(AGENPARL) - Roma, 26 Luglio 2024 - (AGENPARL) – ven 26 luglio 2024 Issued: Jul 26, 2024 (10:46am EDT)
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EPA to Complete Major Phase of Cleanup at Former Unimatic Manufacturing Corp.
Building
Demolition and soil cleanup come to an end as sediment cleanup and groundwater
monitoring ramps up
Fairfield, N.J. (July 26, 2024) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency announced that it is delivering on its promise to Invest in America and
clean up Superfund sites that have been waiting for funding. Using a total of
about $30 million in funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, EPA has
demolished the heavily contaminated building at the Unimatic Manufacturing
Corp. Superfund site in Fairfield, N.J. and has finished removing contaminated
soil from the site. In September, U.S. Army Corps contractors will dig up and
remove sediment in wetlands and streams downstream from this site and will
also monitor groundwater. EPA Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia and U.S.
Rep. Mikie Sherrill joined state and local partners at the site today to
celebrate the milestone and mark the beginning of the next phase of cleanup
also funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. 
“Three years ago, I stood at this very site and made a promise that the EPA
would use funding from the Biden-Harris Administration’s Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law to clean up legacy pollution at our country’s most toxic
sites,” said EPA Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. “Today we have
delivered on that promise here in Fairfield, with a cleaned-up property and
the opportunity to redevelop it and make it into something better for the
community.”
“This investment of $30 million in funding from the Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law is a monumental step forward for Fairfield and for
communities across New Jersey affected by toxic pollution,” said Senator
Cory Booker. “New Jersey is home to the most Superfund sites in the nation,
and I’m proud to see federal, state, and local partners come together to
secure urgently needed funding for the cleanup of this heavily contaminated
site. Addressing industrial pollution and transforming this site into a safer
place for the community will pave the way for a healthier, more sustainable
future for New Jersey residents.”
“I was proud to fight hard to pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which
is not only funding construction of the Gateway Tunnel, but is helping us
clean up toxic chemicals from former manufacturing plants across the Garden
State – including the Unimatic Superfund Site. I first visited this site
back in 2019, and it is so exciting to be back to see how our federal tax
dollars continue to be used to clean up Unimatic and improve the quality of
life for New Jerseyans. Thank you to the EPA and all who are working to
remediate the Unimatic Superfund Site,” said Representative Mikie Sherrill
(NJ-11).
“I applaud the Biden-Harris Administration, our Congressional delegation,
the EPA, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for their commitment to making
New Jersey safer as they continue work to clean up the former Unimatic
Manufacturing Corp. site,” said Governor Phil Murphy. “I am pleased by the
ongoing progress of this project and to see this work enter the next phase of
sediment and groundwater cleanup. Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,
we are continuing to make strides toward our goal of building a cleaner,
greener future for New Jersey.”
“The DEP thanks the Biden-Harris Administration, the EPA and Representative
Mikie Sherrill for securing Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds to accelerate
cleanup efforts that will ultimately allow the community to repurpose this
former industrial site to better serve their needs,” said New Jersey
Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette. “New Jersey has a
long history of industrial pollution, and BIL funds have made it possible for
communities across the state to start fresh and make transformational
investments that enhance residents’ quality of life and the environment we
share.”    
“The cleanup of this Superfund site is a great example of how the community
and the EPA work together to alleviate the concerns of our residents by
eliminating dangerous chemicals from our Township. There have been
approximately 50 thousand tons of hazardous material removed from Fairfield.
This has been accomplished through the oversight of the EPA without increasing
the local tax one penny,” said Mayor of Fairfield Township William Galese.
“On behalf of the grateful residents of Fairfield, I would like to thank the
EPA for eliminating this threat from our town.”
The Unimatic Manufacturing Corporation site is one of 115 Superfund sites in
New Jersey. The metals molding facility operated machines using lubricating
oil that contained polychlorinated biphenyls, also referred to as PCBs.
Wastewater from the facility contaminated the on-site building, soil and
groundwater, including the soil on three nearby properties. As a result, EPA
placed the Unimatic Manufacturing Corporation site on the Superfund
Program’s National Priorities List in May 2014.
Prior to EPA’s involvement, the New Jersey Department of Environmental
Protection oversaw the removal of approximately 5,000 tons of PCB-contaminated
soil from the Unimatic property, which reduced some risk associated with the
site. However, widespread PCB- and pesticide-contaminated soil remained in the
subsurface, both underneath and outside the building footprint.
In 2021, EPA announced the cleanup at the site would advance as part of the
first wave of sites to benefit from the $3.5 billion in the Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law to help clean up polluted Superfund sites in communities.
EPA initiated the cleanup in 2023, demolishing the former Unimatic building in
May and beginning to dig up and remove contaminated soil in October of that
year. To date, EPA has removed over 50,000 tons of PCB and pesticide
contaminated soil and replaced it with clean soil. In September, this first
phase of the cleanup will come to an end and EPA will begin the second phase
of cleanup work downstream of the site. EPA will dig up and remove
PCB-contaminated sediment in wetlands and streams downstream from the site and
monitor groundwater.
In 1980, Congress passed the Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation and Liability Act, known as Superfund. The law gave EPA the
authority and funds to hold polluters accountable for cleaning up the most
contaminated sites across the country. When no viable responsible party is
found or cannot afford the cleanup, EPA steps in to address risks to human
health and the environment using funds appropriated by Congress, like the
funding provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Visit the Unimatic Manufacturing Corporation Superfund Site profile page for
additional background and site documents.
Follow EPA Region 2 on X and visit our Facebook page. For more information
about EPA Region 2, visit our website.
24-060
For further information: Contact: Stephen McBay, (212)-637-3672,
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