Opinion ID: 706842
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Tabernacle Site

Text: 20 One of the ADS industrial accounts during the 1970's was a plant operated by USX Corporation in Camden, New Jersey. ADS hauled 55-gallon drums of liquid waste from the USX facility to a landfill in Gloucester County. When the Gloucester County landfill refused to accept the USX drums, arrangements were made to dispose of the drums on a 1-acre wooded parcel in Tabernacle, New Jersey, leased by Robert Ware, an ADS mechanic. Ware's understanding was that ADS would pay him a fixed amount for each drum dumped at the Tabernacle Site. 21 In 1976, Edith Ruhl, who was then Ware's wife, saw three trucks arrive at the Tabernacle Site and unload 55-gallon drums and other containers. Painted on the doors of the trucks were the words Atlantic Disposal Services. An ADS dispatcher, William Milsop, acknowledged sending trucks containing drums of liquid waste to the Tabernacle Site. 22 In 1982, investigators of the Burlington County, New Jersey Health Department discovered 193 barrels and containers at the Tabernacle Site. Attached to at least one of the drums found at the Tabernacle Site were USX shipping documents. 23 Pursuant to a Unilateral Administrative Order issued by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in February of 1984 pursuant to Sec. 106(a) of CERCLA, 42 U.S.C.A. Sec. 9606(a) (1995), 9 ADS removed all drums and related waste from the Tabernacle Site. Analyses of the contents of the drums revealed a number of hazardous substances. Soil sampling disclosed a release of the hazardous substances to the environment. Sampling from monitoring wells confirmed the existence of groundwater contamination. 24 A Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study (RI/FS) was undertaken by EPA in 1985. As a result of the RI/FS, special notice letters were issued in July of 1988 to ADS and USX, affording them the opportunity to negotiate an agreement to perform the Remedial Design and Remedial Action (RD/RA) proposed by EPA for the Tabernacle Site. 10 The ensuing negotiations resulted in an agreement by USX to perform the RD/RA. ADS, however, refused to participate in the environmental remediation work.