The Site is located in a mixed residential/commercial neighborhood in Edison Township, Middlesex County, New Jersey. The James Madison Primary School is located one mile to the northwest of the Site. As of the 2010 Census, the population of Edison Township, New Jersey was approximately 100,000 people. The property formerly owned by the Caswell, Strauss & Company, Inc. encompasses approximately 9.63 acres that covers a large portion of Hilltop Road and the 1600 block of Oak Tree Road. The southern portion of the former Caswell, Strauss & Company, Inc. property is currently owned and operated by Extra Space Storage, an active self-storage business, located at 1660 Oak Tree Road. The northern portion of the land formerly owned by Caswell, Strauss & Company, Inc. is currently owned and occupied by ten single-family residential properties on Hilltop Road. The south western portion of the land formerly owned by Caswell, Strauss & Company, Inc. is presently privately owned and occupied by a three unit strip mall. One store front is occupied by Moghul Express, an Indian restaurant, the other store front is occupied by Bombay Electronics, an electronics and parts retail store, and the third store front is vacant. Historically a dry cleaner was present in the store front that is currently vacant. The residential properties on Libby Court and Henry Street, as well as the commercial property located at 1680 Oak Tree Road, are adjacent to the property formerly owned by the Caswell, Strauss & Company, Inc.

The Dismal Swamp is located 2.5 miles southwest of the Site. The Dismal Swamp encompasses

1,240 acres and is on the EPA Priority Wetland List. The Dismal Swamp is home to several threatened and endangered species including the American bittern, bald eagle and spotted turtle.

Surface water runoff from the Properties enters storm sewers located along Libby Court, Hilltop Road and Henry Street. The storm sewers empty into an unnamed tributary of the Raritan River.

Topographically, the Site is located at approximately 155 feet above sea level and is located at 40° 34′ 25.87″ N latitude, 74°20′25.79″W longitude.

According to the Office of the New Jersey State Climatologist, Edison’s average annual precipitation is 48.78 inches with the wettest month of the year occurring in July with an average rainfall of 4.97 inches.

1.1.2.2 Description of Threat

The contaminant identified at the Site is lead which is a hazardous substance as defined by Section 101(14) of CERCLA and is listed in 40 CFR, Table 302.4. Analytical data from samples collected at

12 residences indicate that lead is present in the surface and subsurface soils at concentrations greater than the removal action level of 400 ppm and is considered to be a public health hazard.

Lead is a cumulative poison where increasing amounts can build up in the body eventually reaching a point where symptoms and disability occur. Particularly sensitive populations include children and pregnant women, because of the fetal transfer of lead. Cognitive deficits are associated with fetal and childhood exposure to lead. An increase in blood pressure is the most sensitive adverse health effect from lead exposure in adults. Effects of kidney, nervous system, and heme-forming elements are associated with increasing blood lead concentrations, both in children and adults. Other symptoms include decreased physical fitness, fatigue, sleep disturbance, aching bones, abdominal pains and decreased appetite.

The relationship between soil lead concentrations and the consequent impact on blood levels in children has been studied through numerous epidemiological studies. Based on these epidemiological studies, it is generally believed that persistent exposure to soil-born lead results in an increase in blood lead levels (in children) of 1 to 9 ug/dl per 1,000 ppm lead in soil. Although this relationship may become less significant as exposure durations decrease and soil lead levels increase, it nonetheless provides compelling evidence of the potential lead hazard associated with the excessive lead concentrations found in soil at the Site.

1.1.3 Preliminary Removal Assessment/Removal Site Inspection Results

The Site was referred to the Environmental Protection Agency by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection in November 2011. Between January and May, 2012, EPA collected soil samples from a total of 29 residential properties located on Hilltop Road, Libby Court and Henry Street. The analytical results identified lead in concentrations greater than the EPA residential screening level of 400 parts per million at ten of the 29 properties sampled.

In addition to the residential properties, the EPA collected soil samples from two commercial properties located within the historic footprint of the former Caswell, Strauss & Company, Inc. property at 1660 and 1670 Oak Tree Road and one commercial property located adjacent to this property at 1680 Oak Tree Road. Analytical results identified lead in concentrations greater than the EPA commercial screening level of 800 ppm on all three properties. Lead was detected in concentrations ranging from 12 ppm to 61,100 ppm on the 1660 Oak Tree Road property and from 1.0 ppm to 175,000 ppm on the 1680 Oak Tree Road Property.