The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has finalized a plan to ensure that existing measures and new restrictions at the Crown Vantage Landfill Superfund site in Alexandria Township, New Jersey will continue to protect people’s health and the environment at this closed landfill. The landfill is contaminated with semi-volatile organic compounds, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other pollutants that can seriously impact people’s health. The landfill is 10 acres and a small portion sits on the eastern bank of the Delaware River. EPA announced the final plan for the site in July 2011 and encouraged members of the public to submit comments during a 30-day public comment period.
The final EPA plan will ensure that the remaining pollutants at the site are contained by an existing forested cover and a wall that stabilizes the section of the landfill along the Delaware River. The plan also requires new deed restrictions that will prevent activities that could disturb the site and prohibit any future on-site construction. Long-term monitoring will ensure that the cover and stabilization wall continue to prevent direct contact with underlying waste and protect against erosion.
“Landfills often leave a legacy of pollution that must be controlled long after they stop accepting waste,” said EPA Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck. “At Crown Vantage, EPA removed several thousand drums of hazardous waste, covered the landfill and shored up the banks to protect people’s health and the environment. After seeking public input from the public, the agency is now putting long-term controls in place to ensure that the cleanup continues to be protective.”
Semi-volatile organic compounds can evaporate into the air and potentially impact people’s health. The extent and nature of the health impacts depend on many factors, including the level and length of exposure. PCBs are suspected of causing cancer in people.
EPA has completed most of the cleanup work at the Crown Vantage site. Approximately 2,450 drums and waste were removed from the landfill, and the area was filled with clean material. A wall that stabilizes the landfill and prevents materials from reaching the Delaware River was constructed and fencing and signs were installed to keep trespassers from disturbing the surface of the site.
Crown Vantage was used as a landfill from the 1930s and until the early 1970s. The landfill reportedly was utilized for the disposal of waste by the adjacent Curtis Specialty Papers mill, as well as by other nearby Riegel Paper Company facilities.
The EPA has a webpage on the site at: http://www.epa.gov/region02/superfund/npl/crownvantage.
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