Chemours Pompton Lakes Works Site, Pompton Lakes, NJ

Site Description

E.I. DuPont De Nemours & Company is located at 2000 Cannonball Road, Pompton Lakes, New Jersey. The DuPont Pompton Lakes Works site (DuPont) occupies approximately 572 acres of land in Pompton Lakes and Wanaque. On July 1, 2015, DuPont transitioned ownership of the Pompton Lakes Works site to The Chemours Company, FC, LLC (Chemours) in 2015.

Two parallel valleys (Wanaque River and Acid Brook) run through the site north to south. Land use in the vicinity of the site is predominantly residential and commercial, and includes undeveloped areas, an interstate highway (Route 287) and state-owned forest. DuPont operated at the site from 1902 to April 1994, when the facility closed. DuPont manufactured lead azide, aluminum, bronze shelled blasting caps and produced metal wires and aluminum and copper shells. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) Administrative Consent Order (ACO), NJDEP Groundwater Permit (NJPDES-DGW), and the EPA HSWA Permit require cleanup of the facility (on-site and off-site).

DuPont operated at the site from 1902 to April 1994, when the facility closed. DuPont manufactured lead azide, aluminum, bronze shelled blasting caps and produced metal wires and aluminum and copper shells. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) Administrative Consent Order (ACO), NJDEP Groundwater Permit (NJPDES-DGW), and the EPA HSWA Permit require cleanup of the facility (on-site and off-site).

Online Works Site Documents Available Here

Physical documents can be viewed at:

Pompton Lakes Public Library
333 Wanaque Avenue, Pompton Lakes, New Jersey

EPA RCRA Records Center
290 Broadway, 15th Floor, Room 1538
New York, NY 10007-1866
(212) 637-3043
Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 4 PM

Background

E.I. DuPont De Nemours & Company manufactured explosives on this 572-acre site at the north end of Pompton Lakes, New Jersey, from 1902-1994. Land use in the vicinity is primarily residential and commercial and includes undeveloped areas, an interstate highway (Route 287), and state-owned forest. Cleanup of the facility is required under a New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) order, NJDEP groundwater permit and an EPA permit.

During the facility's operation, manufacturing and waste management practices resulted in contamination of surface water, soil and sediment, and groundwater both on and off-site. Wastes disposed of on-site included lead salts, mercury compounds, explosive powders, chlorinated solvents, waste wire drawing solution and detonated blasting caps. As a result, primary contaminants in the soil and sediment are lead and mercury.

Lead and mercury releases have migrated off-site via a surface water feature known as Acid Brook. This migration resulted in soil contamination at 140 homes near Acid Brook due to overflow from the Brook during flooding events. As a result, acid Brook and the adjacent impacted homes were remediated in the mid-1990s.

Groundwater contaminated with volatile organic compounds also migrated off-site with the potential for vapor intrusion from contaminated groundwater, impacting off-site residences and other structures. Vapor intrusion results from spilled or leaked chemicals and gives off gases or vapors that can migrate through the soil and into buildings through cracks in basements, foundations, sewer lines, and other openings.
A groundwater extraction and treatment system was constructed on-site and has been operating since 1998. This system has reduced the concentrations of volatile organic compounds in on- and off-site groundwater over time.

A residential area of about 425 homes is considered the “vapor intrusion investigation area.”  This area was a result of groundwater contamination that originated from the historical operations of the DuPont facility. These properties were eligible to undergo vapor intrusion testing, design and installation of a vapor mitigation system, and inspection and maintenance of the vapor mitigation system once installed. Approximately, 337 vapor mitigation systems have been installed.

An area totaling about 40acres within Pompton Lake (known as the Pompton Lake Study Area) was subject to soil removal and dredging of sediment due to contamination by lead and mercury.  The source of this contamination in Pompton Lake was DuPont's historical operations that resulted in the migration of metals (particularly lead and mercury) from the facility via Acid Brook into Pompton Lake. As a result, approximately 146,600 cubic yards of contaminated soil and sediment were excavated, processed and disposed of at approved off-site landfills. Restoration of the Pompton Lake Study Area included new plantings and park amenities, as shown in figure 1 below.