Landfill & Development Co.
Mount Holly, Eastampton, and Lumberton, NJ
No meetings scheduled
EPA added the Landfill & Development Company site in Mount Holly and Eastampton, New Jersey to the Superfund National Priorities List on September 1, 1984 because hazardous chemicals were found in the soil and ground water. The 200-acre superfund site located in Burlington County was used to dispose of demolition debris, municipal garbage, industrial and commercial solid waste, and treated sewage sludge until 1986.
Ground water beneath the site was contaminated with heavy metals and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are potentially harmful contaminants that can easily evaporate into the air. Sediments from Rancocas Creek and Smithville Creek contain heavy metals. Approximately 20,000 people live within two miles of the site. Fifty homes are located within 500 feet of the site.
Immediately, residences that were threatened by ground water contamination were connected to an alternate public drinking water system or provided with bottled drinking water. A liner was installed at a portion of the landfill to prevent further contaminants from flowing out of the site.
In September 2004 EPA signed a Record of Decision which called for continued maintenance of the closure system, pumping ground water, and circulating water within the landfill with air injections, enhancing the breaking down of contaminants. A water line will be installed to specific affected residences and EPA will monitor the ground water in the long-term. Buy-out of approximately half of the residences has been completed. Cleanup activities are underway that include the construction and operation of a bioreactor, which is an apparatus in which living organisms, such as bacteria, are used to increase the breakdown of harmful substances such as sewage. Under current conditions at this site, potential or actual human exposures are under control.