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PICATINNY ARSENAL, ROCKAWAY TOWNSHIP, MORRIS COUNTY, NEW JERSEY U.S. EPA
Region 2 Fact Sheet, 4 pp, Jan 2004

Picatinny Arsenal covers 6,491 acres in Morris County, NJ. The arsenal has been in operation for over 100 years, and was a major source of ammunition in wartime. At least 156 potentially hazardous locations exist on the site, e.g., areas for testing rocket fuels, munitions, and propellants; areas where chemicals and shells were buried; surface impoundments; landfills; drum storage areas; and a sludge bed. The site is being addressed in a phased long-term remediation. The 156 areas of concern have been divided into three phases to be studied in succession. The general approach at these sites is to clean up soils under RCRA and ground water under CERCLA. Additional soil cleanup will be done under CERCLA if RCRA cleanup is inadequate. VOCs in ground water in the Building 24 area have been addressed with pump and treat since 1992. The 5-year review suggested an upgrade to the treatment approach, and a treatability study involving the injection of propane into the aquifer is currently taking place. The Army has submitted a ROD for the site in which the remedy selected is a permeable reactive barrier (PRB) containing zero-valent iron to intercept and treat the VOC plume before it discharges to surface water. Installation of this PRB is expected to take place in 2004. At the Pyrotechnic Testing Range/Sanitary Landfill, the preferred remedy is to treat VOC-contaminated ground water in situ with Hydrogen Release Compound. While further investigations leading to the selection of final remedies for the remaining contaminated areas are being conducted, EPA has determined that there is no immediate danger to the nearby residents or the environment. Available at http://www.epa.gov/region02/superfund/npl/0201168c.pdf



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