Tabernacle Drum Dump sits on a one-acre wooded property in Tabernacle Township, Burlington County, New Jersey. From 1976 to 1984, roughly 200 containers of waste chemicals were stored there. Deteriorating drums released solvents, paint sludges, and heavy metals into the soil and groundwater. The site was added to the National Priorities List (NPL) in September 1984, marking it as a priority for federal Superfund cleanup.
Contaminants found at the site include volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as 1,1,1-trichloroethane, 1,1-dichloroethene, and dichloromethane, along with heavy metals including cadmium, chromium, lead, and manganese, all detected in groundwater. Surface soils contained chromium, cyanide, and lead. The contaminated groundwater posed a potential threat to private drinking water wells located downgradient of the site, though a 1982 survey of 25 nearby wells found no significant contamination in residential supplies at that time.
Cleanup happened in stages. Surface soil work was completed in July 1984, removing all containers, 40 cubic yards of drum material, eight truckloads of contaminated soil, and about 3,000 gallons of liquid waste. A groundwater remediation system was designed and built between 1992 and 1993, using pump-and-treat methods with air stripping and reinjection to the aquifer. It began operating on August 30, 1993. Quarterly monitoring showed contaminant levels steadily dropping. By 1997, cleanup goals were met and the EPA approved shutting the system down. Soil sampling in 1991 had already confirmed only trace levels remained in the soil, requiring no further action there.
Today, the cleanup is complete and protective of public health and the environment. Human exposure is under control, with no unacceptable exposure pathways remaining. Groundwater migration is stabilized, and there is no unacceptable discharge to surface water. Monitoring continues to confirm that affected groundwater stays within the original contamination area. The site achieved ready-for-anticipated-reuse status in September 2007 and was officially deleted from the NPL in May 2008. All required land-use controls are in place and no construction work remains.
Community members who want more information or want to stay involved can contact the EPA community involvement coordinator. Site documents, including the 1988 Record of Decision and the 1998 Five-Year Review, are available for in-person review at the EPA Superfund Records Center at 290 Broadway, 18th floor, in New York, New York. The Superfund Redevelopment Program is also working with the community to support future productive use of the property.
