ciba-geigy corp.

RTE #37

The Ciba-Geigy Chemical Corporation site in Toms River, Dover Township, New Jersey, was owned and operated by the Ciba Specialty Chemicals Corporation (Ciba) which was formerly the Ciba-Geigy Chemical Corporation (Ciba-Geigy). In April 2009, BASF bought Ciba Specialty Chemicals. The site encompasses approximately 1,400 acres, 320 of which are developed, with the remainder consisting of cleared areas, pine barrens and wetlands. From 1952 to 1990, Ciba-Geigy manufactured dyes, pigments, resins and epoxy additives. In 1988, pigments and dyestuffs manufacturing operations ceased and in December 1990, resins and epoxy manufacturing ceased. All commercial operations at the site ceased in December 1996. Most of the manufacturing buildings were subsequently demolished. Sludge and process wastes were disposed of in several locations on the site, including a stacked drum disposal area originally believed to contain approximately 35,000 drums and a 12-acre filtercake disposal area containing wastewater treatment plant sludge and process wastes. Wastewater treatment operations at the site also resulted in the contamination of several areas including backfilled lagoons near the Toms River and two equalization basins. Contamination from these areas and several others on site (referred to as source areas) has leached into the groundwater. Site groundwater flows east towards the Toms River and adjacent wetlands. Groundwater in the local area is tapped by municipal, industrial, and private wells. To the north, south and west, the site is bordered by light industrial, commercial, residential, and recreational areas. The Township of Dover has an estimated population of 90,000 persons. There are 180 residential units less than 1/2 mile to the north of the site and more than 250 residential units less than 1/2 mile from the site's southern boundary. An elementary school is adjacent to the site along the southwestern fence line. In 1978, the State of New Jersey issued permits to close two disposal areas on site. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) issued an Administrative Order in 1980 that required Ciba-Geigy to remove 15,000 drums from an on-site solid waste landfill and to initiate groundwater monitoring at the site. In 1985, Ciba-Geigy began pumping contaminated groundwater and discharging it with treated wastewater to the Atlantic Ocean via a ten mile pipeline. In December 1991, as an interim measure, the NJDEP granted Ciba-Geigy a permit that allowed the company to discharge treated groundwater on site to the ground surface. NJDEP also required closure of the Ocean pipeline. Wastewater and sanitary flows were directed to the Ocean County Utilities Authority (OCUA) plant in Berkeley Township. The discharge to OCUA was stopped after commercial operations ceased in 1996.