EPA Chooses Plan for American Cyanamid Cleanup

After much deliberation, the Environmental Protection Agency has chosen a plan to clean up the American Cyanamid Superfund Site in Bridgewater, which will focus on direct cleanup of six impoundments on the property.

The property, known as the American Cyanamid Superfund Site, was obtained by Pfizer when it took over Wyeth in 2009. At this point, the goals for the site are to implement remediation, ensure remediation activities can facilitate the use of the property, enhance its ecological aspects and position it as an asset to the community.

And about $200 million has already been invested in the site to investigate remediation options.

Only about 10 acres of the 570-acre site are in Bound Brook, with the remaining acres in Bridgewater.

With remediation of the site already underway, about 140 of the total 570 acres of the site have already been redeveloped because no further action was needed after remediation of those pieces was completed in 1998—and it is now home to TD Bank Ballpark, the Van Horne House and the Bridgewater Promenade, among other properties.

According to an article on nj.com, the new plan will focus on six impoundments with contaminated soil and groundwater. The remaining impoundments will be addressed in a separate cleanup plan in 2013, the article said.

The plan states that highly toxic material in some of the impoundments will be treated by making the waste more solid so that it doesn't move, according to the article. From there, these parts will be covered with a system that captures and treats air pollutants so that they are not released into the air in the future.

Some of the contaminated soil will be excavated, and more will be covered with a vapor control barrier, all based on the level of contamination, the article said.

Read the entire article for a full description of the plan.

Public reaction about the plans have been mixed among residents.

Some people have said they are looking forward to getting the remediation done so the property can be put to other uses for the benefit of the residents in the Raritan Valley.

Others have expressed concerns that what Pfizer and the EPA are doing will not actually take care of health problems that could be associated with releasing any of the chemicals into the air.

What do you think about the new plan?