Emmell's Septic Landfill
Galloway Township, New Jersey

Site Description

The Emmell's Septic Landfill site encompasses approximately 38 acres in Galloway Township, New Jersey. The site was used as a landfill in operation from 1967 through 1979 and septic and sewage sludge was ponded in trenches and lagoons on the site. Solid and chemical waste was also disposed of at the landfill, including drums containing paint sludge, gas cylinders, household garbage, and construction debris. The landfill has led to soil and ground water contamination on the site, with the main contaminants including volatile organic compounds (VOCs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), arsenic, lead, and cadmium. Ground water is the primary source of drinking and irrigation water within four miles of the site. In addition, Stockton State College maintains two supply wells located within one mile down-gradient of the site. The potential exists for site-related groundwater contamination to migrate and impact residential wells. The nearest resident is 200 feet from the site's property boundary.

Current Site Status and Cleanup Actions to Date

• From August 1999 through March 2000, EPA excavated (PDF) (2 pp, 530 K) and disposed of items which may have been contributing to the ground water contamination, including buried drums, cylinders, paint sludge wastes and contaminated soils.
• Ground water investigations indicated that wells near the site were threatened by the site-related ground water contamination. In the summer of 2003, EPA installed a water main and connected 36 residences to a public water supply. In addition, a Point-of-Entry Treatment system was installed at a residence impacted by site-related groundwater contamination that is not located near the water main.
• In September 2003, EPA signed a cleanup plan for an interim pump and treat (PDF) (2 pp, 526 K) remedy to control the migration of contaminated ground water while the area-wide ground water investigation is currently underway to determine the extent of contamination.

Current Funding Status

• Previously, EPA obligated approximately $7.6 million on the site.
• In September 2006, EPA allocated an additional $5.0 million to the site for new construction work associated with on-site ground water contamination.

For more information on the projects at this site, please read the Emmell's Septic Landfill Fact Sheet (PDF) (2 pp, 5 K) on the Region 2 Superfund Web site.