Status

December 2024 Quarterly Update

Residential Properties Remediation – Complete
Remediation and restoration activities are complete on all properties scheduled to be remediated under the Residential unit and EPA has issued its final approval of the remediation work. Sherwin-Williams will continue to monitor the restoration of vegetation in regulated areas as required under the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) land use permit.

Route 561 Dump Site – Soils/Sediments Complete
Remediation and restoration activities are complete on all properties associated with the Route 561 Dump Site unit. Sherwin-Williams will continue to monitor the restoration of vegetation in regulated areas as required under the NJDEP land use permit. Groundwater associated with this unit will continue to be monitored.

The United States Avenue Burn Site – Soils/Sediments Complete
Remediation and restoration activities are complete on all areas under the United States Avenue Burn Site unit. Sherwin-Williams will continue to monitor the restoration of vegetation in regulated areas as required under the NJDEP land use permit, as well as perform post-remediation groundwater and surface water monitoring. Monitoring efforts associated with this unit will continue for the next several years.

The Former Manufacturing Plant (FMP) Soils – Pre-Design / Remedial Design / Remedial Action
The EPA-issued Record of Decision (ROD) for the FMP unit outlines three distinct remedial approaches to address contaminated soils at the FMP, sediments in a portion of Hilliards Creek adjacent to the FMP, as well as an area of light non-aqueous phase liquid (LNAPL) contamination located along the eastern side of the FMP.

  • The FMP soils remediation has been divided into several subareas to allow for phasing of activities.  
    • Remediation of Lot 4 and the United States Avenue North parcel is complete.
    • Remediation is underway in the 6 East Clementon and Main Plant area. This is a large and complex project unit and construction is expected to continue through March 2025.
    • Pre-Design Investigations (PDI) for the United States Avenue South area are complete and a revised Remedial Design is being submitted to EPA.  Remediation of this area must be completed prior to dredging of Bridgewood and Kirkwood Lakes to allow for staging of dredging operations. 
    • PDI and Remedial Design activities continue on FMP parcels located on the southern side of Foster Avenue, including 1 and 7 Foster Avenue. Remediation of the 7 Foster Avenue parcel is expected to begin in the second half of 2025.
  • PDI activities for sediments are progressing along Upper Hilliards Creek, which extends from Foster Avenue down to West Clementon Road in Gibbsboro.
  • LNAPL located within and adjoining the eastern side of the FMP will be remediated using enhanced bioremediation along with soil vapor recovery. The team is continuing PDI and Remedial Design activities and is working with EPA to move this project unit forward.

Waterbodies Unit – Pre-Design
Contaminated sediments and floodplain soils in Silver Lake, Bridgewood Lake, Kirkwood Lake and Hilliards Creek will be addressed in a phased approach. Under the EPA-approved remedy, remediation will occur on the upstream Silver and Bridgewood lakes, followed by the Hilliards Creek floodplain and Kirkwood Lake.

  • PDI activities in Silver Lake are complete, and Sherwin-Williams has submitted the Remedial Design to EPA for review and approval. Lake dredging is expected to occur in 2025, following completion of the 6 East Clementon / 10 Foster Avenue soil remediation work.
  • Pre-design investigations of Bridgewood Lake are ongoing. Once the PDI phase is complete, the team will move forward with Remedial Design.
  • Sherwin-Williams initiated a series of wetland surveys, tree surveys and cultural resource evaluations along Hilliards Creek extending from West Clementon Road down to the inlet of Kirkwood Lake. This is the first phase of PDI work along Hilliards Creek.

Sherwin-Williams and Camden County continue to evaluate the potential for accelerating the dredging of Kirkwood Lake before or concurrently with the dredging of upstream areas of the Waterbodies unit.

  • EPA has approved the 100% Remedial Design. Permit equivalency applications to NJDEP have been submitted and are subject to an extensive review process. At this time, there is no agreement or schedule in place for accelerating the dredging.

Former Manufacturing Plant Groundwater – Remedial Investigation / Feasibility Study
Sherwin-Williams submitted the draft Feasibility Study (FS) of remedial alternatives to address groundwater contamination to EPA on December 6, 2024. Following review and approval of the FS, EPA is expected to propose a groundwater remedy in 2025.

Additional Activities

United States Avenue Sanitary Sewer Extension
Sherwin-Williams has completed the design of the sewer extension project in Gibbsboro, and the Borough has received the required approvals and permits. The sewer installation construction is expected to begin in January 2025, with expected completion in the summer of 2025.  Road closures and traffic disruptions will occur along Foster Avenue and portions of Berlin Road and United States Avenue in Gibbsboro during this sewer construction work. Visit https://swhilliardscreek.com/construction-update/ for construction updates.