EPA updates groundwater cleanup plan for contaminated site in New Jersey
(UI) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has updated its original cleanup plan for the groundwater at the Monitor Devices, Inc./Intercircuits, Inc. Superfund Site in Wall Township, New Jersey. Under the update, a process called chemical oxidation will be used to clean up 1,4- dioxane contamination that was discovered in groundwater at the site after the original groundwater cleanup plan was developed.
Under the final cleanup plan, contractors will remove 1,4-dioxane from the groundwater using a method called in-situ (in place) chemical oxidation with permeable reactive barriers. An underground wall made of a treatment material will destroy the 1,4-dioxane contamination as groundwater flows through it. Groundwater samples will be collected and analyzed to ensure that the technology is effective. The EPA will monitor the groundwater for several years after the 1,4-dioxane cleanup goals have been met to ensure that the groundwater quality has been restored.
The Monitor Devices/Intercircuits site is the former location of a manufacturing facility that produced and assembled printed circuit boards from 1977 to 1980. The operations polluted the groundwater with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and 1,4-dioxane. 1,4-dioxane can increase the risk of cancer. VOCs can cause health problems such as headaches, nausea, and liver damage.
In 2005, EPA chose a cleanup method called in-situ bioremediation to break down the VOCs in the groundwater by injecting non-hazardous additives into the groundwater to help bacteria degrade the VOCs. The system was installed and have been operating since 2010. It will continue to operate until cleanup goals are achieved, which is anticipated in 2025. However, this cleanup method does not work for 1,4-dioxane, which EPA discovered at the site after the cleanup began in 2010.
“This updated plan will address the contamination we found in the groundwater. It will also ensure ongoing monitoring to make sure our actions are safe and effective,” said EPA Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. “These actions will build on the progress we have already made. Most importantly, the public water supply is not impacted by the contamination.”
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