according to the EPA.

At times, the site's facilities were leased to other companies for the manufacture of automotive antifreeze products. In 1983, the EPA found that hazardous wastes were improperly stored on site, and that the soil was contaminated.

More tests found deteriorated buried drums and evidence of improper handling, storage and disposal of hazardous materials.

The site was placed on the National Priorities List in 1986.

In 1989, ownership of the site was transferred from Fried Industries to East Brunswick through foreclosure proceedings. All buildings and structures associated with historical operations have been removed and, until recently, the site has been vacant and fenced off to restrict use.

The township prepared plans to redevelop the site by constructing pedestrian walkways to view the wetlands, pond and marshes. The walkways are a way of bringing the site back to beneficial use, the EPA said.

For additional information about Beaver Dam Park visit bit.ly/3ZhoRle.

Documents about the site and cleanup changes can be viewed at epa.gov/superfund/fried-industries and at the information repository maintained at the Reference Desk, East Brunswick Library, 2 Jean Walling Civic Center Drive.

Information is also available by contacting the EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator Pat Seppi at 646-369-0068 or seppi.pat@epa.gov.

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: East Brunswick Superfund site having more contaminated soil removed