Howell Chemical Cleanup: Call For A Second Community Meeting

HOWELL, NJ — The Howell Township Council says the cleanup of a toxic waste site on Marl Road had been "taken out of its hands early on," and it is calling on state and federal agencies handling the problem to provide as much information as possible to the public.

It can be "more scary when you don't know what's happening," said Deputy Mayor Evelyn O'Donnell Tuesday night.

She said from now on "transparency will be robust."

And at least one member of council wants a second meeting to take place, this one in Farmingdale.

The council had a regular meeting on Tuesday night, right after a heavily attended public meeting for area residents about a chemical cleanup now underway at 15 Marl Road, on the border of Farmingdale.

A Feb. 9 fire in drums containing chemicals at the former Compounders Inc. exposed the improper storage of 200 to 300 drums on the seven-acre site.

The company used to make adhesives and asphalt products, according to the federal Environmental Protection Agency's background on the site. The company operated for several decades, but stopped operation in 2019. The stock was sold in 2021, but not the property.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency has been on the site since Feb. 15 and is taking the lead on removing the drums. The state will oversee a further cleanup of the site by a licensed company to be engaged by the responsible party, Compounders Inc.

Residents who spoke at the separate community meeting Tuesday said they are worried about their health and about any future emergency that might take place at the site. And they want the materials at the site to be identified as quickly as possible and have the area tested for any spread of contamination.

The township now has the video of the meeting with environmental officials posted on its website. You can read a story about the meeting in Patch.

During the Township Council meeting, Councilmember Susan Fischer said she would like to see a second public meeting called, this one to take place in the Borough of Farmingdale.

Although the cleanup is in Howell, the site is right on the border, the last parcel of land in Howell before Farmingdale.

The township developed an evacuation plan for Farmingdale, but residents said they felt the plan needed to be more complete and address the needs of children in schools or daycare in the area. Click here to see the evacuation map on the township Facebook site.

Fischer said she wanted the residents to know that "our professionals were on it from Day 1," she said, speaking of the fire on Feb. 9. But she said the state Department of Environmental Protection took the handling of the site "out of our hands early on."

"The whole situation is very frustrating to us," Fischer said, adding she is "very eager to get more information from the people we met tonight."

Councilman Fred Gasior who, like Fischer, just was elected to the council in November, added his concern for the residents near the cleanup site.

He said the council will be "expecting information to be forthcoming and disseminated to everyone who is involved in a timely manner. We will be keeping a watch on that."

The EPA is developing a workplan, officials said Tuesday, and will share that with the public as soon as it is approved.

But the priority right now, according to Michael Mannino, onsite coordinator for the EPA, is to:

• Secure the drums.
• Remove them.
• Work with the state to test soil and groundwater.
• Expand the study area to the back of the property.

The site is now fenced and has 24/7 manned security.

Mannino said the drums will be "re-containerized" for removal and a berm will be constructed to prevent any runoff. He also said that electronic equipment is picking up no airborne chemicals during the cleanup.

Some background information about the site and an evacuation map are posted on the township website, and a dedicated website about Marl Road will be created, officials said. You can also read a past Patch story here.