Ellis Property

Overview

Ellis Property is a 36-acre former dairy farm and drum reconditioning site in Evesham Township, New Jersey. It was added to the EPA's National Priorities List (NPL) on September 8, 1983. During its operating years, around 300 containers of chemicals were stored on about four acres of the property. Drum contents leaked into the soil and groundwater. Operations stopped in the late 1970s after a fire.

EPA has identified 31 contaminants of concern in soil and groundwater. The primary contaminant is trichloroethylene (TCE), an industrial solvent. Other contaminants include additional volatile organic compounds such as tetrachloroethene, vinyl chloride, and dichloromethane, as well as metals like lead, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, and nickel, plus polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other substances.

Cleanup has moved through several phases. Excavation of contaminated soils began in 1998, removing 1,400 cubic yards of material. A groundwater pumping and treatment system came online in 2000, with extraction wells added in 2006. A cutoff wall was installed in 2012 to direct contaminated groundwater toward a collection trench. Starting in 2019, EPA excavated large areas of shallow contaminated soil and then used thermal treatment to heat deep subsurface soil in place to remove sources of groundwater contamination. Shallow soil excavation finished in 2020 and thermal soil treatment wrapped up in 2022. The original cleanup plan from 1992 covered excavation, incineration, solidification, and other methods. A 2013 amendment added in-situ chemical oxidation and institutional controls.

The site has reached construction completion status and is sitewide ready for anticipated use, meaning cleanup goals have been met for current and reasonably anticipated future land uses. Human exposure to site contamination is under control. Groundwater is not used for drinking water at the site, which is served by municipal wells. EPA is currently re-commissioning the on-site groundwater treatment system and will continue monitoring to confirm contaminated groundwater stays within the original area. The most recent five-year review was completed on March 24, 2025.

Community members can stay involved by contacting the EPA staff assigned to the site. The Township of Evesham receives weekly updates from EPA and hosts a video recording of the December 4, 2019 public informational meeting on its website. The EPA Superfund Records Center at 290 Broadway, 18th floor, New York, NY 10007 (phone 212-637-4308) is available for in-person document review.