EPA Finalizes Plan to Clean Up Contamination at the Riverside Industrial Park Superfund Site in Newark, New Jersey

The following press release was published by the US EPA on Oct. 5. It is reproduced in full below.

EPA Finalizes Plan to Clean Up Contamination at the Riverside Industrial Park Superfund Site in Newark, New Jersey

Contact: Stephen McBay, (212) 637-3672, mcbay.stephen@epa.gov

NEW YORK – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continues its important work toward Environmental Justice by finalizing its cleanup plan for the Riverside Industrial Park Superfund site on the bank of the Passaic River in Newark, New Jersey. The final decision, in the form of a Record of Decision (ROD), includes a combination of cleanup technologies and other measures to address contaminated soil, soil gas, groundwater, sewer water and waste at the site.

“We have already taken action to address some of the more immediate risks facing this community, and this final cleanup plan will allow us to move forward on the work needed to address risks in the longer-term,” said Acting Regional Administrator Walter Mugdan. “This final decision builds on previous EPA actions of plugging a discharge pipe and addressing the underground storage tanks, which were releasing hazardous chemicals into the Passaic River.”

EPA’s cleanup plan calls for:

The Riverside Industrial Park Superfund site is a 7.6-acre active industrial property, located at 29 Riverside Avenue in Newark, New Jersey. From 1902 to 1971, the Patton Paint Company (which merged into the Paint and Varnish Division of Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company in 1920, later changing its name to PPG Industries, Inc. in 1968) manufactured paint, resins, linseed oil, and varnish. From 1971 to the present day, the site was subdivided into fifteen lots and has been used by many companies for a variety of businesses from warehousing and packaging to chemical and cosmetics manufacturing. The soil and groundwater contamination are attributed to historic site operations, accidental spills, illegal dumping, improper handling of raw materials, and improper waste disposal.

EPA held a virtual public meeting on August 5, 2020, to explain its cleanup plan. EPA accepted public comments and considered public input before finalizing the plan. EPA granted several comment period extensions and closely reviewed all public comments that were submitted.

EPA’s final decision, outlined in the ROD and EPA’s complete response to all comments, can be found at: https://www.epa.gov/superfund/riverside-industrial

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Source: US EPA