The White Swan Laundry and Cleaners Site is an area of shallow groundwater contamination located in portions of Wall Township, Sea Girt Borough, and Manasquan Township in Monmouth County, New Jersey.  The Site is primarily residential with a few commercial properties.      

In 1997, the Monmouth County Health Department (MCHD) was notified that private testing of several irrigation wells on Magnolia Avenue in Wall Township had shown the wells were contaminated with elevated levels of PCE.  PCE is a volatile organic compound that is commonly used as a degreasing agent and dry cleaning solvent.  Subsequently, sampling of other private irrigation wells in the area by MCHD indicated widespread PCE contamination in the shallow ground water, as well as lower levels of TCE, a decomposition product of PCE.

During the ongoing vapor intrusion investigation, conducted by EPA New Jersey Remediation Branch (NJRB) in 2009, two additional locations were identified with elevated levels of PCE in sub-slab and indoor air which posed an unacceptable risk to public health or welfare.  One location was a residential location and one was a lodge/motel, in which the owners reside.

An initial site visit was conducted on June 4, 2009, by EPA and their contractor WRS Infrstructure. The SDS installation at the residential location was completed on September 15, 2009. Due to the discovery of asbestos pipe wrapping in poor condition in the two crawlspaces of the lodge, a SDS was installed only in the center portion of the basement on September 15, 2009. Before the vapor barrier and SDS could be installed in each of the crawlspaces, the asbestos pipe wrapping had to be abated or repaired. Approximately 180 bags of asbestos-containing material were removed from the two crawlspaces and 500 feet of asbestos pipe wrapping was rewrapped or repaired.  The asbestos pipe wrapping abatement was completed on December 1, 2009.  Confirmation samples, collected by a third party consultant and analyzed for asbestos using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), did not reveal any asbestos structures in the indoor air. A 30-mil poly vapor barrier was installed into each crawlspace at the lodge/motel and two additional extraction points, one in each crawlspace, were added to the SDS system.  Installation was completed on December 11, 2009.

Confirmation sampling was conducted by EPA Division of Environmental Science and Assessment (DESA) at both the residential and commercial locations in March 9, 2010.  The results at the residential location showed that PCE in indoor air was not detected at the residential location and was detected at levels between 2.30 µg/m³ and 3.07 µg/m³.  This is below EPA's indoor air removal action level (RAL) for PCE of 41 µg/m³.

2.1.3 Enforcement Activities, Identity of Potentially Responsible Parties (PRPs)

Two defunct dry cleaners, Sun Cleaners on Route 35 and White Swan Laundry and Cleaners on Sea Girt Avenue, have been identified as potential sources of the PCE contamination. 

In 2001, Bank of America, who purchased the former White Swan Cleaners property, conducted investigations on the property and identified high concentrations of PCE in the soils and groundwater.  They removed the septic tanks, seepage fields and associated soils.   


2.1.4 Progress Metrics

180 bags of asbestos-containing material were removed from two crawl spaces at the lodge and disposed of at G.R.O.W.S., Inc in Morrisville, PA.

The VI investigation is on-going and there is a potential that other residential locations overlying the groundwater plume may be impacted by the VOC vapors in the future, but no further removal action is planned.  The Remedial Project Manager (RPM) is coordinating with the residents to conduct additional air sampling. This may result in the need for installation of additional SDS.  This is the Final Pollution Report for this Removal Action.