Mayor wants reassessment of toxic site
BY REBECCA MORTON Staff Writer

MARLBORO- Municipal officials are working to have the Imperial Oil property, a 15-acre tract off Tennent Road near Route 79, cleaned up and rid of its chemical contamination once and for all.

The Imperial Oil industrial property was declared a federal Superfund site in the 1980s. It was one of several Superfund sites in Marlboro.

On Feb. 12 Mayor Jonathan Hornik and Township Councilman Frank LaRocca toured the contaminated site with representatives of the federal Environmental ProtectionAgency (EPA). Hornik reported that jurisdiction for the toxic waste site had previously been with the state Department of Environmental Protection but is now under the EPA.

"The cleanup of the site has been ongoing for too many years; it is time to complete the project with no more delays," Hornik said in a prepared release.

The mayor said the cleanup of the Imperial Oil site is an important goal for his administration. Following the meeting at the site Hornik sent a letter to the EPArequesting information to keep his administration up to date on progress. In his letter Hornik requested information about well monitoring, borings that were placed around the property and at the mouth of a stream and other relevant data.

Hornik gave a summary of his Feb. 12 meeting with the EPA representatives during the Township Council's meeting on Feb. 21. He mentioned seeing discolored areas of soil and leaves, resulting in his request that the EPA provide a soil and water test. The mayor asked in his letter to the EPAthat a list of contaminants that will be tested for be submitted to his office prior to any tests being conducted.

Hornik, who expressed concern about safety at the Imperial Oil site, requested that the area be clearly marked to prevent anyone from approaching or entering the contaminated areas.

"The contamination on the Imperial Oil site dates back to the 1980s. While some progress has been made over this 20- plus-year period, it's time that this site be fully remedied so the people of Marlboro can live and breathe in a clean environment," Hornik said.