EPA Ready to Move Forward with Superfund Clean-up in Monmouth County

A Superfund site impacting a commercial and residential area along Route 35 in Wall Township, Manasquan and Sea Girt will be remediated.

The Federal Environmental Protection Agency has given final approval to a nearly $19,000,000 plan to clean up properties where two dry cleaning businesses operated from around 1960 to 1991.

Ground water and soil contamination are believed to have come from the White Swan and Sun Dry cleaning companies.

John Martin, a spokesman for the EPA, said at the White Swan site, polluted soil will be removed and replaced with clean soil. He added, contaminated soil at the Sun Cleaners site will be cleaned with a vapor extraction treatment system and ground water pollution there will be pumped out, cleaned and put back in. He said air-monitoring will be done to assure concerned residents that there isn't any residual contamination that might spread to their properties.

Bank of America, which owned the properties, will foot the entire cost of the clean-up.

The White Swan/Sun Dry Cleaners properties were added to the list of Superfund sites in 2004.