Ewan Property

Overview

The Ewan Property sits in Shamong Township, Burlington County, New Jersey, and has been on the EPA's National Priorities List (NPL) since 1984. The site is also known as the Ewan Property Drum Dump and the Shamong Township Drum Dump. Waste disposal in 1974 and 1975 contaminated soil and groundwater with a range of chemicals. The site sits above two linked aquifers, the shallow Cohansey and the deeper Kirkwood, and local residents rely on private wells for drinking water.

Contaminants found at the site include volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethene, benzene, chloroform, toluene, and xylene, as well as chlorinated solvents like carbon tetrachloride and dichloromethane. Heavy metals including arsenic, barium, chromium, copper, and lead are present in soil and groundwater. Cleanup was divided into two operable units: one addressing drum removal and contaminated soils, and the other addressing groundwater and residually contaminated soils.

Cleanup actions have been extensive. Workers excavated roughly 3,800 buried drums and removed about 22,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil by July 1995. A groundwater extraction, treatment, and infiltration system ran from 1997 to 2006, processing more than 200,000 gallons of contaminated groundwater per day and removing 304 pounds of VOCs and semi-volatile compounds. Additional contaminated soils were excavated in 2004 and 2012. A pilot dual phase extraction and soil vapor extraction test from 2004 to 2011 removed another 190 pounds of contaminants. The treatment system was decommissioned and the site restored between November 2015 and May 2016. Overall construction was completed in 1999, and the site achieved sitewide ready-for-anticipated-reuse status in 2018.

The site is currently in long-term groundwater monitoring, with sampling from more than 60 wells at varying intervals. Residential wells are sampled every five years, most recently in summer 2021. EPA has determined that human exposure is under control. No site-related contaminants have been detected in off-site groundwater, residential wells, or public water supplies. Groundwater migration is stabilized. A fence installed in 1988 remains in place to prevent trespassing, and New Jersey has established a contaminant exception area for the site. The most recent five-year review was completed on February 5, 2024, and confirmed that cleanup actions remain protective of human health and the environment. The site has not yet been deleted from the NPL.

Community members can review site records at the EPA Region 2 office at 290 Broadway, 18th Floor, New York, NY, or at the Shamong Township Municipal Building, 105 Willow Grove Road, Shamong, NJ. For questions, the public can contact the Community Involvement Coordinator or the Remedial Project Manager.