Superfund Site Scheduled To Be Removed From List

The federal government plans to remove a six-acre property from its Superfund site list by the end of September, according to NorthJersey.com.

The township is planning to  on the site.

W.R. Grace & Co. used to be located on the site, which is located at the intersection of Black Oak Ridge and Pompton Plains Cross Roads.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency added the site to the list in 1984. Clean up began in 1995. Soil on the site was determined to be radioactive.

Form 1948 to 1971, W.R. Grace extracted thorium and other elements from ore at the site.

In 1980, the State conducted a survey that showed elevated radiation levels at the plant site, an adjacent school bus maintenance facility, a township park, the banks of Sheffield Brook, and the Pompton Plains railroad spur. Much of the off-site contamination was spread by water runoff and discharges from the site. Additional surveys were conducted in 1982 and 1983.

Based on this information, the site was placed on the National Superfund Priorities List in 1984.

The park is slated to contain separate fenced-in areas for large and smaller dogs, a playground, and a walking path.

Mayor Chris Vergano previously said the town will receive nearly $450,000 in grants for the project: $99,000 from the county Open Space Preservation Trust Fund and a $350,000 grant from the Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program.

— Have a question or news tip? Contact editor Daniel Hubbard at Daniel.Hubbard@patch.com or find us on Facebook and Twitter. For news straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.