OSWER/OSRTI Washington, DC 20460



## N ATIONAL 

## P RIORITIES 

## L IST 

## (NPL)

***Proposed Site *** September 2012 

### RIVERSIDE INDUSTRIAL PARK Newark, New Jersey
Essex County

 **Site Location:**

Riverside Industrial Park is located in an industrial park at 29 Riverside Avenue in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey. The property is bordere d by Riverside Avenue and residences to the west, and the Passaic River to the east

.

 **Site History:**

In October 2009

, the EPA responded to a National Response Center call about a reported oil spill into the Passaic River. The effluent was observed coming from a pipe on the property and the source was later traced to two basement storage tanks in a vacant building on the property. Sampling of the contents of the tanks indicated the presence of benzene, mercury, chromium, arsenic and 2,4

- dimethylphenol at elevated concentrations. Approximately one hundred 3,000- to 10,000

- gallon vessels containing unknown material and ten 12,000

- gallon underground storage tanks were also found on the property. It was later learned that in 2009, shortly before the release occurred, samples had been collected from ground water, soil, basement water and the underground storage tanks at Riverside Industrial Park

. Those samples indicated the presence of metals, VOCs, SVOCs and PCBs at elevated concentrations. The property

was occu pied by a paint manufacturing facility in the early to mid -1900s. Later, the property was the location of various chemical packaging companies. Currently some buildings are occupied by various companies of unknown type, and some buildings are vacant.

 **Si te Contamination/Contaminants:**  Soil, ground water and underground tanks at Riverside Industrial Park are contaminated with mercury, chromium,
PCBs and VOCs. Those contaminants are used in a variety of industrial processes.

 **Potential Impacts on Surrounding Community/Environment:**

The release of contaminated effluent into the Passaic River threatens an EPA

- designated Estuary of National Significance, the New York

- New Jersey Harbor Estuary. The exact location of the release is within an area designated

as a critical migratory pathway, feeding area and spawning area for various fish species, including two species which have been identified as Species of Concern by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA ) . The
area of the lower Passaic wher e the release occurred has been designated by the state of New Jersey as requiring protection for critical habitat of estuarine species. The release of contaminated effluent into the Passaic River also threatens residents who fish for consumption in the area . The property is within an EPA

- recognized Environmental
Justice Area and the city of Newark has previously indicated that it intends to make the property, along with the entire Passaic waterfront within the city, a green area accessible to the public

.
 **Response Activities (to date):**

In 2009

, the EPA began investigating the extent of contamination at Riverside Industrial Park . A Superfund removal action is ongoing to remove vessels and tanks from the facility.

 **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 Riverside Industrial Park on the NPL from the

s tate of New Jersey

. [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 regarding the effects of exposure to these substances on human health, please see the Agency 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.