Hazardous Waste Cleanup: Kearfott Guidance & Navigation Corporation in Little Falls, New Jersey
On this page:
- Cleanup Status
- Site Description
- Contaminants at this Facility
- Site Responsibility
Cleanup Status
The facility is being cleaned up under the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) Property Transfer Program.
Plant 1: Leaking underground storage tanks were decommissioned, removed or replaced. Contaminated soil was removed or capped. The contaminated groundwater is being treated by injection into the groundwater of a solution to enhance the natural degradation of the contaminants. Groundwater, surface water and sediment sampling have been conducted, and monitoring is underway to determine the effectiveness of this cleanup measure.
Plant 3: An underground fuel storage tank was taken out of service. Additional groundwater sampling is being conducted to confirm that concentrations are below applicable screening levels.
Memorial Drive Property: A chain link fence was installed around the perimeter of the property. Soil contamination was covered with an earthen cap, which consists of crushed stone, covered by a geotextile filter fabric, covered by a 12-inch thick soil cover with grass. Concentrations of volatile organic compounds in the groundwater at the Memorial Drive Property have been naturally degrading and it is expected that levels will continue to decrease. A deed notice and a restriction on groundwater use have been implemented. An evaluation of any ecological impacts is underway.
Former Plant 32: Two underground storage tanks and associated contaminated soil were removed. Contaminated groundwater was addressed in 2007 by injection into the groundwater of a solution to enhance the natural degradation of the contaminants. Groundwater monitoring wells are being tested to monitor the effectiveness of the remediation and to ensure that the contamination does not migrate beyond the Former Plant 32 property.
Site Description
Kearfott Guidance & Navigation Corp. manufactures navigation and guidance systems, gyroscopes, and other electro-mechanical products for the aerospace industry at its Little Falls, New Jersey facility. The facility is located in a mixed industrial and residential area adjacent to the Passaic and Peckman Rivers. This fact sheet addresses:
- Plant 1 (1150 McBride Avenue),
- Plant 3 (1125 McBride Avenue),
- Memorial Drive Property, and
- Former Plant 32 (165 Lackawanna Avenue).
Plant 1 consists of approximately 25 acres on the north side of McBride Avenue at the confluence of the Passaic and Peckman Rivers. The company began its manufacturing operations at Plant 1 in 1950.
Plant 3 occupied approximately six acres on the south side of McBride Avenue. Plant 3 was built in 1960, and the operations consisted mostly of offices and product research and development.
The Memorial Drive Property is a six-acre undeveloped lot located west of Memorial Drive. The Memorial Drive Property was reportedly used by the Patterson Gas Company and Public Service Electric and Gas to dispose of coal gas related wastes during the late 1800s and early 1900s. The property was purchased by Kearfott in 1956, but was not used for facility operations.
Former Plant 32 was leased to Kearfott from 1978 to 1989 and was used for storage of office supplies.
Contaminants at this Facility
Plant 1 has soil, groundwater and surface water contamination that resulted primarily from leaking underground storage tanks. Contaminants in soil at Plant 1 include petroleum-related constituents (e.g., benzene, toluene, xylene), volatile organic compounds (e.g., trichloroethene, dichloroethene, vinyl chloride) and metals. Groundwater contaminants at Plant 1 include volatile organic compounds.
No soil or groundwater contamination was detected at Plant 3.
The Memorial Drive Property soil is contaminated with coal gas wastes, including volatile organic compounds, semi-volatile compounds, cyanide and metals. The groundwater is contaminated with volatile organic compounds.
Contaminants detected in Former Plant 32 soil and groundwater have included petroleum-related constituents from former leaking underground fuel tanks.
Site Responsibility at this Facility
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Corrective Action activities at this facility have been conducted under the direction of EPA Region 2.