NJ has the most Superfund sites in the country. What to know if you live near one
As of December 2023, New Jersey had 115 Superfund sites listed on the Environmental Protection Agency National Priorities List (NPL).
This number is the highest of all 50 states followed by Pennsylvania with 90 sites and New York with 84 sites.
The NPL is a "published list of hazardous waste sites in the country that are eligible for federal funding to pay for extensive, long-term cleanup actions under the Superfund remedial program," according to the EPA.
What is a Superfund site?
According to Stephen McBay from the EPA, a Superfund site is a place where "hazardous waste has been dumped, left out in the open, or otherwise improperly managed." This can include landfills, mining sites, processing plants, and manufacturing facilities.
When a site is designated as a Superfund site, the EPA and the federal government gain control of it, mitigating and funding cleanup efforts.
According to EPA data updated in 2022 there are 1,877 Superfund sites in the United States. About 24 million people live within 1 mile of a Superfund site and approximately 78 million people, 24% of the U.S., live within 3 miles of a Superfund site.
Superfund history
In 1976, the Toxic Substances Control Act was signed, allowing the EPA to have authority over public health and environmental issues regarding toxic chemicals.
In the following years multiple incidents and disasters, including a fire at a chemical-waste facility in Bridgeport, led to the discussion of a "Superfund" to deal with such incidents.
In 1980, Congress enacted the Superfund law, formally known as the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act.
The enactment of this law "created a tax on the chemical and petroleum industries and provided broad Federal authority to respond directly to releases or threatened releases of hazardous substances that may endanger public health of the environment," according to the EPA.
Five years and $1.6 billion later, the money began to be put toward the cleanup of abandoned or uncontrolled hazardous waste sites.
According to the EPA, the Superfund's main goals are to:
Protect human health and the environment
Make responsible parties pay for cleanup work
Involve communities in the Superfund process
Return Superfund sites to productive use
So, why does New Jersey, the fourth-smallest state in the United States, have the most Superfund sites?
Why New Jersey has so many Superfund sites
According to McBay, the amount of Superfund sites can be attributed to the state’s industrial history, dense population, and legacy of environmental contamination.
New Jersey, specifically the city of Paterson, is considered the origin of the industrial revolution.
Over the decades following the Revolutionary War, manufacturing was booming in Paterson and around New Jersey. Various industries were developed there including cotton and wool textiles, locomotives, firearms, machinery and so much more.
During that time there were not a lot of rules or regulations when it came to the disposal of chemicals and toxic waste.
“Before the 1980s it was basically standard practice to dump waste on the ground, in rivers, or leave it out in the open. As a result of that we have so many uncontrolled or abandoned contaminant sites,” said Taylor McFarland, the conservation program manager of the Sierra Club’s New Jersey chapter.
So, while New Jersey's contribution to the industrial revolution was huge, the environmental impacts that were left behind are unfortunately also huge, and we are still feeling them today in the form of Superfund sites.
Another aspect that may contribute to the state's number of sites is the issue of finding and properly allocating funding, according to McFarland.
Additionally, the administration in charge at the federal, state, and local levels matter as each administration handles Superfund sites differently.
For example, in 2021 President Joe Biden signed the Infrastructure Act which reinstated a Superfund tax on the sale or use of 42 chemicals by the manufacturer, producer, or importer. According to McFarland, this tax should bring in more funds for the cleanup of Superfund sites.
Another recent example was in February 2023 when New Jersey Congressman Frank Pallone secured funding to clean up three Superfund sites in South Plainfield.
On the flip side, some administrations direct their attention toward other issues such as the Trump Administration, who reportedly completed six Superfund cleanups in 2019, the fewest cleanups of any administration since the program started.
"If an administration is more laxed it can make a difference. We still have some sites that haven't been cleaned up in years and are still on the list versus other states that might have cleaned them up a little bit faster," said McFarland. "We had a lot of industry, and it is a matter of how effective administrations are at cleaning it up and also deterring corporate polluters from doing that again."
What you need to know if you live near a superfund site
"Residents living near Superfund sites need to be aware of the potential health and environmental impacts of these sites and how to protect themselves and their families," said McBay.
According to the EPA, "It is very difficult for scientists and health experts to link specific health conditions to contaminated sites because of the numerous factors that impact human health."
However, there are many documented cases where a link between Superfund site pollution and human health appears to be present.
One example that hits close to home is in Pompton Lakes, where residents believe that chemical pollution from DuPont caused an array of illnesses including various types of cancer, Parkinson's disease, skin rashes, immune system disorders and more.
While a direct link between the chemicals and health issues has not been proven, a 2009 report from state health officials said that the chemicals "cannot be ruled out as a potential cause."
The chemicals including mercury, lead, TCE and PCE were found in 26 private wells and years later were vaporizing from polluted groundwater into residential neighborhoods.
"That case was really sad, seeing all of the cancer clusters, but it's really common in a lot of areas. Whether it's an area with Superfund sites or an area where people or companies got away with illegally dumping toxic chemicals," said McFarland. "Even though we have over 100 Superfund sites we should probably have more."
The Murphy administration opposed the designation of Pompton Lakes as a Superfund site.
If you live near a Superfund site or in an area that you believe should be a Superfund site, McFarland urges you to be your own advocate.
"Have your own voice, and protect your own town," McFarland said. "Create a petition calling on your mayor, your state senator, the governor and the NJDEP. Don't give up, always be vigilante, stay informed and ask questions."
If you have any questions or concerns about the status of a specific site near you, you can contact the EPA's regional office, the site's community involvement coordinator or the site manager.
North Jersey Superfund sites
The following is a list of all of Northern New Jersey's superfund sites, organized by county, that are currently listed on the NPL.
Bergen
Curcio Scrap Metal Inc. - Saddle Brook
Fair Lawn Well Field - Fair Lawn
Garfield Ground Water Contamination - Garfield
Industrial Latex Corp. - Wallington
Lodi Municipal Well - Lodi
Lower Hackensack River - Bergen and Hudson counties
Maywood Chemical Co. - Maywood/Rochelle Park
Quanta Resources - Edgewater
Scientific Chemical Processing - Carlstadt
Universal Oil Products (Chemical Division) - East Rutherford
Ventron/Velsicol - Wood-Ridge
Witco Chemical Corp. (Oakland Plant) - Oakland
Essex
Caldwell Trucking Co. - Fairfield
Diamond Alkali Co. - Newark
Glen Ridge Radium Site - Glen Ridge
Montclair/West Orange Radium Site - Montclair/West Orange
Orange Valley Regional Ground Water Contamination - West Orange/Orange
Pierson's Creek - Newark
Riverside Industrial Park - Newark
U.S. Radium Corp. - Orange
Unimatic Manufacturing Corporation - Fairfield
White Chemical Corp. - Newark
Hudson
Diamond Head Oil Refinery Div. - Kearny
Grand Street Mercury - Hoboken
PJP Landfill - Jersey City
Standard Chlorine - Kearny
Syncon Resins - South Kearny
Morris
Asbestos Dump - Millington
Combe Fill North Landfill - Mount Olive
Combe Fill South Landfill - Chester Township
Dayco Corp./L. E Carpenter Co. - Wharton
Dover Municipal Well - Dover
Pepe Field - Boonton
Picatinny Arsenal (U.S. Army) - Rockaway Township
Radiation Technology Inc. - Rockaway Township
Rockaway Borough Well Field - Rockaway Township
Rockaway Township Wells - Rockaway Township
Rolling Knolls LF - Green Village
Sharkey Landfill - Parsippany, Troy Hills
Passaic
Ringwood Mines/Landfill - Ringwood
W.R. Grace & Co., Inc./Wayne Interim Storage Site (USDOE) - Wayne
Sussex
A.O. Polymer - Sparta
Mansfield Trail Dump - Byram
Metaltec/Aerosystems - Franklin Borough
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: New Jersey Superfund sites: What to know if you live near one
