United States Environmental Protection Agency
Region II
POLLUTION REPORT



Date:
Thursday, June 1, 2006
From:
Paul L. Kahn & Eric M. Daly

To:
Mary Mears, USEPA, Region 2, PAD
Carole Petersen, USEPA, Region 2ERRD-NJRB
John Kushwara, USEPA Region 2 DECA-WCB
Patricia Carr, USEPA-PAD
Fred Mumford, NJDEP
Marissa Truono, USEPA ERRD-RAB
Walter Andrews , USEPA Region 2 DEPP-WPB
George Zachos, USEPA Region 2 ERRD
Andrew Radaant, US DOI
Dave Sweeney, NJDEP
Tim Grier, USEPA Headquarters 5202G
Kristin Grun, NJDEP
Joshua Gradwohl, NJDEP
Paul King, NJDEP
Carol Chamberlain, Lawrence Township Health Dept.

Subject: 

Friction Division Products
40 North Enterprise Ave, Lawrence Township (Trenton), NJ
Latitude: 40.2728000
Longitude: -74.7083000


POLREP No.:
4
Site #:
XW
Reporting Period:
D.O. #:
031
Start Date:
6/15/2006
Response Authority:
CERCLA
Mob Date:
 
Response Type:
Pre-Deployment
Demob Date:
 
NPL Status:
Non NPL
Completion Date:
 
Incident Category:
Removal Action
CERCLIS ID #:
Contract #
RCRIS ID #:
 

Site Description

This site, a defunct automotive brake pad manufacturer, was brought to the attention of EPA by the NJDEP for a possible referral for a CERCLA removal action.  An inspection by EPA OSCs and a DEP responder on 12/23/05 revealed the following hazardous materials/wastes were abandoned at the site:  tons of asbestos material, tons of elemental sulphur, 1,000+ drums of mostly unknown materials or materials that do not match the label description, hundreds of smaller containers, acids, flammable liquids, iron and aluminum powders, flammable solids, waste oil, solvents, and other contaminants or pollutants.  The site is semi-controlled, with most doors being locked but numerous open windows or sections of sheet metal walls missing.  A maintenance man is on-site for a few hours Mon-Fri.  The owner of the building (not the business) has balked at doing a cleanup, but with pressure from the DEP, he has hired a company to provide him with an estimate of the clean-up cost. The former operator of the actual manufacturing business has left the state and resumed the same business in Pennsylvania.


Current Activities

With verbal access from the owner of the property, on 5/26/06 a team of 4 EPA OSCs, 4 persons from the USCG Atlantic Strike Team, and 2 observers from the NJDEP accessed the Site to obtain samples from drums in Building #7 at the Site.  EPA OSC sampled 3 drums of known chemicals, and the AST personnel sampled and haz-cated 6 drums of unknowns.  The EPA samples were returned to Edison for lab analysis.  Haz-cat results showed 2 of the samples tested + for combustibility, and 1 had a pH of 1.  DEP personnel acquired one sample of an oil-like material from a sump in Building #7.


Planned Removal Actions

Samples will be analyzed and the results used in an Action Memo currently being drafted.


Next Steps

Complete Action Memo and continue to work with ORC on an enforcement strategy.


Key Issues

Access, unsecured and leaking drums, lack of site security, possibly unresponsive RPs.


response.epa.gov/frictiondivision