Raritan Bay Slag

Overview

Blast furnace slag and battery casings were used to build a seawall and jetty along 1.5 miles of Raritan Bay waterfront in Old Bridge Township and Sayreville, New Jersey, in the late 1960s and early 1970s. That material left elevated levels of lead, arsenic, antimony, copper, iron, manganese, vanadium, and zinc in soil, sediment, and surface water. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List in November 2009 and selected a cleanup remedy in May 2013 that calls for excavation, dredging, offsite disposal, and surface water monitoring.

EPA divided the site into three cleanup sectors based on contamination patterns and water currents. Cleanup began with the Margaret's Creek sector, the farthest from the bay, to avoid recontaminating areas already treated. In September 2018, crews removed about 15,775 tons of soil and 1,802 tons of slag there at a cost of roughly $7 million. Wetland areas in that sector have been restored and are still being monitored. The Seawall Sector cleanup design was finalized in September 2023, and EPA is now working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to procure a contractor for that work. Remedial action work began in July 2024 and is estimated to continue through mid-to-late 2028. Design work for the Jetty Sector is underway, with cleanup planned to follow the Seawall Sector.

A consent decree signed February 10, 2025, requires NL Industries Inc., former NL customers, Old Bridge Township, the state of New Jersey, and several federal agencies to pay a combined $151.1 million. EPA received $132.4 million of that for past work and remaining cleanup, while federal and state natural resource trustees received $18.7 million. Physical construction is not yet complete across the entire site, and EPA considers human exposure to be under control, though potential exposure to elevated lead exists in restricted areas through recreational uses. Lead and other metals also pose a risk to ecological receptors in those restricted areas.

Community members can get involved through EPA's Community Involvement Program. A Community Advisory Group (CAG) formed in June 2010 includes affected residents, local public interest groups, and government units. The CAG reviews technical information and meets regularly with EPA. To join the CAG or learn more about community involvement, contact Olivia Cappo, the site Community Involvement Coordinator. Site documents are available for public review at Old Bridge Central Library in Old Bridge, New Jersey, and at the EPA regional office in New York.