EPA proposes modifications to site's groundwater cleanup plan

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hold a public hearing on Aug. 12 to address proposed modifications to a cleanup plan for the Shieldalloy Metallurgical Corp. site in Newfield and Vineland, New Jersey, that has hexavalent chromium and volatile organic compound contaminated groundwater.

The site was home to ore and metal processing from 1955 to 2006, leading to the contamination that puts local communities at increased risk of nervous system damage and certain cancer varieties. However, the area is connected to a clean municipal water source and does not rely on local wells for drinking water.

The existing plan for the site’s cleanup involved pumping the water out of the ground for treatment. It was developed in 1996 by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Quality, as the state had jurisdiction at that time. The EPA has now proposed modifying that plan to treat the water where it is through the addition of non-hazardous additives that will cause the contaminants to naturally decline.

The public meeting will be held in Newfield, New Jersey. The EPA will accept public comments until Aug. 28.