Bog Creek Farm Superfund site

Bog Creek Farm
Superfund site
Location
  • Howell, Monmouth, New Jersey
Information
ContaminantsVOCs, Heavy metals
Responsible parties
Western Ranch Corporation
Progress
ProposedDecember 30, 1982
ListedSeptember 8, 1983
List of Superfund sites

The Bog Creek Farm Superfund Site is a designated Environmental Protection Agency Superfund site, located in Howell Township, New Jersey.

Between 1973 and 1974, the Western Ranch Corporation used the site as a dumping ground for the byproducts of paint production.[1][2] Over a decade later, actions began to take place to clean and restore the contaminated environment in the area. Bog Creek Farm was notable for its proximity to various bodies of water, farmlands, and public outdoor spaces such as Allaire State Park.[3]

Following a Hazard Ranking System report, the EPA placed the site on the National Priorities List in September 1983. Cleanup operations concluded in 1991, however remedial groundwater cleaning is ongoing under state operations as of 2021.[4]

Background

Town history

Howell Township is located in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. On February 23, 1801, Howell was included as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature, from parts of Shrewsbury Township, before itself being partitioned to create more townships and a borough.[5] Howell borders townships in 2 counties; Wall, Freehold, and Colts Neck in Monmouth County, & Brick, Lakewood, and Jackson in Ocean County. Howell completely surrounds Farmingdale Borough, making Howell a “doughnut town”.[6]

In the 1970 US Census, the most recent census prior to the dumping of chemicals at the site, the township had a population of around 22,000.[7]

Company and site history

Frederick Barry and his wife Margaret M. Barry (née Mildenberg) were the owners of the Western Ranch Corporation, a paint manufacturing company, through which they would purchase the eventual site in June 1973.[3]

Located in Howell Township, Bog Creek Farm was originally a 12-acre lot, located within a larger 181-acre tract of farmland, on 579 Lakewood-Farmingdale Road, the Howell-specific name for Monmouth County Route 547.[3]

Dumping and initial local response

After the land was purchased by the WRC, trenches and a small pond were dug on a four-acre section of the lot. Beginning sometime after June 1973, it is believed by investigators that WRC utilized the trenches as dumping troughs where sludge and liquid byproducts of paint manufacturing, including resins, solvents, and some general trash were poured in;[8] other byproducts were believed to have been poured into the lake or directly onto the ground within the four-acre section.

Dumping continued until 1974, when neighbors began filing complaints about odors coming from the site,[3] which prompted the Howell Township Health Department (HTHD) to investigate the site. Under pressure from the HTHD, the Barrys began excavating material from some of the dumping trenches, which was transported to the KinBuc Landfill in Edison, New Jersey, before backfilling the trenches with soil at the orders of the HTHD;[8][3] the Howell government, later accompanied by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, began monitoring the site afterwards.

In 1981, Samuel Khoudary, who was unaware of the site's history, purchased the farm to raise horses; Khoudary subsequently dealt with directives from the NJDEP to pay for the remedial work needed to clean the site.[9]

Superfund designation

After seeing the health impact of those residing in the surrounding areas, State and Federal action was taken nearly a decade after the contamination began. A cleanup effort has taken effect that still remains to date.[10]

State intervention

The state of New Jersey made the decision to take action in the mid-1980s, more than a decade after the damage began, although Bog Creek Farm was listed as a Superfund site in 1983. The property owners Frederick and Margaret Barry and Samuel Khaudary were directed to remove partial waste and cover the trench. Directions came shortly after on-site toxicity was brought to the attention of the Howell Township Health Department, located in Howell, New Jersey, by the property owners. It then became a national issue when EPA came up with a plan to clean the area with three major aquifers in September 1985.[10]

National intervention

The control of contamination and its source was elected in September 1985 by EPA's Record of Decision. However, in 1984, EPA installed test pits, trenches, and wells on site to determine the extent of contamination. The site was addressed through the actions of Federal agents. EPA's involvement discovered the disposal area of 4 acres; about a third of the size of the 12-acre area. The site owners pumped the contaminated waste into landfills approved by the EPA.[10]

Health and environmental hazards

Due to the high amount of contamination in the on-site groundwater, surface water, waste, sediment, and soil there are several health and environmental hazards. Infections, reactions, and disorders have been detected in pollution victims via contaminants detected in a laboratory. Groundwater, waste, and surface water contaminants included, but are not limited to benzene, chloroform, ethyl benzene, methylene chloride, dichlorobenzene, dichloromethane, methyl phenol, trichloroethane, toluene, and xylenes. The on-site soil contained chlordane, chromium, lead, and PCB-1242. Sediment was contaminated with benzene, bis phthalate, heptachlor, toluene, and total xylenes. Environmental pathways began to migrate off-site via wind and water, affecting more than on-site life. Due to the unrestricted area the site lies on, hunting may be conducted on Bog Creek Farm. Contaminated food-chain entities that have been hunted have the potential to expose humans to the toxicity of the area.[10]

Water contamination

Water carried through to Squankum Brook took a toll on the town's residents. In the short term, victims may suffer respiratory tract infection, visual disorders, skin reactions, nausea, and fatigue. However, in the long run, those victims may experience damage to liver, kidneys, and central nervous system.[11]

Land contamination

Ground water, surface water, waste soil and sediment has the ability to cause harm to those who come in contact with the contaminated element. Such hazardous materials have the potential to be absorbed by the skin, inhaled, or ingested, leading to further health issues.[11]

Other contaminants

Lacquer thinners, paint solvents, animal carcasses, residential debris, VOC's, heavy metals, resins, and disinfectants evaporated into the air, polluting the air inhaled by not only humans, but animals as well. This has had a huge impact on the 900 people, crops, agriculture and livestock residing within one mile of the Superfund site Bog Creek Farm.[10]

Cleanup

18,000 tons of contaminated soil was removed from the site to date. Removal and treatment of 6.5 million gallons of contaminated groundwater have been conducted just in 2017. Human exposure is kept to a minimum with the best effort of the EPA.[12]

Initial cleanup

Starting in 1985, cleanup was directed by EPA standards. The removal of wastewater from the bog and pond was the initial step. EPA continued on the restructuring and covering both the pond and bog. Using an on-site plant, clean water was discharged to nearby stream after the wastewater was treated. Several reviews were set up, such as a 5-year and 10-year review, to monitor and assess the effectiveness of the method of clean up. A security fence was placed around the work areas to ensure proper reliability of the controlled cleanup strategy. EPA conducted an investigation to reduce the amount and source of contamination at Bog Creek Farm.[12]

Current status

Groundwater treatment in Bog Creek Farm is currently ongoing. Groundwater is extracted, treated, and re-injected using an on-site treatment method. This method is used to restore water resources in the Upper Kirkwood Aquifer. Contaminated sediments are also being cleaned up from the North Branch of Squankum Brook via manual digging up and incinerating. Operating continuously, the treatment system for the water at Bog Creek Farm treats nearly one million gallons of contaminated water, then re-injects the clean water, each month.[12]

References

  1. ↑ US EPA, OSRTI. "BOG CREEK FARM Site Profile". cumulis.epa.gov. Retrieved 2026-06-30.
  2. ↑ Sullivan, Sean (2017-04-06). "The most toxic sites in each New Jersey county". nj. Retrieved 2026-07-18.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "SIXTH FIVE-YEAR REVIEW REPORT FOR BOG CREEK FARM SUPERFUND SITE, MONMOUTH COUNTY, NEW JERSEY" (PDF). EPA.gov. December 22, 2021. Retrieved June 30, 2026.
  4. ↑ US EPA, OSRTI. "BOG CREEK FARM Site Profile". cumulis.epa.gov. Retrieved 2026-06-30.
  5. ↑ Snyder, John P. (1969). "The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries 1606-1968" (PDF). Municipal Incorporations and Boundary Changes: 173. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  6. ↑ Demarco, Megan (2011-11-03). "Voters to decide whether to merge two Princetons into one". nj. Retrieved 2026-05-19.
  7. ↑ "NJSDC 2000 CENSUS PUBLICATION, NEW JERSEY POPULATION TRENDS - 1790 TO 2000" (PDF). New Jersey Department of Labor, Division of Labor Market and Demographic Research, New Jersey State Data Center. August 2001.
  8. 1 2 Superfund Record of Decision (EPA Region 2): Bog Creek Farm, Howell Township, New Jersey, September 1985. Final report (Report). Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC (USA). 1985-09-30. OSTI 5532717.
  9. ↑ "CIVIL ACTION COMPLAINT - STATE OF NEW JERSEY, DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION and ACTING ADMINISTRATOR, NEW JERSEY SPILL COMPENSATION FUND, Plaintiffs, V. FREDERICK BARRY; MARGARET M. BARRY a/k/a MARGARET MILDENBERG; and SAMUEL KHOUDARY" (PDF). Government of the State of New Jersey - nj.gov. June 18, 2003. Retrieved July 18, 2026.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 "Remediation System Evaluation, Bog Creek Farm Superfund Site". Epa.gov. Archived from the original on October 14, 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  11. 1 2 "Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)". Toxtown.nlm.nih.gov. Archived from the original on December 18, 2008. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  12. 1 2 3

40°09′04″N 74°09′36″W / 40.1510°N 74.1601°W / 40.1510; -74.1601

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