EPA Proposes 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. (November 25, 2019) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing a 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. 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.
“The former paint manufacturing plant area is a major source of contamination at this Superfund site and addressing it will be a major step to getting to the cleanup of Hilliards Creek and Kirkwood Lake, which have been long sought by this community,” said EPA Regional Administrator Pete Lopez. “EPA is working closely with our local and state partners to make progress on this cleanup as we protect people’s health.”
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.
The EPA will hold a public meeting on Dec. 5, 2019, at 7 p.m. to explain the proposed plan. The meeting will be held at Gibbsboro Senior Center, 250 Haddonfield-Berlin Road, Gibbsboro, New Jersey. Comments will be accepted until Dec. 30, 2019.
Written comments on the EPA’s proposed plan may be mailed or emailed to: Ray Klimcsak, Remedial Project Manager, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 290 Broadway – 19th Floor, New York, NY 10007, Email: [email protected]
The Sherwin-Williams/Hilliard’s Creek Superfund Site, the Route 561 Dump Site along with the United States Avenue Burn Superfund Site, located in Gibbsboro, are sources of contaminated soil and sediment, which have spread onto a number of residential properties and surrounding waterbodies within Gibbsboro and Voorhees. The residential properties, along with Dump and Burn Sites, are currently being addressed under separate cleanup plans.
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.
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Environmental Protection Agency, 290 Broadway, New York,, NY 10007-1866 United States