Chemical Control

Overview

The Chemical Control Corporation site covers about 2 acres in Elizabeth, New Jersey. It operated as a hazardous waste storage, treatment, and disposal facility from 1970 to 1979, accepting acids, arsenic, cyanides, PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), pesticides, flammable solvents, and compressed gases. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection shut it down in 1979 due to environmental and safety violations. EPA (the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) placed the site on the National Priorities List (NPL) in September 1983.

Contaminants affect both soil and surface water across two main areas. The Gas Cylinders area contains PCBs, pesticides, chlordane, chloroform, toluene, xylene, phenol, and several other compounds in soil and surface water. The Sewers and Trailers area contains arsenic, cyanide, pesticides, and PCBs in surface water and solid waste. Groundwater also contains site-related contaminants, including benzene, vinyl chloride, and naphthalene, though residents and businesses in the area rely on municipal water rather than groundwater.

EPA finished the physical cleanup in June 1994. The remedy included building a slurry wall anchored into clay beneath the site, solidifying about 25,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil with cement, and installing a fence to restrict access. Contamination along the Elizabeth River was bio-remediated, which reduced but did not fully eliminate contamination in that area. Institutional controls followed later: a deed notice placed in November 2017 prevents human exposure to soil contamination above cleanup standards, and a Classification Exception Area established in January 2018 restricts groundwater use beneath and downgradient of the site. An Explanation of Significant Differences issued in September 2024 added institutional controls as a formal remedy component for the Gas Cylinders operable unit.

The site reached sitewide ready for anticipated reuse status in August 2019. Human exposure is currently under control across the entire site, with no unacceptable exposure pathways. EPA monitors three on-site groundwater wells every five years and periodically inspects and tests stabilized soil samples. The most recent five-year review, completed on June 28, 2024, confirmed the remedy continues to protect public health and the environment. As of December 2024, two businesses were operating at the site. The site has not yet been deleted from the NPL.

Community members can review site records in person at the EPA Superfund Records Center at 290 Broadway, 18th floor, New York, New York. For questions, contact the Community Involvement Coordinator or the Remedial Project Manager.