Garfield Ground Water Contamination

Overview

A cracked tank at E.C. Electroplating, located at 125 Clark Street in Garfield, New Jersey, released about 3,640 gallons of chromic acid into groundwater in December 1983. The contamination spread westward in a plume stretching roughly half a mile to the Passaic River. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List on September 16, 2011. It is also known as E.C. Electroplating Garfield and Garfield Chromium.

The contaminants of concern are chromium and hexavalent chromium, also called chromium(VI). Both have been found in groundwater. Hexavalent chromium has also been detected in buildings and structures above the plume. Hexavalent chromium is a toxic industrial metal known to cause cancer. The affected groundwater is not currently used as a drinking water source, but contaminated water has seeped into nearby basements, leaving deposits on floors and walls.

EPA has taken several cleanup steps over the years. In 2002, the agency found high levels of hexavalent chromium in 14 nearby basements, removed it from 13 of them, and installed systems to keep contaminated groundwater from re-entering. Between 2011 and 2014, EPA removed hundreds of drums and thousands of gallons of contaminated material from the property, demolished buildings, and excavated about 5,700 tons of polluted soil and 1,150 tons of concrete. Those areas were filled with clean soil and capped with asphalt. Starting in 2017, EPA tested bioremediation, a process that uses microorganisms to break down contamination, and confirmed the approach works. In late 2023, EPA installed injection and extraction wells and collected baseline groundwater samples. Beginning in spring 2024, EPA planned to inject bioremediation reagents into the contaminated groundwater to address the source of the plume.

The site is divided into two operable units. Operable Unit 1 covers groundwater contamination. A Record of Decision was issued on September 20, 2016, selecting a combination of engineering controls, chemical reduction, extraction and treatment, groundwater monitoring, and institutional controls. Remedial action began in August 2021 and is expected to continue through late 2028. Operable Unit 2 involves a bedrock investigation, with a study estimated to begin between September and November 2028. Human exposure and groundwater migration status both show insufficient data, meaning EPA cannot yet confirm whether exposures or plume movement are under control. Construction is not complete.

Community updates are available in English, Spanish, Polish, and Macedonian. Residents can get involved through EPA's Community Involvement Program. Site documents, including the 2016 Record of Decision, are available for in-person review at EPA's Superfund Records Center at 290 Broadway, 18th floor, New York, New York 10007.