Marl Road Cleanup Timeline Sought From Howell Legislators

HOWELL, NJ — The township's legislative representatives have added their support for a speedy timeline for the cleanup of 15 Marl Road, an industrial site where hundreds of drums containing adhesive and asphalt material were recently discovered.

In a letter Monday to the federal Environmental Protection Agency, State Sen. Robert Singer and Assemblymen Sean Kean and Edward Thomson have requested a timeline from the agency regarding the hazardous chemical drum cleanup.

On-site EPA representatives, at a community meeting on Wednesday in Farmingdale, provided information about some immediate plans for the cleanup. You can read a story about the meeting here.

EPA now has formal access to the site and it is having removal contractors begin work next week on housing the drums indoors at a warehouse on the site. The drums are now exposed to the elements outside.

The former Compounders Inc. facility manufactured many chemical compounds such as glues, adhesives and asphalt materials for decades. Now, 200 to 300 rusting drums were discovered after a Feb. 9 fire was reported in some of the drums. The cause of the fire is being investigated by the state attorney general.

The company sold the business - not the property- in 2021.

In a letter sent to EPA Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia, the legislators requested a timeline for identifying the chemicals and moving the hazardous materials offsite. They also inquired about when the on-site soil will be tested, when the results of the testing will be known, and what mitigation steps will be taken for adjacent properties.

"We are most concerned about the safety of the residents of Howell and Farmingdale and the site's potential impact on public health," said Singer.

Within a one-mile radius of the site, there are three schools and two childcare facilities. If an incident were to occur, planning regarding potential evacuation plans need to take precedence, the legislators said. The Howell Office of Emergency Management has published an evacuation route for the borough of Farmingdale that an be found at a dedicated township website for the cleanup.

"Throughout this process, the EPA's assistance in addressing this serious environmental disaster has been greatly appreciated. However, the public deserves to know as soon as possible what chemicals are on-site, and if there are potential health risks," added Assemblyman Kean.

The officials have requested that the EPA provide regular updates on any developments concerning the 15 Marl Road property to keep residents informed.

Assemblyman Thomson wrote that their offices have "coordinated with Congressman Smith's office in calling for swift action to address the serious environmental situation."