| Abstract |
The 75-acre Higgins Farm site is a cattle farm in Franklin Township, Somerset County, New Jersey. The site is primarily pasture land with poor onsite drainage. Approximately 3,200 residents living within a three-mile radius of the site rely on ground water as their drinking water source. In 1985, after receiving reports of ground water contamination near the farm, the State investigated the area and found a drum burial area. In 1986, the site owner began to remove the drums from the site, and ten drums were removed, crushed and placed in a roll-off container. Later in 1986, another 50 drums were excavated, and during the excavation the drums were punctured and their contents spilled onto the ground. In late 1986, State site inspections revealed ground water and soil contamination by VOCs, pesticides, metals, and dioxins. The Record of Decision (ROD) provides a permanent safe drinking water supply source for affected residents as part of an interim remedy. A future ROD will address remediation of final ground water and all remaining onsite contamination including soil, sediment, surface water, and ground water. The primary contaminants of concern affecting the ground water are VOCs including benzene, PCE, TCE, and xylenes; other organics; and metals including lead. |
