FACT SHEET - Middlesex Municipal Landfill, NJ

DESCRIPTION:  The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District, is addressing contamination at the Middlesex Municipal Landfill (MML) Site as part of the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP). This program authorizes USACE to identify, investigate, and clean up sites that were part of the nation’s early atomic energy and weapons programs.

The 37-acre MML site is located approximately 16 miles southwest of Newark on parcels belonging to the Borough of Middlesex and the Middlesex Presbyterian Church. The landfill ceased operations in 1974 and was covered with a two-foot soil layer in accordance with regulations at the time.

In the late 1940s, the landfill received soil contaminated with uranium ore from the Middlesex Sampling Plant, located half a mile south of the site. A series of investigations and remedial actions have occurred since:

• 1970s–1980s: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) conducted initial site characterization. This was followed by soil removal actions in 1984 and 1986 across a five-acre section on the northern end of the landfill.
• 2001–2003: Investigations by the Borough of Middlesex identified residual radiation along the landfill's southern boundary.
• 2008–2009: A subsequent radiological survey by the DOE found small areas of low-level surface radiation. This led to the site being declared eligible for FUSRAP in March 2009, and it was then referred to USACE.

AUTHORIZATION/PROJECT DESCRIPTION: MML is being addressed under the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP). The Energy and Water Appropriations Bill transferred management of the FUSRAP to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), when it was signed into law on October 13, 1997. FUSRAP was created in 1974 to clean up sites where work was performed during the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s as part of the nation's early atomic energy program. Most of those contaminated sites were cleaned up under the guidelines in effect at the time, which were not as strict as today’s standards in most cases.

STATUS: 

In accordance with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), USACE has completed a Preliminary Assessment, Site Inspection, Remedial Investigation, Feasibility Study, and Proposed Plan for the project.

A Record of Decision was issued in Fiscal Year (FY) 2022, formalizing the cleanup plan. The selected remedy involves:

1. Excavating soils containing FUSRAP contaminants.
2. Sorting the materials to separate the contaminated soil.
3. Disposing of the contaminated material in a licensed or permitted landfill.

Path Forward

The remedial design was completed in FY 2025. Procurement for the remedial action contract is currently underway, with the contract scheduled for award in FY 2026.

PROJECT DOCUMENTS

MML FUSRAP Final Record of Decision