U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Reviews Cleanup at Higgins Farms Superfund Site
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is conducting its fifth five-year review of the Higgins Farm Superfund site, located in Somerset County, New Jersey. This review seeks to confirm that EPA’s cleanup plans documented in the 1990 and 1992 Records of Decision remain protective of people’s health and the environment. The selected cleanup plans include constructing an on-site plant to treat the contaminated groundwater, discharging the treated groundwater to an on-site surface water body, evaluating off-site migration and the effectiveness of the groundwater extraction system in monitoring and downgradient residential wells, conducting limited investigations to confirm that all sources of contamination were identified, and removing and properly disposing of contaminated materials. All the activities have been completed, except for treating contaminated off-property and deep groundwater.
A summary of the five-year review activities and an evaluation of the long-term protectiveness of the cleanup will be included in the five-year review report, scheduled to be completed by May 2023.
What is an EPA Five-Year Review?
The purpose of five-year reviews is to ensure that implemented cleanup plans at Superfund sites function as intended and continue to protect human health and the environment. These regular reviews, which are required by federal law when contaminants remain at a site, include:
- Inspecting the site and cleanup technologies;
- Reviewing monitoring data, operating data, and maintenance records; and
- Determining if any new relevant regulatory requirements have been established since EPA’s
original cleanup decision was finalized.
When will EPA’s Five-Year Review Report be available?
It is anticipated that the five-year review report will be available at the website noted below by May 2023.
For more information
There are several ways to review information on this site. The Administrative Record, which includes EPA decision documents used for selecting the cleanup plan, is available for public review at the information repository listed below. Project information is also available online at the website noted below.
Franklin Township Public Library
485 Demott Lane, Somerset, New Jersey 08873
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Superfund Records Center, 290 Broadway, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10007
(call for appt.) (212) 637-4308
You may also contact
If you have any questions or concerns about the site, please contact:
Mazeeda Khan
EPA Remedial Project Manager
Phone: (212) 637-3715
Email: khan.mazeeda@epa.gov
OR
Angely Melendez
EPA Community Involvement Coordinator
Phone: (212) 637-3144
Email: melendez.angely@epa.gov
For more information and view the Fourth Five-Year Review Report visit www.epa.gov/superfund/higgins-farm
