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Exxon Bayway Refining Company

Other (Former) Names of Site: None

EPA Identification Number: NJD062037031
Facility Location: 1400 Park Avenue, Linden, New Jersey   

Link to the site map
Facility Contact: Brent B. Archibald, (908) 474-6403
EPA Contact: Samuel Ezekwo, (212) 637-4168, ezekwo.sam@epa.gov
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) Case Manager: Mark J. Walters, (609) 633-1486
Last Updated: Novemeber 2007
Environmental Indicator Status: Human Exposures Under Control [PDF 77.93 KB, 21 pp] has been verified.
Groundwater Contamination Under Control [PDF 184.17 KB, 40 pp] has been verified.

Site Description

The Exxon Bayway Refining Company (Exxon) site is situated on approximately 1,300 acres at 1400 Park Avenue, in the city of Linden in Union County, New Jersey. Exxon had been producing petroleum products at this facility since 1909. The site was sold to Tosco and subsequently to ConocoPhillips, which currently owns and operates the refinery. However, Exxon is still responsible for on-going remediation. The main part of the facility consists of a refinery, two chemical plants, tank fields and a distribution station. Land in the vicinity of the site is used for residential, commercial, and industrial purposes.

Potential Threats and Contaminants

Spills, releases from sewer lines, leaking pipes from underground tanks, discharges to surface water and the disposal of contaminated waste in an on-site landfill have resulted in the contamination of the Exxon site with petroleum products. Two lagoon areas that had been used for the disposal of hazardous waste are also sources of soil and groundwater contamination at the site.

The soil contamination caused by the sources listed above is consistent with the contamination sometimes found at other petroleum refineries, and includes metals and chemicals associated with petroleum such as the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) benzene and chlorobenzene. The groundwater that lies beneath the facility is also contaminated with benzene and chlorobenzene among other VOCs, and with arsenic.

Cleanup Approach and Progress

Tosco is conducting a number of cleanups at the site including: covering the landfill to prevent rainwater from infiltrating it; excavating leaking tanks and contaminated soils; and stabilizing some soils by mixing them with cement to prevent the chemicals in them from moving. Tosco is also developing a bio-wall reactor to break down hazardous chemicals in soil using microbes.

To address the groundwater contamination, numerous wells have been installed to pump the contaminated groundwater out and treat it. Tosco is currently conducting a site-wide investigation under the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) oversight to identify any additional areas of soil, groundwater, surface water and sediment contamination that may need to be cleaned up.

The results of the current investigation will determine whether any additional cleanup measures are needed at the Exxon Bayway site. Under a permit from NJDEP, the contaminated groundwater at the site will continue to be monitored and treated.

Site Repository

Copies of supporting technical documents and correspondence cited in the site fact sheet are available for public review at the following location:

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
Division of Solid & Hazardous Waste
Records Center
401 E. State Street, 6th Floor
Trenton, NJ 08625
Telephone: (609) 777-3373

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) makes available its public records through formal request under the Open Public Records Act (OPRA).

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