Procter & Gamble – PFAS Consideration, Sampling, and Analysis

In 2018, Procter and Gamble shut down its plant in the Avenel township to shift operation to a facility in Ohio. The plant, which manufactured chemicals and fragrances for Tide detergent and other products, triggered the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Agency to enact an Industrial Site Recovery Act (ISRA). ISRA requires owners of facilities with specific industrial classifications to investigate and remediate prior to property transfers when the business ceases operations or is sold. BATTA was contracted to conduct Preliminary Assessments on the site to meet the Technical Requirements for Site Remediation at N.J.A.C. 7:26E- 3.1 and 3.2 to determine if there may be any potentially contaminated areas of concern that require further investigation. After the initial preliminary assessment, BATTA conducted a Site Investigation (SI), subsequent analysis, risk evaluation, and remediation.

BATTA conducted an initial preliminary assessment to determine if the site had any areas of concern. Once the areasof concern were identified, Site Investigations were completed using soil borings and groundwater samples. Soil and groundwater samples were submitted from the suspected PFAS impacted areas and then submitted to laboratory for analysis. Both soil and groundwater screening levels were based upon the ingestion pathway. The results of the laboratory analysis were then compared against NJDEP screen levels for all appropriate PFAS compounds. The potential risk from PFAS were evaluated following NJDEP and USEPA risk assessment guidance. Based on the results of the SI and analysis, BATTA conducted a series of slug tests in the existing monitoring wells to determine the site-specific hydraulic conductivity of the aquifer. The data was then used to design a dewatering system to lower the water table below the known PFAS impacted soils. Once the water table was lowered to the target elevation, soil excavation took place to excavate and dispose the PFAS impacted soil. Once post-excavation indicated PFAS was no longer present in the source areas soil, the excavation was backfilled with NJDEP certified clean soil.