Air Monitors Now Up At Marl Road Chemical Cleanup Site In Howell

HOWELL, NJ — Air monitoring equipment has now been placed outside of the Compounder’s Inc. chemical cleanup site at 15 Marl Road by federal Environmental Protection Agency Officials.

"If you see this equipment onsite or at remote locations there is no reason for concern. The EPA will be monitoring the air quality while cleanup is being conducted," said the township Office of Emergency Management Coordinator Victor Cook in an update to residents.

EPA-contracted workers began work at the site on April 11, the EPA said in one of its regular updates on the project.

The hours of operation will be 7:30a.m. until 5:30 p.m. Mondays to Fridays. Some Saturday work might be done, the EPA said.

The EPA is overseeing the sampling and removal of around 200 to 300 drums and containers found at the former Compounders Inc site in Howell, right on the border of Farmingdale Borough.

The EPA and state and county officials have so far held two community outreach meetings on concerns about the site.

Howell has also set up a website dedicated to updates on the cleanup.

Michael Mannino is the onsite coordinator for the project for the EPA and is overseeing the many elements that will go into the cleanup - the first being the securing and removal of the drums on the site.

Apart from the air monitoring equipment, there are plans to construct on-site containment in the form of a berm or a boom in case there should be any accidental release from a container while doing the work, he said at a community meeting in Farmingdale on April 4.

There were questions at the meeting about plans for testing air and water quality in the area.

The EPA and state DEP will conduct a potable well search in a 500-foot radius of the site, the EPA said at the meeting. So far one potable drinking water well was located. Its water is being tested for volatile organic compounds, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, metals and extractable petroleum hydrocarbons, the EPA said.

Mannino that there is a five-gas monitor of the type used at refineries and he said no VOC, or volatile organic chemicals, have been detected.

Howell has set up a website dedicated to updates on the project.

The site at https://www.twp.howell.nj.us/610/15-Marl-Road includes recent activities, emergency alerting, evacuation routes and additional information about the site. Video of meetings is available too.

EPA began its assessment of the site as soon as it was granted access on April 4. This assessment includes sampling the contents of the drums and assessing their condition.

Nearby residents in Howell or Farmingdale should be aware there may be increased traffic while EPA is working at the site.

Some site workers may be dressed in protective clothing to keep contamination off their clothes; however, this does not mean there is a risk to the nearby residents, the EPA said.

EPA is providing 24-hour security at the site. Howell Township and Farmingdale Borough will continue to work with local and state police officers to patrol the facility as well.

The New Jersey Attorney General’s Office is conducting an ongoing investigation as to the cause of a fire in the drums on Feb. 9 that alerted the township to conditions there.

After extinguishing the fire, firefighters called the Howell Township Office of Emergency Response that called in the Monmouth County Department of Health to address potential hazardous materials.

Apart from the drums, the local agencies also found spilled materials on the ground and open drums, as well as solid waste, the EPA update summarized.

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection requested EPA’s assistance on Feb. 15.

Compounders Inc., a facility that manufactured a number of chemical compounds, including glues, adhesives, and asphalt materials, operated until 2019. The current owner purchased the business as part of a stock sale in 2021.

Related stories:

To read more Patch news about the 15 Marl Road cleanup site, you can refer to the following stories:

• New Howell Website Is Dedicated To Marl Road Chemical Cleanup
• Howell Chemical Cleanup: Call For A Second Community Meeting
• Worried Residents Seek Answers About Howell Chemical Cleanup
• Farmingdale 'In The Loop' For Howell Chemical Cleanup: Mayor
• Chemical Drum Cleanup In Howell Prompts Meeting, Evacuation Map
• Hundreds Of Abandoned Drums With Chemicals Found At Howell Business