Expansion Proposed For Camden County Waste Facility

CAMDEN COUNTY, NJ — Camden County is cutting down on the odor nuisance coming from the Water Pollution Control Facility (WPCF) in Camden in response to complaints from the community, officials announced on Tuesday.

The Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority (CCMUA) is increasing capacity at the WPCF, which is already the third largest facility of its kind in New Jersey, according to officials. It treats 80 million gallons of sewage per day, and its proximity to residential areas has posed a nuisance to the nearby homes.

The proposed additions will increase the facility’s ability to predict, track, and respond to odorous particles that escape the facility, according to officials. The facility will use technology from Envirosuite, which combines real-time monitoring data with real-time and forecast modeling.
This will allow the CCMUA to anticipate environmental impacts ahead of time and adjust heir operation plans or implement control measures appropriately before any problem arises.

“This is a groundbreaking addition to the WPCF which will enable significant improvements to the quality of life for residents living in the surrounding communities,” Camden County Commissioner Jeff Nash, liaison to the CCMUA, said. “Until now, the CCMUA has been limited in its ability to predict when and where particles may spread. This technology will allow staff to be pro-active about odor risk and will make it easier and faster to respond to residents’ reports of potential issues.”

The platform is configured with localized settings and sensors that are strategically located throughout the area to characterize emissions. Onsite weather data are used to predict conditions at the site and how it will impact environmental conditions.

“Using impact and ambient monitoring, this technology will enable CCMUA to track in real-time concentrations of Hydrogen Sulfide, Ammonia, and other volatile organic compounds that are a nuisance to our community when spread,” CCMUA Director of Operations Len Gipson said.

“Once this technology is installed, our team will be able to clearly identify the origin of reported nuisances, which will dramatically improve the efficiency of our response. This is first and foremost an improvement made out of our commitment to environmental justice and our efforts to work side-by-side with the community,” CCMUA Executive Director Scott Schreiber said.

The announcement comes one day after Acting Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck and Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette announced they were asking a court to require immediate action to clean up an illegal dump site in Camden.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) recently found a massive pile of contaminated solid waste, soil and debris on the site is spreading onto neighboring properties, sidewalks, and roadways, threatening the safety and health of local residents and the environment.

The state’s action on Monday served as an amendment to a lawsuit that was originally filed in May, according to officials. It sought to hold polluters accountable for contamination on several lots on the 600 block of Chestnut Street.

The amendment called for Weyhill Realty Holdings, the current owner of the property, to immediately clean up the contaminated solid waste, soil and debris that is migrating from the site, including onto a neighboring residential property, and to take other actions to protect local residents and the environment.

The lawsuit and amended complaint allege that former site owners S. Yaffa & Sons, Inc., imported and stockpiled solid waste – including contaminated soil, construction and demolition debris and waste tires – for many years without a permit before selling the property to Weyhill in July 2019.

Authorities also said that upon taking ownership, Weyhill not only failed to remove the unlawful waste stockpiled by Yaffa & Sons, but continued to allow illegal dumping, receiving more construction and demolition debris at the property and comingling it with contaminated soil.

NJDEP said it has issued multiple notices of violation to the site’s owners over the years. In April, Camden officials issued a Cease Operations Order for the site, and Weyhill subsequently ceased operations. However, the massive solid waste stockpile and harmful, polluting conditions remain, officials said.

In November, NJDEP confirmed that each of 10 soil samples taken from the property contained at least one hazardous substance at a concentration that exceeds New Jersey’s Residential Direct Contact Soil Remediation Standards – including standards for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and metals, including chromium, which are known carcinogens.

Officials said they have seen significant amounts of dust and debris from the site on the roads and sidewalks of Chestnut Street, as well as nearby Sycamore and 7th streets, and note that “every time a car drives over the dirt and dust, it becomes airborne.”

In addition, contaminated stormwater runoff from the illegal waste pile threatens to enter stormwater inlets at the corner of 7th and Chestnut Streets that eventually flow into the Delaware River, officials said.

The state is asking the court to require numerous actions by Weyhill to address these threats to local residents and the environment, including:

• Immediate removal of the solid waste, dust and debris that has migrated from the site to a neighboring residential property;
• Immediate repair and restoration of the fencing between the site and the residential property;
• Immediate removal of the solid waste, dust, sediment, and debris that has accumulated in the sidewalks, roadways, and other public rights of way near the site; and
• Immediate stabilization of the solid waste pile located at the site, because of concerns the pile could collapse and create a contaminated “landslide” into the yard of the neighboring residence at issue, as well as onto nearby streets, sidewalks and alleyways.

Weyhill must also submit plans to NJDEP for removal and disposal of all solid waste on the property, prevention of air contamination during the solid waste removal process through dust management, and prevention of contaminated storm water run-off that could pollute nearby surface waters.