Fair Lawn Well Field

Overview

Fair Lawn Well Field is a Superfund site in Fair Lawn, Bergen County, New Jersey. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), primarily tetrachloroethylene and trichloroethylene, were discovered in municipal drinking water supply wells in 1978. The contamination originated in the Fair Lawn Industrial Park. EPA placed the site on the National Priorities List in September 1983. The site remains on that list today.

EPA identified 32 contaminants of concern in groundwater and surface water. These include VOCs such as trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, benzene, and vinyl chloride. Chlorinated solvents like 1,1,1-trichloroethane and chloroform are also present, along with fuel-related compounds including MTBE and ethylbenzene. Emerging contaminants such as perfluorooctane sulfonic acid and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) have been found as well. Untreated groundwater contains some of these at levels exceeding drinking water standards, though the municipal drinking water system is treated to reduce health risk. Assessments show human exposure is currently under control, with no unsafe pathways for people to contact contamination at this time.

Companies Fisher Scientific and Sandvik Inc. were identified as contributing sources and have conducted cleanup activities since the 1980s. Fisher has operated a groundwater recovery and treatment system since 1987. Sandvik began an enhanced bioremediation program in February 2014. Other contaminated properties, including the former Eastman Kodak Company site and 18-01 Pollitt Drive, have run their own treatment systems since 2014 and 2017 respectively. An early action also installed an air stripper and chlorination system at the municipal wells to treat contaminated groundwater before discharge to Little Diamond Brook.

EPA selected a final remedy in September 2018 calling for pumping and treating groundwater across source area properties, municipal wells, and surrounding residential areas. The remedy uses carbon adsorption, air stripping, and ultraviolet oxidation. Treated water will discharge to the publicly owned treatment works and to surface waters. Institutional controls will limit land use. Engineering design was approved in September 2023, and construction began in February 2024. The new treatment system is expected to enter an operating and testing period in the first half of 2025, with construction estimated to finish between March and May 2026. A long-term response action is planned to begin in fall 2026. As of December 2024, 19 businesses operate on-site, employing 412 people and generating roughly $41.5 million in annual sales revenue.

Community members can stay involved by subscribing to site updates through EPA Community Involvement Coordinator Shereen Kandil. EPA held a virtual public information meeting on September 27 covering site history, upcoming work, and the construction timeline. A recording and a winter 2024 community update fact sheet are available. Site documents can be reviewed at EPA's Superfund Records Center at 290 Broadway, 18th floor, New York, NY, or at the Maurice M. Pine Free Public Library at 10-01 Fair Lawn Avenue in Fair Lawn, NJ.