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Hazardous Waste Cleanup: Nu-Soils Incorporated in Newark, New Jersey

On this page:

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

Cleanup Status

The City of Newark, as owner of the property, planned to redevelop the site as part of Newark’s redevelopment plan and the expansion of Newark Airport. A preliminary assessment, site investigation, and remedial investigation were conducted by a City consultant from 2000 to 2002. The investigations were funded by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) Hazardous Discharge Site Remediation Fund (HDSRF).

In 2002 a redevelopment firm signed a Memorandum of Agreement with NJDEP to remediate and redevelop the site for commercial use. A plan for remediation was proposed. The firm was directed by NJDEP to correct deficiencies in the plan and to conduct additional investigations and remedial actions at the site. The redevelopment did no further cleanup work at the site. The property has been in litigation and no environmental cleanup activities are taking place at this time. 


Site Description

The Nu-Soils, Inc. site is located at 55 Virginia Street, Newark, Essex County, New Jersey.  The site is situated in an urban, mixed industrial, commercial and residential area. The site occupies Block 3773, Lot Nos. 15, 41, 43 and 53. The site is bound to the north by the Dry Ice Corporation, McClellan Street, and a commercial area; to the east by railroad property, rail lines, and a residential area; to the south by Virginia Street and Magruder Color Company; and to the west by Magruder Color Company, a junk yard, Frelinghuysen Avenue, and a residential area. 

Orbis Products Corporation began operations at the site in 1922 (Lot No. 15) and acquired surrounding properties in 1943 (additional portions of Lot No. 15), 1946 (Lot Nos. 41 and 53), and 1978 (Lot No. 43). Orbis’s manufacturing operations at the site consisted mainly of aromatic chemicals, pharmaceuticals, organic intermediates, fragrances, and flavors. Manufacturing operations at the site ceased in approximately 1995. The City of Newark is the current owner of the property, which was acquired through foreclosure due to failure to pay taxes.


Contaminants at this Facility

Analytical results of surface soil, subsurface soil, and groundwater samples collected from on-site monitoring wells and 21 areas of concern throughout the site indicated volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in both the on-site soil and groundwater. The VOCs included benzene, toluene, trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene, chlorobenzene, and tetrachloride. Semi-volatile organic compounds, pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and metals were also detected in on-site soil samples.  


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.