Historic Potteries

Overview

Historic Potteries is a Superfund site in East Trenton, New Jersey, added to the National Priorities List in 2024. The site covers residential properties, public schools, parks, and former commercial and industrial areas where pottery manufacturers operated for more than 100 years starting in the 1850s. Those manufacturers used lead in their glazes, leaving behind contaminated soil across the neighborhood. Extensive soil sampling beginning in 2023 confirmed elevated lead levels throughout East Trenton and the Top Road neighborhoods. The EPA also considered whether a solder manufacturer contributed to the contamination but determined the historic pottery industry was the source.

Lead is the primary contaminant of concern. It appears in soil at levels above EPA's standard for immediate action. Lead can affect almost every organ system in the body, with the nervous system most at risk. Pregnant women, children under age 7, and residents who garden face the greatest exposure risk. Groundwater, surface water, and sediment are also part of the site's scope, though data on groundwater migration is currently insufficient to determine whether it is fully under control.

The EPA has taken several short-term actions while long-term planning continues. Temporary protective barriers, including artificial turf, clean soil, and mulch, have been installed at Ulysses S. Grant Intermediate School and at Sonny Vereen and Breunig Avenue Parks. The EPA is also placing temporary soil covers and raised garden beds at residential properties where high-risk residents live. A combined remedial investigation and feasibility study for the East Trenton Residential area began in May 2024 and is expected to finish between December 2026 and February 2027. A Record of Decision selecting the long-term cleanup remedy is estimated for that same window. The investigation will also expand to other Trenton neighborhoods and nearby townships where pottery manufacturers once operated. One source notes the site was added to the National Priorities List in September 2024, while another states the date as July 3, 2025. Both dates appear in the source materials.

Community members can get involved through the EPA's Community Involvement Program. The EPA can help residents form a Community Advisory Group, which gives the public a direct forum to share concerns and preferences about cleanup decisions. The EPA keeps communities informed throughout the Superfund process regardless of whether such a group is formed. Residents can contact the EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager. Site documents are also available for public review at the Trenton Free Public Library, located at 120 Academy Street, Trenton, New Jersey 08608.