The Woodbrook Road Dump covers 70 acres across two properties in South Plainfield, New Jersey. The site operated as a dump during the 1940s and 1950s, accepting household and industrial wastes before New Jersey shut it down in 1958. It was added to the National Priorities List (NPL) on April 30, 2003. The NPL is the federal list of the most contaminated sites in the country that qualify for Superfund cleanup funding.
Polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, are the contaminants of concern at the site. They have been found in soil and debris across the entire site, with the highest concentrations near where partially buried, leaking capacitors were discovered in September 1999. EPA determined that PCBs pose an unacceptable risk to human health and the environment. A health risk assessment found potential risk to trespassers through direct contact with contaminated soil. As long as the perimeter fence is maintained, human exposure is considered under control. Groundwater migration is also considered stabilized, with no unacceptable discharge to surface water.
The responsible party removed the leaking capacitors and disposed of them in 2000. Warning signs and temporary fencing were installed at that time, and permanent fencing with security cameras followed by 2005. EPA completed a Remedial Investigation in July 2012 and a Feasibility Study in 2013. In September 2013, EPA selected excavation and off-site disposal of soil and debris with PCB concentrations greater than 1.0 part per million as the cleanup remedy. Additional sampling ran from 2014 to 2016 to define the full extent of contamination. The remedial design was completed in September 2017. An Explanation of Significant Differences (ESD) was issued in February 2018 and updated in June 2024. The June 2024 ESD reflects increased cleanup costs, applies the current cleanup standard, and accounts for the site's location within a newly designated state wildlife preserve. A Consent Decree was entered in May 2023. Remedial action, meaning the actual physical cleanup, is estimated to begin between March and May 2028.
Community members can stay involved through a Community Advisory Group (CAG) that was established in 2009 and holds meetings in South Plainfield. EPA attends these meetings when requested and presents information at major project milestones. EPA also communicates through resident meetings, public notices, and fact sheets. Site documents can be reviewed at the EPA Superfund Records Center at 290 Broadway, 18th floor, in New York, New York, or at the South Plainfield Library at 2484 Plainfield Avenue in South Plainfield. Two EPA contacts are available to answer questions directly from the public.
