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White Swan Cleaners/Sun Cleaners Area Ground Water Contamination
Wall Township, NJ

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Cecilia Echols (212) 637-3678
echols.cecilia@epa.gov

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EPA added the White Swan Cleaners/Sun Cleaners Superfund site in Monmouth County, New Jersey to the Superfund list on September 23, 2004 because of harmful chemicals found in soil and ground water.  White Swan Cleaners and Sun Cleaners, two dry cleaning companies, which operated from around 1960 to 1991, are alleged to have contributed the same volatile organic contaminants (VOCs), which are contaminants that evaporate in the air easily, into the ground water.  The source of the ground water contaminant is located in a commercial and residential area within three municipalities: Wall Township, Manasquan Borough and Sea Girt Borough.   

The contaminated ground water extends from the general area of Sea Girt Avenue and Route 35 in an eastward direction toward the Atlantic Ocean.  The contaminants are dry cleaning fluids such as tetrachloroethene (also known as perchloroethene or PCE), Trichloroethene (TCE) and dichloroethene, which are breakdown products of PCE. The PCE has evaporated and seeped into residential and commercial buildings in the vicinity of the White Swan site. 
 
Currently EPA is conducting a study to determine the nature and extent of the contamination.  Thus far, EPA and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection have tested the indoor air of over 300 local residential and business properties.  About 30 buildings had PCE vapor levels high enough to require the installation of indoor air ventilation systems.  Once the investigation is concluded, a second study will be conducted to develop and evaluate cleanup alternatives for the ground water cleanup. 

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