Oil spills in New Jersey Best answer on the web

Jan 08, 2009 @ 04:20 am by jack
  • Were there any oil spills of any kind in New Jersey particularly in property owned by Shell Oil Company before 1976?


  • So just to be clear. Nothing at that particular address regarding spillage other than this report?
    If not I'll read the report and go from there. Thx.


  • Hello again, hcane-ga.

    Glad to hear that the report I found is "fabulous" -- it's available as a sample report for the type of work done by a commercial consulting firm, so it's actually quite a coincidence that the report zero's in so closely to the area of interest to you.
    For starters, have a look at the EDR Inc. web page at:


    http://www.edrnet.com/reports/radius_map.html


    which gives a description of their "radius map" reports:

    ==========

    EDR Radius Map Report

    This map-based report identifies sites with real or potential environmental issues. Environmental databases are searched within a radius as defined by ASTM E 1527 or tailored to client specifications.
    Each EDR Radius Map Report includes an overview and detail map. Additional features shown on maps include sensitive receptors, waterways and major roads, NPL site boundaries, wetlands, coal gas sites, oil and gas lines, powerlines, 100 and 500 year flood zones, and earthquake epicenters.
    ==========

    The actual sample report for the 07073 Radius Map report that I mentioned earlier is here:


    www.edrnet.com/reports/samples/nj_sample.pdf



    All 200+ pages of it!


    I think this report should meet your needs, and then some.

    But before rating this answer, please let me know if there is any additional information that you need. Just post a Request for Clarification and I'll be happy to assist you further.
    All the best...And thanks for price hike!

    pafalafa-ga


    search strategies -- Google searches on:

    nj brownfields

    site remediation njdep

    remediation 07073


  • Fabulous!

    Notice that I increased the list price!!! Please post the link as an answer!

    Thanks!


  • Hello again, hcane-ga.

    It's an awfully big job to reconstruct the spill history of a specific site, but you may be in luck on this one!

    I've located a document that is a very comprehensive review (more than 200 pages) of actual and potential sources of contamination in the 07073 zip code, specifically, at a site near the intersection of Murray Hill Parkway and Manor Road.
    The report makes reference to the Keller spill at 1 Madison Street, and also references a spill at Delsaco Foods Corp at 164 Madison St. There is no mention of Shell that I can find.
    The report mentions hundreds of actual and potential sources of contamination, and provides a history on many of these.
    For instance, it provides a detailed description of a Velsicol chemical site along Berry's Ck that was sued by the state of NJ in 1976 for extensive air and groundwater contamination.
    Another site in E. Rutherford was cited in 1980 for a history of dumping more than 4.5 million gallons of waste solvents and other chemicals in an unlined lagoon (the actual date of the dumping is not given in the report, but probably can be teased out of the many databases or contact information provided in the report).
    There are descriptions of many such sites in the report.


    There are also several dozens databases and other sources of information that are referenced in the report.

    There is a great deal of information here -- and many leads to sources of additional information -- regarding the local area in the 07073 zip code.
    If there is information available on your particular site, it would likely be found in the same sources used in this report.

    Should I post a link to the report as an answer to your question...? While it will not provide full details on the actual site you're interested in, it will certainly be an in-depth pointer to the many databases and public records where additional information may be found.
    Let me know what you think.


    pafalafa-ga


  • Hello hcane-ga,

    There were undoubtedly oil spills in NJ prior to 1976, and a good likelihood that some of these came from Shell Oil facilities. However, a lot of contamination was only first identified in the 1980's, and it's not always clear when the spill itself (or spills, as the case may be) took place.
    For instance, here's one description of a contamined site in NJ:


    =====
    Contamination was first detected at this site in 1988, when gasoline vapors and gasoline-contaminated soil were encountered during the installation of service equipment. The Shell Oil Company, a Potentially Responsible Party for the site, installed on-site ground water monitor wells to delineate the extent of the ground water contamination under the NJDEP's Bureau of Underground Storage Tanks (BUST).
    The site continued to operate as a Shell service station until late 1989, when all of the underground storage tanks and the above ground and subsurface equipment were removed. At that time, 620 cubic yards of contaminated soil were also excavated from the tank field and disposed of at an off-site location. The underground storage tanks and pumps were replaced with new equipment and a new operator began marketing another brand of gasoline in 1990. However, Shell Oil Company continued to monitor the ground water at the site under the oversight of NJDEP.
    =====

    There are dozens of sites in NJ similar to the one described above, and many of these are affiliated with Shell Oil in one fashion or another.
    Is this sort of thing helpful at all? Is this the type of contamination you have in mind, or are you looking for stories about massive oil spills along the lines of the Exxon Valdez and similar events?
    Let me know a bit more about what you need. Thanks.


    pafalafa-ga


  • Address: One Madison Street
    East Rutherford, NJ 07073 Bergen County
    Tax Block and Lot Number Block 16B, Lots 5& 6

    This property was owned by Shell Oil Company from an unknown date until 1969. In 1969, Keller Engineering purchased a portion of this lot (Lot 5). In 1976 30,000 gallons of #2 oil spilled. I'm looking for any other kinds of spills of any nature that occurred on this particular property prior to the 1976 spill. It could have been owned by Shell or Keller but the focus is more on the property not necessarily Shell. I do believe pafalafa-ga is on the right track!


  • hcane-ga,

    That's correct.

    There's nothing that showed up in the information I searched regarding the location at 1 Madison Street, except the reference (in the EDR report) to the Keller Engineering spill (it appears on page 178 of the report).
    Let me know if you need any assistance checking through the report itself.

    pafalafa-ga