EPA completes water line extension at N.J. Superfund site

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Superfund Director Walter Mugdan and Chester Township, New Jersey, Mayor Bill Cogger marked the completion of a water line extension for 73 homes with a toast of clean drinking water on Tuesday.

The area drinking water was previously compromised by the Combe Fill South Landfill Superfund site, which spans New Jersey’s Chester and Washington townships, and had necessitated water treatment before the water line extension.

“This water line will permanently supply clean drinking water to homes and businesses that had previously gotten their water from groundwater threatened by the landfill contamination,” Mugdan said. “The completion of the water line is the culmination of a partnership between the EPA, Chester and Washington townships, and the Washington Township Municipal Utilities Authority.”

The Combe Fill South Landfill was used from the 1940s to 1981, and contaminated the soil and groundwater beneath it with volatile organic compounds. From 1978 to its closure, the landfill was operated by the Combe Fill Corporation, which filed for bankruptcy in 1981 and did not properly close the site.

The $9 million water line extension was paid for by a portion of the $50 million that the EPA has recovered from those responsible for the contamination, as per the Superfund’s principles.