USA: EPA to Hold Public Meeting on Linden Cleanup Program

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed a plan to address contaminated soil and ground water at the LCP Chemicals, Inc. Superfund site in Linden, New Jersey.

The soil, ground water and sediment from a stream on the site were contaminated with mercury and other pollutants from previous industrial activities. Exposure to mercury can damage people’s nervous systems and harm the brain, heart, kidneys, lungs and immune systems. Mercury in soil and sediment can also impact fish and other wildlife.

The EPA will hold a public meeting on August 28, 2013 to explain the proposed plan and is encouraging public comments. The meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m. at the Tremley Point Recreation Building. Comments will be accepted until September 30, 2013.

The EPA is proposing to cap the contaminated soil to prevent direct contact with it and to reduce the potential for people to breathe mercury vapor. The cap will have a layer of sulfur beneath a geosynthetic membrane that will convert the mercury into mercury sulfide, a form of mercury that doesn’t turn into vapor or dissolve. The membrane will further prevent the mercury from turning into vapor and help to keep rainwater from getting into the underlying ground water.

In the nearby stream, the most highly contaminated sediment will be dug up and moved upstream where it will be capped. The excavated area and a nearby ditch will be restored with clean sediment, and the wetlands will be reconstructed.

Contaminated ground water from the site will be extracted and treated. A barrier will also be put in place to further limit the potential for contaminated ground water to spread. The ground water will be monitored and deed restrictions will be put in place to restrict its use and other activities that could disturb the site. Future on-site construction will be restricted to commercial use.

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Press Release, August 22, 2013