Former O.B. landfill site will be cleaned up Global Landfill operated from 1968-84 off Ernston Road BY JESSICA SMITH Staff Writer OLD BRIDGE - A defunct township landfill, deemed a Superfund site, will see a complete cleanup after decades of inaction, thanks to a multimillion dollar state settlement agreement. Global Landfill, near Ernston Road and Route 9, bordering Sayreville, will be cleaned with funds from 31 parties named in the settlement, along with about $20million set aside in the past in an escrow account. "This is a hard-won victory for the state and for the environment that will result in the cleanup of a Superfund site that has long been a blight on Old Bridge," said state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Lisa Jackson. "This agreement will result in a better environment for thosewho have had to livewith this landfill in theirmidst for so long. In addition, adjacent tidal marshes and Cheesequake Creek will be protected, meaning cleaner water for boaters and anglers." The 31 parties being held responsible for cleanup of the 60-acre site were transporters and generators of hazardous waste, and included waste haulers, municipalities, chemical and pharmaceutical firms, among other industries, according to a press release from Jackson and State Attorney General Anne Milgram. Each of the parties namedmust pay close to $2 million to the state - $1.1 million for past containment and monitoring activities at the site, and $745,000 for damages to natural resources. The allocation of those funds, along with the escrowmoney to be released, is outlined in an Amended Consent Decree filedwith theU.S.District Court in Trenton. "Old Bridge had the wisdommany years ago to pay $850,000 into the [escrow] fund," Mayor Jim Phillips said. After a 30-day public comment period has passed and the U.S. District Court approves theAmended ConsentDecree, the escrow funds will be released for the cleanup. If the funds are found to be insufficient for the cleanup, the settling parties will be required to contribute the additional funding required, according to the release. "This settlement concludes many years of litigation involving multiple parties and provides a mechanism for resolving a longstanding environmental, public health and public safety threat,"Milgram said. Located, one-quarter mile southeast of the intersection of Ernston Road and Route 9, the Global Landfill began operating in 1968, before stringent environmental regulations were in place for such facilities. Through a state license, the dump accepted municipal waste, commercial waste, septic sludge and industrial waste, including asbestos. The facility was closed in 1984. Later testing showed that volatile organic compounds from the landfill were leaking intowetlands, officials said. In addition, the DEP found 63 drums containing hazardous wastes that were buried there. Due to these discoveries, the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) added Global Landfill to the National Priorities List of Superfund sites in 1989. While shallowgroundwater at the site is polluted by various contaminants, the pollution has not had a significant impact on nearby wetlands, officials said. In addition, studies revealed that a deeper aquifer is contaminated at one monitoring well location. The DEP has been conducting containment and monitoring activities at the site since the 1990s. In 1991, the DEP and EPA signed a Record of Decision that required stabilization of the landfill slopes, alongwith installation of a hazardous waste cap with landfill gas and leachate controls. The DEP is currently working with settling parties to design the landfill cap and landfill gas and leachate controls. The owner of the landfill, the Global Reclamation Co., agreed to a cash-out settlement with the DEP in 1992. Phillips said that although talkswent on for years regarding the cleanup of the site, varying thoughts on how to go about doing so held up the process. "That'swhy I praise Commissioner Jackson," Phillips said. "Commissioner Jackson has made a decision, and she has picked a solution." As of yet, there are no plans in place for the state-owned land, but Phillips speculated about what he said would be a bestcase scenario, given the site's proximity to Cheesequake State Park. "In my vision, in my dream, this land would be cleaned up to such a degree that it will become an extension of Cheesequake Park," he said.