On this page:

• Cleanup Status
• Site Description
• Contaminants at this Facility
• Site Responsibility

Cleanup Status

GM, under EPA and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) oversight, is in the early investigative stage, which will identify potential contaminant source areas. The site investigation will determine the extent of contamination in soil and groundwater, and will determine the extent of GM's contribution to the groundwater contamination.

GM must complete the investigation to characterize the hydrogeology and groundwater contamination. Then, an appropriate final remedy will be designed to contain the migration of groundwater contamination and control human exposure. It is expected that the remedy will include a long-term groundwater monitoring system and restrictions on groundwater use and land use.

Site Description

The General Motors Assembly Division (GM) site is 35 acres and is located at 1016 West Edgar Road in an area zoned for residential, commercial and manufacturing/industrial uses in Linden, New Jersey. The facility has operated since 1935 as a manufacturing and/or assembly plant. GM is currently storing waste for less than 90 days in its above-ground tanks and drum storage areas. 

Contaminants at this Facility

GM has closed two container storage areas and an above-ground tank system, but there is residual soil contamination in specific areas. The primary threat to public health is groundwater contamination by volatile organic constituents, including chlorobenzene, trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene and 1,1,1-trichloroethene. Groundwater contamination at the site is also partially attributed to contamination from adjacent properties.

Site Responsibility at this Facility

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Corrective Action activities at this facility have been conducted under the direction of EPA Region 2.