About 400,000 people live within a 10-mile radius of this 15-acre property in suburban Marlboro, N.J., that has had industrial tenants from as early as 1912. These include Champion Chemical Co., which in 1950 acquired the land and built an oil reclamation facility, and Imperial Oil Co., which leased the site from Champion in 1969 and operated an oil-blending complex with production, storage and maintenance buildings as well as 56 above-ground storage tanks on a portion of the property.
But in 1983, EPA added the site to its Superfund list due to the hazardous chemicals—including volatile organic compounds, pesticides, PCBs, lead, arsenic, metals and phthalates—found in site soil and groundwater. The contamination put surrounding residences and wetlands at risk.