CERCLA/ Superfund site and Case Study

Case Study: Bog Creek Farm

Samantha Coleman

ENVL 3241

Dr. Tait Chirenje

October 15, 2023

1
Table of Contents
CERCLA .......................................................................................................................................................................................3
EVENTS ............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 3
HOW CERCLA EVOLVED .............................................................................................................................................................................. 4
STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES .................................................................................................................................................................... 4
SUPERFUND SITE ....................................................................................................................................................................5
BOG CREEK FARM ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 5
POLLUTANTS PRESENT AND WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE............................................................................................................................. 5
SITE FOUND ..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 6
PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT, NPL, AND CLEANUP PLAN ......................................................................................................................... 6
COST ................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 7
ROD.................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 7
REMEDIAL DESIGN/ REMEDIAL ACTION .................................................................................................................................................... 7
CLEANUP PROCESS ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 8
CLEANUP COMPLETED ................................................................................................................................................................................... 8
SOURCES: ................................................................................................................................................................................ 10

2
CERCLA

Events
CERCLA is the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation, and Liability

Act of 1980, also known as Superfund. This was put into place in the 80s because there were

times when hazardous waste disposal and handling was mismanaged, and it caused major issues.

CERCLA gave authorization for the Environmental Protection Agency to clean uncontrolled or

abandoned hazardous sites. It also put a tax on oil and chemical companies. This was changed in

1995 when Congress passed to suppress the tax on these companies. CERCLA also helps

identify pollution risks for the environment but also human health. It held those who did the

contamination reliable and if there was no one to be held reliable then there was also a fund to

establish for the cleanup process to occur in 1977 six people died and thirty-seven were

hospitalized in Bridgeport, New Jersey. This was due from a spark of a welder's torch

encountering chemicals in the area causing a massive fire. The smoke covered the town of

Bridgeport causing concern from the community over the health of the area with these

chemicals. Another tragic occurrence was in Niagara Falls, New York in 1978. Many of the

people living in the area began growing rashes, pregnant women were having miscarriages, and

babies were having birth defects. This was due to a chemical facility dumping waste in a canal

near the Niagara River. This caused President Jimmy Carter at the time to issue a State of

Emergency. This issue was so bad it went all the way to the House and Senate which then

superfund was being discussed. The same year CERCLA was passed. (Comprehensive

Environmental Response Compensation, and Liability Act. 2021)

3
How CERCLA Evolved
One way the law has evolved is it has been able to introduce the community in ways of

connecting with them. This means having inform conversations, involvement, collaborating, and

the EPA listening to the community. There were also amendments that occurred in CERCLA. In

1982 implementing the hazardous ranking system. In 1982 the National Priorities list was

implemented. In 1984 the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments occurred as well as

Superfund amendments and reauthorization act (SARA) was singed. In 1990 the EPA also put in

action the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan for broader

response times and more public interaction. Congress in 1990 also passed the Pollution

Prevention Act which forced there to be a process in place for handling hazardous waste. 1992

Superfund Accelerated Cleanup Model (SACM) help with even faster response times to sites. In

1994 the OWSER Environmental Justice task Force was created for there being concerns of

unequal distribution of threats in minority communities.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Since this act was put in place it has cleaned more than 400+ contaminated sites. If there

is no one liable for the contamination, then there is a fund in place for the clean-up process. This

is a great strength which is called the “Polluter pays” principle. Another strength is that

CERCLA has been able to provide a safer environment and impacting human health positively.

CERCLA have strict laws and regulations to keep a standard of health which is a sense of

security. Unfortunately, many sites take long-term removal routes. This means that the site can

be in the process of cleaning up for a very long time. Many sites have no definite finish date for

the cleanup process to end.

4
Superfund Site

Bog Creek Farm

Bog Creek Farm is the location of this superfund site. It’s located in Howell Township,

New Jersey (Squanrum Rd. Monmouth County). This site is 12- acres and which contaminated a

pond, bog, and trench. During the years 1973-1974, the contaminants were organic solvents and

paint residue. Due to this, the groundwater, soil, and surface water were contaminated. What was

created was a compound called VOCs or volatile organic compounds as well as heavy metals.

Pollutants Present and Who was Responsible

The main source of contamination was from “Western Ranch Corporation” which was

run by Frederick Barry, Margaret Barry, and Samuel Khaudary. This site was purchases in June

1973. The company dumped paint thinner, paint, solvents, resins, animal carcasses, disinfectants,

and other debris during the years 1973-1974. Which in hand created the VOCs and heavy metals

which were the main pollutants. This facility is no longer operating. The dumping occurred on

the east side of the property. It leached into the soil and groundwater and then was carried into

the ponds and bog. The area surrounding the site is used for agriculture as well over 900 people

living in the area. When VOCs are present, they can evaporate and be transported by air which

can cause a huge hazard to human health. What is found in the surface water and groundwater

was benzene, chloroform, ethyl benzene, methylene chloride, dichlorobenzene, dichloromethane,

methyl phenol, trichloroethane, toluene, and xylenes. In the soil was chlordane, chromium, lead,

and PCB-1242. More sediment was contaminated with benzene, bis phthalate, heptachlor,

toluene, and total xylenes. A huge source of water nearby is the Manasquan River. Luckily this

did not affect it due to the distance.

5
Site Found
The way this site was found was due to the health effects of those who lived or worked in

the surrounding area. In short term exposure respiratory tract infections could occur, visual

disorders, skin reactions, nausea, fatigue, as well as asthma. Long term exposure can lead to

liver, kidneys, and central nervous system damage. The cleanup was put into place by State and

Federal action. The state agreed for action almost a decade after the incident was discovered. The

owners of the site were told to remove the debris and cover the trench. The owners also took

some waste to KinBuc landfill in Edison, New Jersey. The federal came in with a plan to clean

three major aquifers.

Preliminary Assessment, NPL, and Cleanup Plan

Bog Creek farm was proposed on the Nationals Priorities List (NPL) in December 1982.

This list warrants which sites need to be cleaned up due to their hazard risk. It became official in

September of 1983.The EPA began the remedial investigation and feasibility study. The clean-

up was put into place in September 1985. The EPA put in action a plan to, “Remove the waste

water and sediments from the pond and the bog; Regrade and cover the pond and the bog to

prevent re-ponding; Treat the waste water on-site and discharge to the stream; Excavate the

waste deposits and contaminated soil greater than 10,000 mg/kg of total volatile organics;

Dispose of the excavated materials by incineration at a temporary facility on-site or at an off-site

facility in accordance with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA); Perform a

further analysis of the impact of the residual contaminated soil to determine the appropriate

extent of additional soil cleanup; Cover the excavated area with a compact soil cap; Construct a

security fence surrounding the Site and work areas; Implement a monitoring program to assess

the effectiveness and reliability of the remedial action; and, Evaluate soil washing, soil

6
segregation and other innovative technologies for the residual contaminated soil.” (U.S

Environmental Protection Agency. 2021. 6).

Cost
Removal projects are a very costly project. In order to sample for VOCs, it costs $25,000.

A larger extraction system for VOCs costs $20,000 plus the O&M increasing its amount by

$2,500 per year. All these items create a capital cost of $45,000 with annual increase of $2,500

per year. Quality assurance and oversight is combined to a total of $150,000 per year. This in

addition to monitoring groundwater sites costing $20,000 per year. Overall, with capital costs for

the removal of all pollutants is estimated from $1-5 million. (Remediation System Evaluation.

2002)

ROD
The Record of Decision Amendment of Bog Creek Farm Superfund Site was addressed

to contaminated groundwater was originally signed in September 30, 1985. This was put to help

extract contaminates from soil, ponds, and bogs. There was a cleanup level of 2000 ppm of total

organic volatiles to be cleaned up. The second ROD was signed in June 28, 1989. The Amended

remedy was also selected with CERCLA. The remedy was called for a groundwater extraction

and treat the water then inject the water back into the aquifer. (U.S Environmental Protection

Agency. 2005) (U.S Environmental Protection Agency. 2007)

Remedial Design/ Remedial Action

Jennifer Griesert was the key contact for USEPA Office of Emergency and Remedial Response.

Ed Finnerty was also the Remedial Project Manager, EPA Region 2 which was on site for the visit that

7
was held during 1986-1989. The specific pollutants that were targeted were the VOCs and the heavy

metals. They needed to extract them form the groundwater, soil, surface water, and air.

Cleanup Process
The specific ways the area was treated is wells are being screened by the aquifer to get

the pollutants out. Slurry walls were created and there were oil and water separators, lift tanks,

and equalizer tanks. There has been no oil found at the site currently but its still put in place for

safety. The metals removal system forces water to flow in a tank to adjust the pH and spun at a

fast pace. The contaminants are then transferred to a hazardous waste sight in Pennsylvania.

There is a continuous backwashing sand filter that removes some solids in the process. A stripper

tank is also in place to adjust the pH balance. A major implementation is air strippers which two

are in place currently. The water from the air strippers then travel to two liquid phase carbon

units. In order to keep track of the clean agents. Two effluent tanks are in place to hold over

78,000 gallons. Lastly there is constant tracking and sampling of every step in the cleaning

process. (Remediation System Evaluation. 2002)

Cleanup Completed
Since the cleanup is still ongoing with cleaning groundwater and aquifers a fence was put

into place to protect from further contamination. In the 5-year assessment there were no

recommendations identified. The area has been made into sport fields in the sections that were

not contaminated heavily but also still fenced off in sections that are contaminated heavily. What

could have been done differently to give the post clean-up a better chance is difficult to answer.

There was over a decade where the contaminants were not found. I only wish they could if been

found sooner than when they did which would of possibly gave it a better clean-up process.

8
Currently the funding for this site comes from taxpayers. To make the system efficient getting

the people in the surrounding area more involved in the site cleanup process. I have lived there

and my friends for years and knew nothing about it. I think being able to have more of a

community outreach would be more beneficial. Overall, I believe the superfund process has

really been successful and throughout the years with the changes it drastically makes a positive

change for the future.

9
Sources:
Camilia Diaz Cano Bellido. (November 2021). 36 Years of CERCLA: Has it really Served its

Purpose?. https://sites.psu.edu/jlia/36-years-of-cercla-has-it-really-served-its-purpose/

Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation, and Liability. (March 2021). Act.

enviro.https://www.actenviro.com/cercla/#:~:text=What%20caused%20CERCLA%3F,mis

managed%20toxic%2C%20hazardous%20waste%20disposal

Five-Year Review Report for Bog Creek Farm Superfund Site. (July 2012). U.S Environmental

Protection Agency. https://semspub.epa.gov/work/02/128295.pdf

Remediation System Evaluation. (April 2002). Bog Creek Superfund

Site. https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-

06/documents/final_bog_creek_rse_093002.pdf

Superfund: CERCLA Overview. (January 2023). U.S Environmental Protection

Agency. https://www.epa.gov/superfund/superfund-cercla-overview

Superfund Clean Up Process. (June 2023). U.S Environmental Protection

Agency. https://www.epa.gov/superfund/superfund-cleanup-process

Superfund National Priorities List (NPL). (September 2023). U.S Environmental Protection

Agency. https://www.epa.gov/superfund/superfund-national-priorities-list-npl

10
Superfund History. (January 2023). U.S Environmental Protection

Agency. https://www.epa.gov/superfund/superfund-history

This Is Superfund. (August 2011). U.S Environmental Protection

Agency. https://semspub.epa.gov/work/HQ/175197.pdf

What is Superfund?. (November 2022). U.S Environmental Protection

Agency. https://www.epa.gov/superfund/what-superfund

11