Cosden Chemical Coatings Corp.

Overview

The Cosden Chemical Coatings Corp. site is a 6.7-acre former paint manufacturing property in Beverly, New Jersey. It operated from 1945 to 1989. The EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) placed it on the National Priorities List (NPL) in July 1987, which flags it as a priority cleanup site. It remains on the NPL today.

The site holds 57 confirmed contaminants in soil and groundwater. These include heavy metals such as lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium, and arsenic. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) include trichloroethene, benzene, toluene, xylene, and ethylbenzene. Pesticides such as DDT and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were also found, along with other chemicals like acetone and naphthalene. Drums of solvents and waste began piling up on the property starting in 1974 after the company stopped using a removal contractor.

EPA has completed several major cleanup steps. Shortly after listing in 1987, the agency removed hundreds of drums and bulk liquids from the site. Between 1995 and 2002, all on-site structures were demolished and over 10,700 tons of contaminated soil were excavated and disposed of off-site. The cleared area was backfilled, graded, and replanted. A groundwater extraction and treatment system built in 2009 ran continuously, treating over 282 million gallons of water and removing around 13,000 pounds of VOCs. Overall site construction was completed in September 2007.

Current work focuses on groundwater. A 2021 pilot study confirmed that in-situ chemical oxidation (ISCO), a process that injects chemicals underground to break down contaminants, can degrade remaining VOCs. EPA issued a Record of Decision Amendment in September 2022 adding ISCO treatment, groundwater monitoring, and institutional controls to the cleanup plan. That work is in progress. EPA monitors groundwater through a network of more than 30 wells and plans to sample for emerging contaminants including PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances). Residents and businesses in Beverly get their water from the New Jersey-American Water Company and are not drinking the contaminated groundwater. EPA has determined that human exposure is under control and that contamination is not migrating off-site into surface water at unacceptable levels.

Community members can review site documents at the Beverly Municipal Building or at the EPA Superfund Records Center in New York City. EPA completed its third Five-Year Review in May 2022 and the next review is estimated between May and July 2027. For questions, residents can contact EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager.