A chemical production company will pay $11.3 million for the cleanup of a Superfund site in Gloucester County, New Jersey, under a consent decree reached in federal court with the state and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Hercules Inc. will implement a 2018 EPA plan to excavate four feet of contaminated soil to be treated with microorganisms, treat deeper soil with microorganisms and fill the area with clean soil, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The agency will oversee the work.
The 350-acre site in Greenwich Township was purchased from DuPont in 1952, which the EPA said disposed of lead fragments and tar in the production of aniline. Hercules used a section of the site to produce phenol and acetone.
The use of the site has led to contamination of soil and groundwater and the pollution of the sediment in Clonmell Creek.
In addition, the company will pay $144,000 in other costs to the EPA and $130,000 to New Jersey.
“The DEP is pleased that Hercules has agreed to reimburse the state for all outstanding costs to the state for the remediation of the Gibbstown plant, and to complete the remediation of the site,” said Catherine R. McCabe, commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Protection.
She added in her statement: “Hercules’ assumption of responsibility for long-term monitoring of the remaining soil and groundwater contamination will ensure that the public and the environment are protected.”
