OSWER/OSRTI Washington, DC 20460



## N ATIONAL 

## P RIORITIES 

## L IST 

## (NPL)

*** Final Site *** September 2012


### ORANGE VALLEY REGION AL GROUND West Orange/Orange, New Jersey

WATER CONTAMINATION Essex County

 **S ite Location**  **:** The site is located in the municipalities of Orange and West Orange, Essex County, New Jersey

.

 **Site Hist ory:**  During the course of a site investigation in West Orange, the EPA collected ground water samples from public supply wells. The public supply wells were found to contain tetrachloroethylene (PCE), trichloroethylene (TCE) and cis -1,2­ dichloroethylene (c is -1,2- DCE) in the Orange Park and Gist Place wells, with PCE and TCE exceeding the EPA Safe Drinking Water Act maximum contaminant l evels (MCLs). Water department data for the period of January to June 2009 confirms the constant presence of contaminants i n the wells. The EPA site investigation identified some possible sources of contamination approximately one mile west of the contaminated wells, and review of available databases and state files identified several other possible sources of contamination in the vicinity of the wells

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 **Site Contamination/Contaminants:**
The site consists of a ground water plume for which there are numerous possible sources of contamination. Chlorinated solvents (i.e., PCE, TCE and cis-1,2-DCE) are present in public supply wells, with PCE and TCE exceeding the MCLs. PCE and TCE are chlorinated solvents that are commonly used in commercial/industrial operations such as dry cleaning and metal degreasing, and cis -1,2-DCE is a common breakdown product of both.

 **Potential Impact s on Surrounding Community/Environment**  **:** The Orange Park and Gist Place wells serve a combined population of more than 10,000 people. The water department treats the extracted ground water to remove volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as PCE and TCE prior to distribution. The former Brook Lane public supply well, which is located between the Orange Park and Gist Place wells, is out of operation due to contamination. There are several other public supply wells located within four miles of the site.

 **Re sponse Activities (to date):** 
The Orange Water Department has installed treatment systems to remove VOCs from the contaminated ground water prior to distribution, and monitors the water quality and treatment system effectiveness regularly

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 **Need for NPL Listing:** 
The state of New Jersey referred this site to the EPA. Other federal and state cleanup programs were evaluated, but are not viable at this time. The EPA received a letter of support for placing this site on the NPL from the state

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[The description of the site (release) is based on information available at the time the site was evaluated with the HRS. The description may change as additional information is gathered on the sources and extent of contamination.]

For more information about the hazardous substances identified in this narrative summary, including general information regar ding the effects of exposure to these substances on human health, please see the A gency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ToxFAQs. ATSDR ToxFAQs can be found on the Internet

at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaqs/index.asp or by telephone at 1

- 888

- 42

- ATSDR or 1

- 888

- 422

- 8737.