REMEDIAL HISTORY OF THE PROPERTY

SPILL HISTORY AND INTERIM REMEDIAL MEASURES

The commercial service station located at 1696 Route 130 in North Brunswick, New Jersey was originally constructed in 1957 and was owned by Gulf Oil Corporation. In 1976, the property was sold to the service station operators, and in 2016 was sold to 1696 Route 130, LLC. The building and station operation are leased to small businesses.

The original steel underground storage tanks (USTs) that were installed in 1957 were replaced in 1976 along with the pump island, which was moved to its current location. In 2001, one of the USTs was ruptured by a drilling rod during an environmental investigation, resulting in the release of gasoline fuel to the subsurface. Remediation of that spill included the removal of all the USTs, excavation of soil to a maximum depth of 13 feet, and disposal of 1,050 tons of soil at an off-site disposal facility. Groundwater and gasoline were recovered from a sump well that was installed in the cavity. A total of 38,330 gallons of groundwater and 500 gallons of fuel was recovered and also disposed at an off-site facility. New USTs were installed and backfilled, the surface restored, and the station returned to operation. On 2/14/02, a UST Closure Report & Preliminary Groundwater Remedial Investigation Report was submitted by the remediating firm to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP). This and other historical reports can be reviewed in the archival section of this website.

Late in 2002, the remediating party installed a groundwater pump and treatment system to facilitate removal of impacted groundwater. The system began operating in January of 2003 in accordance with an NJDEP On-Scene Coordinator discharge authorization. The recovered groundwater was processed through sediment and carbon filters and discharged to a nearby stormwater drainage system. Upon expiration of the discharge permit in July 2003, the remediating party terminated the recovery operation and left the site. This resulted in a litigation that settled damage claims by the remediating party. However, the site was not fully remediated.

INVESTIGATIONAL HISTORY

Throughout this period, a series of monitoring wells were installed on and around the site property to characterize the quality of groundwater. Water samples were collected periodically from the wells to delineate and monitor the extent of groundwater impacts caused by the release. Additionally, a series of soil borings were advanced around the property as part of a site-wide investigation into several potential sources of additional materials that could detrimentally affect the quality of soil and groundwater on the property. These investigations identified additional fuel-related release areas primarily behind the building around a former septic tank or dry well, and near an exterior waste oil tank. Fuel impacts to soil were also identified near the original pump island. The soil and groundwater investigations were summarized in a Remedial Investigation Report that was submitted to the NJDEP in November of 2019. Both soil and groundwater impacts were delineated within the boundary of the property, with the exception of the northern end of the property where impacts were projected to extend a short distance beneath the adjacent roadway.

SOIL REMEDIATION 2021

In 2021, several excavations were conducted in phases south of and behind the Site building to remove soils that contained fuel compounds. These soils were disposed off-site at a licensed disposal facility. This resulted in the removal of most surface soils behind the site building, reconstruction of a drainage system, and paving of the surface. Most of the property is now paved with the exception of small, landscaped areas and a strip at the rear of the property.

PROPERTY REASSESSMENT - 2023 TO PRESENT

Late in 2023, a new Licensed Site Remediation Professional (LSRP) was retained for the site. A more extensive groundwater investigation was initiated to design a remediation plan to restore both soil and groundwater at the property to compliance conditions with the NJDEP. Additional monitoring wells were installed at multiple depth intervals and beneath the site building to enable a higher resolution of samples to be collected for design analysis. This work resulted in a Remedial Investigation Report Addendum (RIRA) / Remedial Action Workplan (RAW) being submitted to the NJDEP in 2025 recommending a bioremediation treatment of soil and groundwater using a combination of liquid carbon, oxygen release compounds, nutrients, and microbial supplements. A Discharge to Groundwater/Permit by Rule (PBR) authorizing treatment was approved by the NJDEP in January of 2026. The start of treatment is planned for the Spring 2026.