Sayreville Landfill

Overview

The Sayreville Landfill is a 35-acre former municipal waste facility in Sayreville, Middlesex County, New Jersey. It operated from 1971 to August 1977 on land that included tidal wetlands of the South River. The EPA added it to the National Priorities List (NPL) in September 1983. The NPL is the federal government's roster of sites that need investigation and cleanup under the Superfund program. The site was deleted from the NPL in September 2011 after all required cleanup work was finished.

Although the landfill was licensed to accept only municipal and light industrial waste, hazardous materials were disposed of there during and after operations. Contaminants found at the site include arsenic, benzene, bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, chromium, lead, phenol, toluene, and xylene. Arsenic appeared in both soil and groundwater. Other contaminants were found in soil, surface water, and sediments. The site is divided into two operable units. Operable Unit 1 covers the landfill itself. Operable Unit 2 covers surface water, groundwater, and sediments.

Cleanup began in 1982 when New Jersey environmental authorities removed 30 drums from the site. The main remedy, completed in 1999, included removing additional drums, fencing the site, capping the landfill, and installing stormwater and methane collection systems. The cap for Operable Unit 1 was built between February 1996 and September 1998. A Record of Decision for Operable Unit 2 determined no further action was needed beyond ongoing monitoring. Groundwater monitoring started in 1999, moved to a reduced schedule in 2011, and the most recent sampling occurred in 2020. A Classification Exception Area was established for the shallow aquifer, and a Deed Notice was recorded to prevent intrusive activities into the cap.

All five-year reviews completed since 2002 have confirmed that the landfill cap protects human health and the environment, and that groundwater contamination has generally decreased over time. Human exposure is under control, and groundwater migration is stabilized with no unacceptable discharge to surface water. The site achieved "Sitewide Ready for Anticipated Use" status in May 2011, meaning all cleanup goals for current and reasonably anticipated future land uses have been met and all required land-use restrictions are in place. The most recent five-year review was completed in November 2021, and the next is estimated between November 2026 and January 2027.

Community members can review site records at the Sayreville Public Free Library in Parlin, New Jersey, or at the EPA's Superfund Records Center in New York City. For questions, residents can contact the EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager.