The state Department of Environmental Protection orders further testing to determine extent of contamination.
By: Stephanie Brown
MONROE While some contaminated concrete has been removed from a commercial-medical site under construction on Applegarth Road, a debate continues over what to do with the remaining fill.
The state Department of Environmental Protection ordered Ford Motor Co. and its contractors on March 8 to remove crushed concrete that had been shipped from the decommissioned Ford plant in Edison to the Applegarth Professional Center where it was used as fill.
Ford sold the concrete to Edgewood Properties, the developer of the center, and earlier this year it was determined to be contaminated with traces of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs).
The cleanup plan submitted March 15 by Tetra Tech Environmental Management Inc. of Rockaway on behalf of Ford suggested either removal or remediation of the concrete, but the township wants complete removal of the material.
Approximately 2,000 cubic yards of stockpiled concrete has since been removed by Tetra, but an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 cubic yards of concrete that was mixed with 60,000 to 70,000 yards of other fill and spread across 7 to 10 acres of the 18-acre site remains.
A total of 53 truckloads were loaded with the stockpiled material and removed from the site, according to a semi-monthly status report issued by Tetra Tech on May 17.
The DEP has requested further testing of the in-situ material before deciding whether to require removal or remediation (mixing the contaminated concrete with clean fill).
"We want to know the extent of the contamination on site," said Steve Maybury, a spokesman for the DEP’s Division of Remediation Management and Response, on Wednesday.
Previous tests showed the in-situ material contained PCB levels to be "consistent if not higher than those from the on-site stockpiles," according to May 3 letter issued by the DEP granting conditional approval for the cleanup plan.
Township Engineer Ernie Feist said Monday that the Township will continue to insist on total removal of the contaminated fill.
In a letter sent to the DEP on March 20, Mr. Feist argued that removal was necessary due to public concerns about the contaminants. "Due to recent publicity of this matter, it is increasingly difficult to assure our citizens that any level of contamination is acceptable," he wrote.
The Applegarth site is one of 11 sites around the state to have used contaminated fill from the Ford plant, seven of which are owned by Edgewood. The DEP order for the cleanup plan came after testing revealed levels of PCBs ranging from undetectable to 2 parts per million.
While the PCBs are classified as a likely carcinogen, the state considers concrete debris containing low levels safe for reuse. Concentrations of PCBs less than 0.49 parts per million are allowed for "unrestricted use," such as residential development, according to the DEP’s site cleanup criteria. Under state law, concrete containing PCBs levels up to 2 ppm can be used for "restricted" sites, including commercial development, but construction involving reuse material must have state approval.
Mr. Feist said that removing all of the contaminated material would require approximately 4,800 truck loads to leave the site, as well as an equal number of truckloads of replacement material to come in.
He estimated it would take between 90 and 120 days to discard of the in-situ material if the DEP decides upon complete removal.

