Trucks for an environmental remediation contractor hired by the NJDEP sit outside the Marion Courts condo complex last week. The parking lot was closed due to an unrelated roof replacement project. (Photo by Brian Donohue. Click to enlarge.)
By BRIAN DONOHUE
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has installed a mitigation system at Red Bank’s Marion Street condominium complex, where elevated levels of chemical vapors were detected inside homes.
Marion Courts. Below, a pipe in the ground is the only visible sign of the “vapor mitigation system.” (Photo by Brian Donohue. Click to enlarge.)
The nine-unit Marion Courts complex, recognizable for its unique architecture, sits on the site of a former dry-cleaning business near the corner of Harrison Avenue. Residents remain in their homes as the remediation work continues.
Indoor air samples collected on the property found tetrachloroethylene (PCE) and trichloroethene (TCE) above indoor air remediation standards in multiple condominium units, a DEP spokesperson told redbankgreen in an email. Information on the DEP’s public database indicate the tests took place in February.
The DEP recently installed “vapor mitigation systems” that direct vapors emanating from the soil away from living areas and into the open air outside, the spokesperson said.
The type of contamination detected at the site is a common problem at the sites of current and former dry cleaners.
According to the DEP spokesperson:
“PCE was once a widely used dry-cleaning solvent that is often detected with TCE on, or near, former dry cleaners. Vapor mitigation systems, also known as subsurface depressurization systems, use fans to remove vapor that would otherwise impact indoor air quality.”
One resident said the DEP began conducting tests as part of routine checks of dry cleaning sites, not in response to concerns from residents, who have not reported any health concerns. The resident said not all units in the complex showed elevated levels of vapors.
The resident cited several condo owners in the complex in their mid-90’s who have lived there for decades.
“Nobody has had any health issues, so this came as a surprise to us,’’ the resident said.
“I’m not concerned,’’ the resident said. “This is just another remediation. They’re taking care of it.”
Reports filed on the DEP public database indicate the state has installed a “sub slab depressurization system.” A description on the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation says “basically consists of a fan or blower which draws air from the soil beneath a building and discharges it to the atmosphere through a series of collection and discharge pipes. “
“This is a proven technology to protect occupants from soil gas intrusion,” the description reads.
The vapor concerns are not the neighborhood’s only ghost of New Jersey’s long legacy of widespread environmental contamination.
The condominium complex is adjacent to another publicly funded project that involves the removal of lead-contaminated soil at several residential properties.
That work began after the borough abruptly shut down a nearby community garden over concerns about lead in the soil. The lead was contained slag waste from an unknown smelting operation brought in as fill decades ago, officials have said. That remediation work is also ongoing.
The DEP advises anyone seeking more information on the Marion Courts site to follow the instructions below:
For further information, visit the DataMiner public database and use Program Interest number 1050680. To search a property by Program Interest number, click Search By Site on the DataMiner home page and then click the ID tab on the next page. To find this specific case, choose Site Remediation at the Program menu, enter the Program Interest number in the ID field, click Program Interest and then Submit.
Information about vapor mitigation, possible impacts to water and air quality, as well as potential health effects, may be found at www.nj.gov/dep/srp/guidance/vaporintrusion/indoor_air.htm
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