Ford Motor Company has been working closely with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) to follow up on cleanup activities undertaken in the 1980s and 1990s at the Ringwood Mines Landfill Site in Ringwood, New Jersey, where waste materials from Ford's former assembly plant in Mahwah, New Jersey, were disposed from late 1967 through mid-1971. Other parties, including the Borough of Ringwood, used the site for the disposal of waste materials before, during, and after the period when Ford-related wastes were brought to the Site. 

Ford is providing this Progress Update to share information about developments in the investigation and cleanup of the Site during the months of July and August 2007.

Status of Removal Activities

Ford's contractor, ARCADIS, completed removal activities in SR-7 and began post-excavation sampling in the area under the oversight of USEPA (click here to see a map with the SR areas). Ford also began preparations for surface removal activities in SR-6, including installing vibration monitors, implementing erosion/sediment control measures and clearing debris (tires, abandoned cars and household wastes) from the immediate work area.

Paint sludge deposits have now been removed from all identified SR areas, with the exception of SR-5 and SR-6. Surface removal activities are under way in SR-6, and paint sludge deposits in SR-5 will be addressed as part of Peters Mine Pit.

SR-8 Groundwater Sampling

Following approval from USEPA to investigate an open cribbed mine shaft within SR-8, Ford lowered a camera into the shaft to investigate whether any waste materials were present in the shaft. Ford, USEPA and NJDEP reviewed the footage and identified a location to conduct water sampling. ARCADIS conducted groundwater sampling in the shaft in August under the oversight of the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Ford will post the results of this investigation once they have been approved by USEPA.

Peters Mine Air Shaft Groundwater Sampling

At the direction of USEPA, Ford submitted a work plan to sample groundwater within the Peters Mine air shaft (click here to see a map of the area). Ford collected the samples in August to assess the quality of groundwater in this area. Ford will post the results of this investigation once they have been approved by USEPA.

Geophysical Testing by the Borough of Ringwood

In response to a directive issued by the NJDEP on May 30, 2007, the Borough of Ringwood has agreed to perform additional geophysical testing in the Upper Ringwood residential area to address community concerns about potential sinkholes. Ford agrees that it is appropriate for the Borough to undertake the geophysical testing as potential public safety concerns associated with the long history of underground mining in the area are best addressed by the Borough, which is responsible for community-wide safety issues.

Ford, at USEPA's direction, has found that vibrations associated with Ford's investigative and removal activities are very low, and are significantly below the standards that the United States Bureau of Mines has established for residential areas. In fact, vibration levels generated by remedial/excavation activities were generally lower than 'background' vibration levels, including vibration levels resulting from local traffic in the area. USEPA confirmed these test results and concluded that Ford's activities did not cause the sinkholes nor increase the likelihood of subsidence issues on residential properties. As an additional precaution, however, USEPA directed Ford to conduct additional vibration monitoring on a real-time basis during paint sludge removal activities in the SR-6 area. In August 2007, Ford installed vibration monitors at multiple locations near SR-6. A summary of the monitoring results will be posted on Ford's Web site www.ringwoodsiteupdate.com once they have been approved by USEPA.

Air Monitoring

ARCADIS is monitoring air quality at the Site on a daily basis to test for the presence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). [For more information, view Ford's Q&A Fact Sheet on Air Monitoring.] Air monitors are located at the perimeter of the work area, and at off-site locations near the residences. To date, air monitoring has not detected VOCs beyond the boundary of the work area at concentrations above Minimal Risk Levels (MRLs) established by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.

Ford understands that the identification of odors at the site can create concerns, and Ford encourages residents to immediately notify ARCADIS at 610-428-4780 if they detect odors of concern while removal activities are being conducted on the site. Additional contacts are Jon Holt, Ford's Community Relations Representatives (908-832-0557) and the Ringwood Police Department (973-962-7017).

Cannon Mine Investigation

In March, Ford submitted a revised work plan for the investigation of the former Cannon Mine Area, a landfill area that was used for many years by the Borough of Ringwood for waste disposal. Ford-related materials were landfilled in the Cannon Mine Area for only a few months.

Based on USEPA's comments, Ford submitted a revised work plan which includes installation of 3 directional borings, excavation of 12 test pits and vibration monitoring. ARCADIS will also install 4 additional groundwater monitoring wells in the area and collect 10 surface soil samples. Ford will post the final work plan on its Web site www.ringwoodsiteupdate.com once it has been approved by USEPA.

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Ford is committed to addressing remaining environmental issues at the Ringwood Site associated with the disposal of Ford-related wastes. Ford is also committed to keeping the community informed and addressing questions or concerns about Site activities. If you would like a copy of previous issues of the Progress Update, or have any questions regarding activities at the Site, please contact Jon Holt, Ford Community Relations Consultant at (908) 832-0557.