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Maywood Project Site

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Commercial Property Cleanups Underway

Removal of contaminated soil has begun at the first of eight commercial or government-owned vicinity properties of the FUSRAP Maywood Superfund Site that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (the Corps) plans to clean up over the next 12-18 months. The removal actions are being undertaken in advance of roadway improvement projects planned by the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) in the Maywood Site area (see page 2 for a summary of these removal actions). Such actions are appropriate under federal law when conditions like the NJDOT projects create actual or potential exposure to people from hazardous substances. Removal actions in these cases are therefore prudent because they are protective of the public.

Cleanup Underway
The first property to be addressed is a vacant parcel at the corner of Money Street and Route 46 West in Lodi (see map on page 3). Preliminary activities began in December 2001 and included equipment mobilization and site preparation. Soil removal activities began on January 14, 2002 and are expected to take about seven weeks to complete. Approximately 500 cubic yards of contaminated soil are expected to be removed. The excavated areas will be backfilled with clean material and the surface will then be restored. The contaminated soil will be transported by truck for temporary staging at the Maywood Interim Storage Site and then shipped by rail to an authorized offsite disposal facility. Extensive safety measures will be in place during the staging, rail car loading and transport of this material. These measures are described in detail in our April 2001 newsletter.

Community Relations
In addition to this newsletter, the Corps has worked to ensure that neighbors and local officials are kept up to date on the cleanup at this property. All onsite activities are coordinated in advance with the property owner. Information detailing the removal action has been distributed to neighbors and businesses in the immediate area. Local officials were briefed prior to project startup and asked for input on matters such as local approvals, vehicle routing and traffic management.
Cleanup underway at Lodi commercial property.

What’s Next for the Commercial Property Cleanups

The Corps has begun removal actions to clean up radiologically contaminated soil at several Maywood Site vicinity properties. These properties will be impacted by upcoming NJDOT highway improvements. The actions were first outlined in a study known as an Engineering Evaluation Cost Analysis (EE/CA). The EE/CA was completed in July 2001 and made available for a 30-day public comment period that was advertised in local media. The EE/CA was also the subject of an August 2001 public information session held in Maywood. Public comments were addressed in an Action Memorandum that was approved by Corps officials in November 2001. The memo, which provides authorization for the Corps to proceed with the cleanups, is now available for public review in the site Administrative Record (see page 4 for ways that you can access the Administrative Record).

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emoving contaminated soil from these properties will allow the NJDOT work to proceed on schedule. In this way, the Corps will impact the properties slated for cleanup of radiologically contaminated soil only once, and the public, NJDOT employees, and their contractors will all benefit from a safe working environment. All but one of the properties are located in the NJ Route 17/Essex Street interchange area (see map on facing page). This area is the focus of several major improvement projects planned by NJDOT, including replacement of the Essex Street Bridge and widening and drainage upgrades on Route 17. Corps contractors have also provided radiological safety support at locations along Interstate 80 in Lodi during NJDOT’s nearly completed noise barrier construction project.

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nce underway, cleanups at the Route 17/Essex Street area properties are expected to take approximately 9-12 months to complete. The projects will involve activities, equipment and safety measures typically found at other construction sites. Added radiological safety measures will be employed to ensure protection of employees and visitors at the properties, the general public, and the Corps’ own workers. Typical site activities will include the following:

Mobilization and Site Preparation

Excavation, Material Transport, and Testing

Restoration and Demobilization

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What’s Next (continued)

The map below presents the properties within the FUSRAP Maywood Site that will be impacted by NJDOT road improvement projects planned for the site area. The Corps plans to remove radiologically contaminated soil from these properties before NJDOT’s activities, so that the state’s work can be done in an environmentally and occupationally safe setting. The Corps’ cleanup schedule will therefore rely on NJDOT’s project schedules to the extent practical.

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xcept for the southernmost property in Lodi, the Corps will clean up the properties shown below in clusters or groups of several properties. That approach is designed to minimize widespread community impacts such as traffic, noise, and business disruptions, while still realizing the cost benefits of establishing long-term procurement arrangements for personnel, equipment and the other resources needed to do the job.

Maywood Site Commercial and Government Properties Impacted by NJDOT Highway Improvements

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Site Status Update

Field work to assess potential impacts of site-related contaminants on area groundwater has been completed. This ongoing study is the first site-wide assessment of area groundwater for the Maywood project. The focus of the work involved installation and sampling of new monitoring wells at locations previously untested, and sampling of existing wells. Samples were collected at more than 70 wells and then analyzed at a certified laboratory as part of this effort. Additional studies to assess the depth to groundwater and the direction of groundwater flow were also conducted.


Technician collecting a groundwater sample from a monitoring well.

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