A Natural Resource Management Guide for the County of Morris A ...

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Plate 7 depicts locations of a portion of the 706 sites in Morris County severely impacted by human-derived
contaminants. Each of these sites represent an "environmentally complex... site... where there are multiple
sources of contamination; multiple environmental media affected (i.e. soil, ground water and air); multiple
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contaminants; and/or a multi-phased approach ... to clean up the site." The source, Known Contaminated
Sites in New Jersey, is an annual publication produced by the NJ DEP. It provides an inventory of sites where
contamination is “present at levels greater than the applicable cleanup criteria for soil, ground water standards
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and/or maximum contamination levels of the Safe Drinking Water Standards.” The State’s Bureau of
Community Relations administers the Site Information Program which conducts radius searches for
prospective real estate buyers, sellers, and other interested parties.
Areas With Ground Water Contamination In The County
Picatinny Arsenal: The Department of Defense installation at Picatinny Arsenal in Rockaway Township
contains extensive and multiple sites of contamination. Sources of contamination include but are not limited
to solvents, metals, explosives, and polychlorinated biphenyls. An effort is underway to remediate many of
the sites. However the time line extending from remedial investigation/ feasibility study, through plan
formulation and approval, to actual clean up, is protracted.
East Hanover: In response to a contaminated ground water situation affecting East Hanover and its
environs, the New Jersey DEP conducted an investigation evaluating types, sources, distribution and
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movement of ground water contamination. Contamination of the surficial, as well as bedrock, aquifers was
detected in over 70 domestic wells, 70 monitor wells and 3 municipal-supply wells within the Township and
in neighboring communities.
Contaminants allegedly emanated from industrial activities including manufacturing, storing, and handling
of hazardous substances. Waste disposal practices including use of lagoons, seepage pits and dry wells
appeared to be the worst culprits until public sewers became available in 1984. The hazardous wastes,
generically identified as solvents and degreasers, included volatile organic, base neutral, acid extractable and
petroleum hydrocarbon compounds. Many of these were considered carcinogenic. Aging, corroding
underground storage tanks, exacerbated the situation as they seeped gasoline, fuel oils and industrial solvents.
Burial of hazardous-waste drums, and suspected "midnight dumping" of wastes deluged the aquifer system
with contaminants.
The combination of a large number of contaminant sources, the high mobility of volatile organic compounds,
and the draw caused by pumping domestic and municipal wells, resulted in all of the ground water in East
Hanover being either contaminated or vulnerable to contamination. Many neighboring towns overlying the
buried valley system also suffered contamination. Affected water suppliers included:
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A Natural Resource Management Guide
for the County of Morris 67