Burnt Fly Bog

Overview

Burnt Fly Bog is a roughly 1,700-acre Superfund site in Marlboro Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey, with portions extending into Old Bridge Township in Middlesex County. It was added to the National Priorities List in 1983 and has gone through decades of active cleanup. The site is not yet deleted from the list and is not considered ready for all anticipated uses.

Contamination began in the 1950s and early 1960s, when waste oil reprocessing operations dumped hazardous materials, built lagoons for storing reprocessed oil, and left behind contaminated soil, sludge, and drummed wastes. A former landfill to the north also contributed to soil and surface water pollution. The nearest residents are about 1,000 feet away, and the nearest well is 200 feet from the site. Contaminants include lead, PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), total petroleum hydrocarbons, dichloromethane, ethylbenzene, tetrachloroethene, toluene, trichloroethene, xylene, and zinc. These contaminants are found in soil, sludge, sediment, groundwater, and surface water across different areas of the site.

Cleanup was divided into three operable units. Workers excavated nearly 85,000 tons of contaminated soil and 10,000 tons of stabilized sludge from the Uplands Area, incinerated PCB-contaminated sludge off-site, and built a ten-acre clay cap. In the Westerly Wetlands, crews removed PCB-contaminated soil, built a sedimentation basin, restored wetlands, and removed an additional 46,000 tons of contaminated soil in later phases. Overall construction was completed in 2004. In 2022, EPA initiated additional remedial action for the Westerly Wetlands Phase II area, with operation and maintenance estimated to begin between September and November 2028.

EPA's most recent five-year review, completed in April 2026, confirmed that the remedies protect human health and the environment. The State samples monitoring wells and surface water yearly. Monitoring shows that lead and PCBs are not leaving the site, and groundwater migration is stabilized with no unacceptable discharge to surface water. The EPA has fenced the entire property and posted warning signs. People should still avoid contact with soils in the Westerly Wetlands due to high levels of lead and PCBs. Institutional deed restrictions remain incomplete for properties in Old Bridge Township. Since 2016, EPA has been testing soil amendments to reduce lead availability in the Westerly Wetlands, with pilot field testing completed in 2021 and larger-scale application planned.

Community members can get information or ask questions at Marlboro Township Municipal Building, 1979 Township Drive, Marlboro, NJ 07746. Site documents are available in person at the EPA Superfund Records Center, 290 Broadway, 18th floor, New York, NY. The EPA's Superfund Redevelopment Program is also working with the community to plan for the site's future productive use.