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| MATTEO & SONS, INC. | Thorofare, New Jersey | |
| Gloucester County |
Site Location:
The Matteo & Sons, Inc. (Matteo) site is located mostly on the property
of an active scrap metal recycling facility located at 1708 U.S. Highway
130 in Thorofare, Gloucester County, New Jersey. The Matteo property
currently consists of a metals recycling operation, a junkyard, and an
inactive landfill. The southeastern portion of the property
(approximately 5 acres) is largely paved with asphalt and contains
several buildings that support the scrap metal recycling business. The
remainder of the property (approximately 75 acres) consists
predominantly of heavily vegetated, undeveloped land that borders
Woodbury Creek to the west, Hessian Run to the north, and a residential
trailer park to the south. Additionally, two utility lines (Colonial Oil
and Public Service Electric & Gas) are located on the northwestern
portion of the property.
Site History:
The Matteo family acquired the property in 1947 and has operated an
unregistered landfill and junkyard and a metals recycling facility at
the site under various names (James Matteo & Sons, Inc.; Matteo Trucking
Company; Thorofare Trucking and Trash Company; Matteo Iron and Metal)
since at least 1961. In 1971, the New Jersey Department of Environmental
Protection (NJDEP) approved Matteo's request to operate an incinerator
to burn copper wire. From 1971 until 1985, Matteo recovered lead from
battery terminals using a metal separation process called sweating. In
conjunction with the lead melting operation, Matteo dumped crushed
battery casings in an area of wetlands adjacent to Hessian Run. There
had been several reports of battery casing incineration and subsequent
on-site ash disposal. Drums of unknown waste material had also been
abandoned onsite. In January 1984, NJDEP issued an Administrative
Consent Order to Matteo for solid waste violations and required Matteo
to cease waste disposal at the site. The scrap metal recycling facility
remains active.
Site Contamination/Contaminants:
Sources of contamination onsite include an approximately
224,000-square-feet pile of crushed battery casings, an approximately
260,000-square-feet inactive landfill in the north central portion of
the site, and lead and PCB contaminated soil located throughout the
property. The crushed battery casings have been deposited directly into
the Hessian Run, as well as into wetlands along the Hessian Run, thereby
altering the shoreline. Lead and PCBs have been found at levels
significantly above New Jersey Residential Soil Cleanup Criteria in the
surface soils onsite and significantly above background in sediments.
Lead is also a concern in surface water and ground water at the site.
Potential Impacts on Surrounding Community/Environment:
Lead and PCBs are present in onsite soils and in sediment samples
collected from Hessian Run and Woodbury Creek. The contaminated portion
of Woodbury Creek is known to be used as a fishery. The contamination
also affects approximately 0.16 mile of wetland frontage in Hessian Run
and a bald eagle foraging habitat within Hessian Run and Woodbury Creek.
The site is commonly trespassed and there is evidence of recreational
use by the community. Lead and crushed battery casings have been
detected in and adjacent to the neighboring trailer park. The site is
accessible through the trailer park, and there is one residence onsite.
Response Activities (to date):
Matteo (under NJDEP oversight), NJDEP, and U.S. EPA all have conducted
investigations at the site. NJDEP conducted Remedial Investigation (RI)
field sampling at the site from September 2000 to October 2002. An
Aquatic Biota Study was conducted in 2003. U.S. EPA sampling in 2005
and 2006 have revealed crushed battery casings and lead contamination
adjacent to and in the trailer park. Under a May 2006 Administrative
Order of Consent, Matteo constructed a high visibility fence and
instituted engineering controls to prevent access to contaminated areas.
[The description of the site (release) is based on information available at the time the site was evaluated with the HRS. The description may change as additional information is gathered on the sources and extent of contamination. See 56 FR 5600, February 11, 1991, or subsequent FR notices.]
For more information about the hazardous substances identified in this narrative summary, including general information regarding the effects of exposure to these substances on human health, please see the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ToxFAQs. ATSDR ToxFAQs can be found on the Internet at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html or by telephone at 1-888-42-ATSDR or 1-888-422-8737.