The Dayco Corp./L.E. Carpenter Co. site is a former vinyl wall covering manufacturing facility in Wharton Borough, New Jersey. It operated from 1943 to 1987 and was placed on the EPA's National Priorities List in 1985. Waste disposed in unlined lagoons spread contamination into the groundwater, nearby soil, Rockaway River sediment, and an adjacent drainage channel. Four businesses currently operate on the site, employing eight people and generating roughly $383,010 in annual sales.
The site has 59 identified contaminants of concern spread across groundwater and soil. Groundwater contains volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, and 1,1,1-trichloroethane, along with metals including lead, cadmium, arsenic, chromium, and mercury. Soil contaminants include lead, arsenic, ethylbenzene, toluene, xylene, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and phthalates. Although VOCs in groundwater pose health risks if swallowed, inhaled, or contacted, residents and businesses in Wharton receive drinking water from a public supply drawn from forestland in Mt. Olive and Randolph Townships, so exposure risk is minimal. EPA assessments confirm that human exposure and groundwater migration are currently under control.
Cleanup is organized into operable units. Operable Unit 1 covers soils and a monitored natural attenuation study, where contaminants are allowed to break down naturally over time. Early work began in 1982 with soil and sludge removal and groundwater monitoring. A major excavation in 2005 removed over 46,000 tons of contaminated soil. Soil removal at Ross and North Main Streets finished in 2009 to 2010, and excavation of the Eastern Drainage Ditch wrapped up in July 2023. Sampling in the wetland area near the Rockaway River in March 2024 found deeper contamination than expected, and additional investigation or modified excavation may follow. Groundwater is monitored quarterly. Remedial action for Operable Unit 1 is estimated to finish between October and December 2026. A final groundwater cleanup plan will be chosen after the wetland work is resolved. Operable Unit 3, covering sediments, is estimated to begin its investigation phase around 2028.
Community members can contact the EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager with questions. Site records are available by appointment at the EPA Region 2 Superfund Records Center in New York, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection office in Trenton, the Wharton Borough Municipal Building, and the Wharton Public Library. Documents are also accessible online through the EPA's website.
