The South Jersey Clothing Company once made military uniforms in Buena Borough, Minotola, New Jersey. It used trichloroethylene (TCE), a chemical solvent, in dry-cleaning operations. Contaminated wastewater and sludge were discharged behind the process building and along nearby railroad tracks. A 1979 fire may have released about 275 gallons of TCE from a storage tank. EPA added the site to its Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) in October 1989. The NPL is the federal list of the most serious uncontrolled hazardous waste sites in the country.
EPA has identified 21 contaminants of concern at the site. They include chlorinated solvents such as trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, and various trichloroethane compounds, as well as benzene, toluene, chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, and acetone. These substances were found in soil, groundwater, and air. Trichloroethene and tetrachloroethene appear in all three of those media.
Cleanup work began in May 1981 with removal of contaminated soil. A groundwater extraction and treatment system went in during 1985. After a 1991 cleanup decision, EPA added soil vapor extraction and a groundwater treatment system that started running in February 1999. That system treats more than 400 gallons of contaminated groundwater per minute and returns treated water to the aquifer. Between 2011 and early 2018, EPA excavated and thermally treated additional soil source areas. In September 2020, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection took over operation of the groundwater extraction and treatment system. Groundwater treatment and monitoring continue under state management. The site reached sitewide readiness for anticipated reuse in September 2021, and the most recent five-year review was completed in June 2024. The site has not yet been deleted from the NPL.
Private residences nearby are connected to the municipal water supply, which limits drinking water risk from contaminated groundwater. However, EPA has identified a vapor intrusion pathway, where volatile organic compounds can migrate from groundwater into indoor air. EPA plans additional sampling and investigation in fall 2025 to determine whether people are being exposed through this pathway. Groundwater migration is currently under control.
Community members can stay involved through meetings with residents, public notices, and fact sheet updates. Records can be reviewed in person at the EPA Superfund Records Center in New York or at the Borough of Buena Municipal Building in Minotola. For questions, contact Community Involvement Coordinator Natalie Loney or Remedial Project Manager Brian Quinn.
