The A. O. Polymer site covers four acres in Sparta Township, New Jersey. It operated as a resin manufacturing facility from the early 1960s until 1993. Poor waste handling left soil and groundwater contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs), most notably trichloroethylene (TCE). The site was added to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1983.
Cleanup was organized into three operable units covering sitewide activities, soils, and groundwater. Early actions in 1982 removed nearly 2,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil, 900 drums, and debris. After the property was abandoned in 1994, the EPA removed over 34,000 pounds of hazardous waste from unsecured buildings and tanks. A soil vapor extraction system started in 1995, and a groundwater pump-and-treatment system began operating in 1998. In 2018, in-situ thermal remediation was added, achieving roughly 99 percent removal of TCE across the site. Thermal treatment finished in April 2019, and the groundwater treatment system shut down in fall 2020 after meeting cleanup goals. All remediation equipment has since been removed.
EPA has identified more than 40 contaminants of concern at the site. These include chlorinated compounds such as trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, and various dichloroethanes, as well as benzene, toluene, phthalates, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, phenol, and ketones like acetone and methyl ethyl ketone. Contamination affected groundwater, surface water, and soils. In 1978, VOCs were found in three nearby private drinking water wells, which were taken out of service and replaced with public water supply connections.
The site is currently protective of human health and the environment. There are no unacceptable human exposure pathways, contaminated groundwater migration has been stabilized, and no unacceptable discharge to surface water has been found. The soils operable unit was partially deleted from the NPL in 2002. The site achieved sitewide ready-for-anticipated-reuse status in March 2020. Long-term groundwater monitoring continues, and the most recent five-year review was completed in February 2023. The site remains on the NPL and has not been fully deleted.
Community members with questions can contact the EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or the Remedial Project Manager. Site documents are available for in-person review at the EPA Superfund Records Center, 290 Broadway, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10007.
