EAST BRUNSWICK – The township is closer to cleaning up fuel contamination on a Sixth Street property formerly home to a bus service.
On Monday, the Township Council approved payment of about $5,000 to engineering firm CME Associates to develop a remediation plan for the 6.5-acre site, which has diesel and gasoline contamination from vehicles that were stored on the site, according to township Finance Director L. Mason Neely.
Despite the ability to move forward with the remediation plan, Neely said it may still be awhile before the actual work takes place. The price for the actual cleanup could be as high as $500,000, and would lead the township into some serious questions about what to do with the property. In the past, officials have discussed selling the land so that 12 single-family homes and a park can be built.
Neely said there is a possibility the township will receive a federal Superfund grant to help with the remediation. Another option for the town is to sell the property and have the purchaser perform the work. On the other hand, the township can sell the land for more money if it performs the cleanup first.
The township was able to move forward with the design phase this week after a preliminary assessment and site investigation was completed and approved by the state Department of Environmental Protection, Neely said.
Council President Nancy Pinkin said Neely worked with the state for a long time to finish that stage, working with state Sen. Barbara Buono (D-18) and the DEP.
The state wanted East Brunswick to investigate whether the fuel contamination was still in the underground clay, Neely said. Tests found that the contamination is more than 5 feet beneath the ground, but not more than 15 feet. The contaminated soil is expected to be taken out and replaced with clean fill.
CME associates will now design the remediation plan, she said.
“The plan will be to lay out the final stage of what to do with remediation of that site,” Pinkin said.
Neely said the plan will help township officials determine just how much the remediation will cost.
The Middlesex Bus Co. that previously owned the site had a state contract to provide bus service and maintenance, and the state gave the company money to fix its leaking underground fuel tanks. However, owners of the company became entangled in other problems during the 1990s, and the bus company declared bankruptcy after extensive government liens were placed against the property due to unpaid taxes.
The township eventually foreclosed on the property and had the liens canceled. The town tried to “flip” the property and put it back on the tax rolls, Neely said, but realized that the gas tanks had caused contamination.
The plan being developed by CME will have to be approved by the DEP, Neely said, which could take some time.