EPA Superfund site
VENTRON/VELSICOL
Human exposure is NOT currently under control
Data limitations: Proximity to a Superfund site boundary does not mean your property is contaminated. EPA site boundaries show the area designated for cleanup, not the full extent of contamination. Groundwater plumes can extend beyond site boundaries. This tool shows publicly available EPA federal data. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by EPA, and is not a substitute for a professional environmental assessment.
About this site's exposure pathways
As of May 2026, the Ventron/Velsicol Superfund site is considered “Current Human Exposure Not Under Control” (HENC). Residents and recreational anglers are known or reasonably anticipated to be exposed by eating fish and crabs caught from Berry’s Creek. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) has issued fish and crab consumption advisories for this area based on contamination with mercury (including methylmercury) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).
Currently, the planned activities to address this pathway include:
- Implementing the 2018 interim remedy for Operable Unit 2 (OU2) to remove sediments and marsh soils contaminated with mercury, methylmercury, PCBs, and chromium within certain reaches of Berry’s Creek and the Upper Peach Island Creek marsh. EPA completed the remedial design for this work in September 2025 which includes the technical and engineering specifications for the cleanup of the site. Construction of the remedy is anticipated to start in 2027.
- Conducting follow-on studies for the marshes and downgradient reaches of Berry’s Creek after the interim remedy and selecting/implementing any additional actions needed based on post‑remedy data.
- Working with NJDEP and local partners to maintain and post fish consumption advisory signage at key public access points, conduct long‑term monitoring, and maintain institutional controls.
In addition, EPA and responsible parties have implemented upland source‑control measures that reduce contaminant loading to Berry’s Creek. Actions include excavation and off‑site disposal of mercury‑contaminated soils in uplands; capping soils above residential mercury levels (with institutional controls on eight properties); removal of mercury‑contaminated soils from ditches that discharge to the wetlands; installation of a vertical hydraulic barrier system to capture contaminated groundwater and prevent migration to the watershed; and groundwater use restrictions through a Classification Exception Area and Well Restriction Area.
If you may be affected, you can reduce your exposure by not eating fish or crabs from Berry’s Creek, practicing catch‑and‑release, avoiding contact with visibly contaminated sediments and marsh soils, and following posted signs and NJDEP advisories. For assistance, contact the EPA Community Involvement Coordinator Maya Greally via the site webpage or at 212-637-3588 or [email protected].
EPA currently anticipates that human exposure will be under control by September 2051 because the OU2 interim remedy will be completed, any necessary follow‑on marsh and downgradient actions will be implemented, upland source controls and institutional controls will be fully in place and effective, and long‑term monitoring is expected to demonstrate progress toward risk-based cleanup goals by that time, culminating in the Final Closeout Report (FCOR), as reflected in the Superfund Enterprise Management System the Superfund Enterprise Management System (SEMS).