Chemical Insecticide Corp. ran an industrial facility in Edison Township, New Jersey, from 1954 to 1970, making insecticides, fungicides, rodenticides, and herbicides. Those operations left widespread contamination on the property and in nearby waterways. The site sits on the National Priorities List, a federal registry of the most serious hazardous waste sites in the country, and has not yet been removed from that list.
EPA identified 21 contaminants of concern across groundwater, surface water, and soil. Groundwater carries the heaviest burden, with 15 contaminants detected, including chlorinated compounds such as trichloroethene and vinyl chloride, pesticides such as DDT, dieldrin, and lindane, and metals such as arsenic, manganese, and thallium. Arsenic and pesticide residues also appear in surface water and soil.
Cleanup was split into four operable units. The first addressed stormwater runoff with fencing, a temporary cap, and drainage controls, finished in 1994. The second removed roughly 241,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil, excavating up to 20 feet deep and replacing it with clean fill, and was completed in 2005. The third excavated 13,800 cubic yards of contaminated soil and sediment from off-site creek areas and restored stream beds and wetlands, finishing in 1997. The fourth targets remaining groundwater contamination through institutional controls and long-term monitoring. The state began operating and maintaining the groundwater remedy in September 2021. Surrounding businesses are connected to public water, and the groundwater plume is stable. Contaminant levels in groundwater have decreased since the soil cleanup was finished.
EPA completed its most recent five-year review in January 2024 and confirmed the remedy remains protective of human health and the environment. Human exposure is under control, and contaminated groundwater migration is stabilized with no unacceptable discharge to surface water. The Township of Edison purchased the property in September 2008 and now uses it for recreation and open space. A Classification Exception Area and Well Restriction Area, established in 2009, restricts water withdrawal from the area of residual groundwater contamination, and institutional controls prevent residential development.
Community members can learn more about the site by visiting EPA's Superfund Records Center at 290 Broadway, 18th floor, New York, NY 10007, or at the Edison Library at 340 Plainfield Avenue, Edison, NJ, or the Metuchen Library at 480 Middlesex Avenue, Metuchen, NJ. Questions can also be directed to the site's Community Involvement Coordinator.
