Swope Oil and Chemical Company ran a chemical reclamation facility on a 2-acre property in Pennsauken Township, New Jersey from 1965 to 1979. The facility processed solvents, oils, paints, and other chemical compounds. Waste went into an unlined lagoon, a diked tank farm, drums, and buried sludge pits. The EPA added the site to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) in September 1983. The site has not yet been deleted from the NPL.
More than 80 chemicals have been identified as contaminants of concern. These include polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, benzene, and vinyl chloride, metals including lead, mercury, chromium, and arsenic, and other substances like phenol and phthalates. Contamination was found in surface soil, subsurface soil, groundwater, and sludge across the site.
Cleanup happened in stages across three operable units covering surficial soil, subsurface soil, and groundwater. From 1985 to 1989, tanks and buildings were removed, buried sludge and lagoon material were excavated, and PCB-contaminated surface soil was taken away. A soil vapor extraction system ran from 1997 to 2005 and pulled over 21,000 pounds of contaminants from subsurface soil. A site-wide cap was finished in July 2014, and construction across all units was complete by September 2015. The groundwater remedy relies on monitored natural attenuation for shallow groundwater and ongoing monitoring of deep groundwater.
The EPA has determined that human exposure is under control. No unacceptable exposure pathways currently exist. Contaminated groundwater migration is stabilized, and there is no unacceptable discharge to surface water. A Classification Exception Area prevents groundwater from being used for drinking water, and a Deed Notice protects the small amount of remaining subsurface soil contamination under the cap. The site achieved ready-for-anticipated-reuse status in August 2019, and the most recent five-year review was completed in August 2022. The next review is estimated between August and October 2027.
Community members can review site records at the Pennsauken Free Public Library in Pennsauken, New Jersey, or at the EPA Records Center in New York City. For questions, the public can contact the Community Involvement Coordinator or the Remedial Project Manager.
