EPA Extends Public Comment Period for Next Phase of Cleanup at the Sherwin-Williams/Hilliards Creek

EPA Extends Public Comment Period on Proposed Plan for Next Phase of Cleanup at the Sherwin-Williams/Hilliards Creek Superfund Site in Gibbsboro, New Jersey

Contact: Sonia Mohabir, [email protected], (212) 637-3241

Gibbsboro, N.J. – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has extended the public comment period for its proposed cleanup plan that includes a combination of technologies and methods to address the former paint manufacturing plant and adjoining areas of the Sherwin-Williams/Hilliards Creek Superfund Site in Gibbsboro to January 29, 2020. EPA’s study of these areas shows that soil and sediment are contaminated with arsenic and lead, and soil in other areas are contaminated with paint solvents.

EPA’s cleanup plan addresses a nearly 20-acre area where the former manufacturing plant operated, the headwaters of Hilliards Creek and adjoining areas, which include approximately six residential properties. At the former manufacturing plant area, the plan includes removing and disposing of approximately 67,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil from the site and backfilling with clean soil, groundwater monitoring, and institutional controls in the form of deed notices.

Floodplain soil and sediment within Upper Hilliards Creek would be excavated and disposed of off-site. Surface water will be monitored. The wetland areas will be restored with vegetation and soil similar in nature to previously existing wetlands.

In areas where paint solvents are present, the EPA is calling for the treatment of harmful chemicals through subsurface treatment. Certain areas containing soil contaminated with paint solvents may also be treated at the site by injecting non-hazardous additives to the subsurface soil to promote the biological breakdown of contaminants. The specific types of additives to be used will be determined by the EPA as part of the design of the cleanup. Soil gas collection systems will also be installed to collect and treat any harmful vapors.

Throughout the cleanup, EPA will monitor and further study the cleanup progress to ensure the effectiveness of the remedy. EPA will conduct a review of the cleanup every 5 years to ensure its effectiveness. Under the proposed plan, the estimated cost of cleanup is approximately $36 million.

Written comments on the proposed plan, postmarked no later than close of business January 29, 2020, may be mailed or emailed to: Ray Klimcsak, Remedial Project Manager, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 290 Broadway – 19^th Floor, New York, NY 10007, Email: [email protected]

To view the EPA’s proposed plan for the site, please visit www.epa.gov/superfund/sherwin-williams

Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter at http://twitter.com/eparegion2 and visit our Facebook page, http://facebook.com/eparegion2.

19-117

Gibb