This 6-acre property in Wayne Township, New Jersey was used from 1948 to 1971 to extract thorium and rare earth metals from monazite ore. That work left radioactive waste and contaminated building rubble buried on site. Radiological surface contamination was discovered in 1980, and the site was added to the Superfund National Priorities List in 1984. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) led cleanup efforts under its Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program, with the EPA serving as the lead regulatory agency under CERCLA, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act.
The three contaminants of concern are radium-226, thorium-232, and uranium, all found in soil across the entire site. EPA determined these substances pose an unacceptable risk to human health or the environment based on the amount present and the potential health effects from exposure.
Cleanup happened in stages. Early work excavated and contained about 38,500 cubic yards of contaminated soil, with another 70,000 cubic yards of contaminated waste found underground. In 1993, contaminated soil at a nearby railroad spur and residential properties was addressed. A remedial investigation and feasibility study ran from July 1990 through May 2000. The final remedy, selected on May 15, 2000, called for excavation. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers completed construction of that remedy between August 2000 and September 2003. Work included demolishing a processing building, removing contaminated groundwater, and disposing of all excavated materials off-site. A 2003 Explanation of Significant Differences modified the remedy to specify off-site disposal alongside excavation.
Today, human exposure is under control and groundwater migration has stabilized with no unacceptable discharge to surface water. All cleanup goals for current and reasonably anticipated future land uses have been met. The site was declared ready for anticipated reuse on September 8, 2011, and was deleted from the National Priorities List on September 30, 2012. The property transferred to Wayne Township in 2006. EPA will continue monitoring to confirm that affected groundwater stays within the original area of contamination.
Community members with questions can contact EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager directly. Site documents are available at the EPA Superfund Records Center at 290 Broadway, 18th floor, New York, NY, and at the Wayne Public Library at 475 Valley Road, Wayne, NJ.
