PJP Landfill

Overview

PJP Landfill is an 87-acre inactive landfill in Jersey City, New Jersey, that accepted chemical and industrial waste from 1970 to 1974. The EPA added it to the National Priorities List in September 1983. Underground fires burned waste from buried drums between 1970 and 1985, spreading contamination into soil, sediment, surface water, and groundwater. The site is now in the operation and maintenance phase, with EPA oversight ongoing since May 2012.

The site holds over 150 contaminants of concern across multiple media types, including soil, groundwater, surface water, sediment, and landfill gas. Heavy metals include lead, mercury, arsenic, chromium, cadmium, and nickel. Volatile organic compounds include benzene, trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, chloroform, and vinyl chloride. The site also contains pesticides such as aldrin, dieldrin, chlordane, and DDT, along with PCBs, phthalates, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The third five-year review, completed in September 2023, noted that PFAS and other contaminants may be affecting the Hackensack River, and the EPA and state have requested more information to determine whether the landfill is a contributing source.

Cleanup began with short-term actions in 1985 and 1986, including extinguishing underground fires, removing buried drums and heavily contaminated soil, and capping 45 acres. A 1995 Record of Decision set the long-term plan, which called for removing remaining buried drums, capping the rest of the landfill, monitoring groundwater and leachate, and putting institutional controls in place. Construction of the final cap over the remaining 37 acres was completed in 2012, and all construction finished in September 2020. A gas venting system continuously treats landfill gas before it is released. Prologis and Jersey City conduct quarterly sampling of groundwater, sediment, and surface water, and quarterly inspections of vegetation.

Human exposure across the entire site has been determined to be under control, and contaminated groundwater migration is stabilized with no unacceptable discharge to surface water. A Classification Exemption Area/Well Restriction Area prohibits groundwater well use at the site. Physical construction of cleanup is complete, but the site has not yet met all criteria for anticipated use sitewide. The next five-year review is estimated between September and November 2028, which is also when the site is expected to be ready for anticipated reuse.

The property has been redeveloped for industrial, commercial, and recreational use. Prologis operates a warehouse and transfer station on 52 acres, a trucking company operates on three capped acres, and Jersey City holds 32 acres for a planned park and nature center. As of December 2024, two on-site businesses employed 993 people. Community members with questions can contact the EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator, Drew Curtis, or Remedial Project Manager Michael Pantliano.