Riverside Industrial Park sits on 7.6 acres in Newark, New Jersey. It operated as a paint and varnish manufacturing facility from 1902 to 1971, using metal pigments including lead. The site was added to the National Priorities List in May 2013 after a 2009 oil spill into the Passaic River led EPA to discover hazardous waste tanks and containers on the property. Multiple lots make up the site today, with some portions still abandoned and owned by the City of Newark.
Soil and groundwater contain a range of hazardous substances. Contaminants include lead, arsenic, copper, PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons in soil. Groundwater holds volatile organic compounds such as benzene, trichloroethene, vinyl chloride, tetrachloroethene, toluene, xylene, and dichloromethane. Surface soil also contained elevated dioxin levels that could pose unacceptable risks to wildlife. Future indoor workers could face vapor intrusion risks from contaminated groundwater and soil. EPA has determined that human exposure is currently under control, but groundwater migration is not yet stabilized.
EPA finalized its cleanup plan in September 2021. The plan calls for excavating lead-contaminated soil near Building 7, capping remaining contamination, installing a groundwater pumping and treatment system, requiring vapor barriers in future buildings, removing underground storage tanks, and cleaning an inactive sewer pipe. In September 2024, the Department of Justice entered a consent decree with PPG Industries, the responsible party, to carry out cleanup design and construction under EPA oversight. Remedial design began in March 2024, and remedial action started in September 2025. Design phases are estimated to complete between June 2026 and December 2027. Groundwater pump-and-treat and targeted in-situ remediation will be handled under a separate enforcement agreement.
Four businesses currently operate on the site, employing 11 people and generating roughly $989,190 in annual sales revenue as of December 2024.
Community members can get involved in several ways. EPA updated its Community Involvement Plan in English and Spanish to guide public participation. Community Update materials in both languages were released in fall 2025. EPA presented on the site's history and cleanup status at an August 11 community advisory group meeting, with the recording and slides available at ourpassaic.org. A community meeting was scheduled for April 8, 2025, at The Waterfront, 2 Grafton Ave, Newark, NJ. To ask questions or get involved, contact the EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager. Site records are also available online or in person at the EPA Region 2 Superfund Records Center at 290 Broadway, 18th Floor, New York, NY, open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
