Sharkey Landfill sits in Parsippany, Troy Hills, New Jersey, in Morris County. It operated from 1945 to 1972 and accepted municipal solid waste from northern New Jersey counties. The site was identified as a Superfund site in 1982 and placed on the National Priorities List in September 1983. It is being cleaned up through one main operable unit covering containment, capping, and groundwater issues.
Between 1962 and 1969, the landfill allegedly received hazardous waste from Ciba-Geigy Company, including roughly 560,000 pounds of toluene, 130,000 pounds of benzene, 40,000 pounds of chloroform, 20,000 pounds of methylene chloride, and 3,000 pounds of dichloroethylene. EPA has identified 43 contaminants of concern at the site overall. These include metals such as lead, cadmium, chromium, mercury, and nickel, volatile organic compounds such as benzene and trichloroethene, pesticides including dieldrin and endrin, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons like benzo[a]pyrene. Contamination was found in soil, groundwater, and leachate.
EPA's 1986 cleanup plan called for capping the landfill, installing a gas venting system, extracting and treating groundwater and leachate, controlling surface water, and conducting long-term groundwater monitoring. The plan was updated in 1993 to reduce the capping scope. Construction began in September 2000 and was substantially completed in December 2003, with remedial action fully complete by September 2005. In 2014, EPA approved shutting down the extraction system to determine if it was still needed. Well drilling for off-site monitoring began in October 2023, and samples were collected in spring 2024 to check whether contamination is migrating away from the site. In September 2023, EPA issued an Explanation of Significant Differences adding institutional controls, such as deed notices and a Corrective Action Approach, to the remedy for certain fill areas.
The engineered remedy currently protects human health and the environment in the short term. All exposure pathways have been addressed, and contaminated groundwater migration is stabilized with no unacceptable discharge to surface water. However, several actions are still needed for long-term protection, including completing off-site monitoring well installation, applying deed notices to all five fill areas, and further evaluating groundwater data on contaminant migration. The site is expected to be ready for anticipated reuse between October and December 2027 and has not yet been deleted from the National Priorities List. EPA completed its most recent five-year review in September 2024.
Community members with questions can contact EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator. Administrative records and site documents are available for in-person review at the EPA Superfund Records Center at 290 Broadway, 18th floor, in New York City.
