New Brunswick, New Jersey, Site

Background

The New Brunswick, New Jersey, Site was remediated under the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP). FUSRAP was established in 1974 to remediate sites where radioactive contamination remained from Manhattan Project and early U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) operations.

History

From 1948 until its closure in 1977, AEC and its successor, the Energy Research and Development Administration, operated the New Brunswick Site as a general nuclear chemistry laboratory.

The site was partially remediated in two phases between 1978 and 1983, including removal of all aboveground structures, contaminated concrete foundations, on-site drain lines, and contaminated soils on the front two-thirds of the property. In 1990, DOE designated the site for additional remediation of residual soil contamination under FUSRAP. DOE remediated localized areas of contamination in 1996 and certified that the site complied with applicable cleanup criteria and standards in 2001, releasing the property for unrestricted use. In 2009, at the request of the State regulator, DOE collected additional radiological data on drain lines entering a sanitary sewer in the public right of way and found no indication of above-background radioactivity.

The DOE transferred responsibility for the site from its Office of Environmental Management to its Office of Legacy Management (LM) in 2004. The site was transferred to a private owner in November 2009 and a waste transfer station is being constructed on the property.

Final Conditions

A deed restriction prohibits excavation in an area where soils containing arsenic are covered by a layer of clean soil. The owner inspects this restricted area every other year and submits a certification of protectiveness to the State regulator. LM’s long-term stewardship responsibilities consist of managing FUSRAP site records and responding to stakeholder inquiries. 

For more information about the New Brunswick FUSRAP Site, view the fact sheet.