Naval Weapons Station Earle covers 11,134 acres in Monmouth County, New Jersey. The Navy has operated it since 1943 to store, maintain, and renovate ammunition, missiles, and explosives. The EPA placed it on the National Priorities List in August 1990 after studies found potential hazardous releases. Cleanup is ongoing across 13 separate areas called operable units, and physical construction is not yet complete sitewide.
Contaminants include metals such as arsenic, chromium, cadmium, and mercury in soil and groundwater. Organic chemicals including benzene, trichloroethene (TCE), tetrachloroethene, and vinyl chloride were found in groundwater. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, are a key concern at Site 46, where fire-fighting training used foam containing these chemicals from 1975 to 1989. Sampling in 2015 and 2016 found PFAS levels above EPA's health advisory of 70 parts per trillion in two residential drinking water wells near the site. Those residents received bottled water and were later connected to public water supply. A basewide PFAS investigation launched in 2020 sampled eight locations, and EPA is reviewing the findings. At Site 26, TCE levels have increased during recent monitoring despite treatment that ran from 2001 to 2004, and the Navy plans a voluntary removal action there.
The Navy is the lead cleanup agency under a 1991 agreement with EPA. Removal actions at six sites have taken out about 1,189 tons of contaminated soil and 2 tons of lead. Several operable units have finished their active cleanup phases and moved into long-term operation and maintenance. The most recent five-year review was completed in March 2023, with the next one estimated for 2028. Current performance measures show insufficient data to confirm that human exposure or groundwater migration are under control.
Community members can stay involved through public meetings the Navy holds when it proposes new cleanup actions. A 30-day comment period follows each proposal, and notices go out through local newspapers and both the Navy's and EPA's websites. Records are available for review at the Monmouth County library in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, and at the EPA office at 290 Broadway in New York City. In 2023, the Navy also hosted an open house about the PFAS investigation and requested permission to sample private drinking water wells near the station. The EPA's Superfund Redevelopment Program is also working with the community to plan for the site's future use.
