The Fort Dix Landfill covers 126 acres in Pemberton Township, New Jersey. It operated from 1950 to 1984 as a disposal site for the former Army base and McGuire Air Force Base. The landfill sits above a Class 1-A aquifer that supplies drinking water to Central New Jersey, and up to 7,300 residents within three miles relied on domestic wells. Early disposal practices were poorly documented, and buried wastes included sludges, paints, thinners, and pesticides. Nearby streams flow into Rancocas Creek, and a hardwood swamp borders the site.
Thirty-two contaminants of concern have been identified across groundwater, soil, surface water, sediment, and air. These include metals such as chromium, manganese, mercury, cadmium, nickel, and zinc. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including benzene, toluene, vinyl chloride, trichloroethene, and tetrachloroethene were detected mainly in groundwater and air. In 2016, PFOA and PFOS, components of firefighting foam used at the site since 1970, were also confirmed as emerging contaminants. One private off-base well tested positive for PFOA and PFOS at levels below EPA health advisory limits, and additional private well sampling was planned for 2024.
The Army and EPA agreed on a cleanup strategy in 1991. Work included capping 53 acres of the landfill, maintaining cover on the rest, installing a landfill gas venting system, fencing the perimeter, and setting up 30 years of groundwater, surface water, sediment, and air monitoring. Construction finished in September 1999. Institutional controls restrict future land use and groundwater extraction near the landfill. No contaminants of concern have migrated beyond the landfill boundary, and monitoring data show non-detect results or declining concentrations over time. Human exposure is under control across the entire site.
The site was deleted from the National Priorities List (NPL) in September 2012 after cleanup goals were met. Five-Year Reviews have been completed in 1999, 2005, 2010, 2015, 2018, and most recently in May 2023. The May 2023 review confirmed the remedy continues to protect human health and the environment. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection now handles day-to-day regulatory oversight, while EPA continues Five-Year Review oversight. The next review is estimated for May through July 2028.
Community members can get involved through the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (JB MDL) Restoration Advisory Board (RAB). The RAB meets quarterly on Thursday evenings at the Edward Holloway Senior Citizen and Community Center in Cookstown. Meeting announcements appear in the Asbury Park Press and Burlington County Times. Public records are available at the Fort Dix Environmental Division, the Pemberton Community Library in Browns Mills, and the EPA Records Center in New York City.
