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Belmar details $760,000 plan to remove contaminated soil at 1200 Main Street
Summary
Consultants told Belmar council the former Amico gas station at 1200 Main Street has soil and groundwater contamination that likely migrated off-site; the borough expects to excavate source soil, close part of 12th Avenue for 4–5 weeks and spend about $760,000 to complete the next phase of cleanup.
Chris Palmonico, the licensed site remediation professional assigned to Belmar's 1200 Main Street project, told the borough council and members of the public that investigations found both soil and groundwater contamination around the former Amico gas station and that contamination appears to have migrated across 12th Avenue.
Palmonico summarized the site's environmental history, noting underground storage tanks dating to the 1940s and sampling that first detected leaking tanks and free-floating gasoline in monitoring wells in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He said additional post-purchase testing in 2022 and further sampling and excavation in 2024 produced a mix of clean (blue) and contaminated (red) samples that informed the borough's remedial planning.
The LSRP described the planned remedial approach as the standard sequence of site investigation, remedial investigation and remedial action leading to a response action outcome (RAO) once cleanup is complete. He said the next steps include a targeted soil excavation in the northern portion of the site, vapor-intrusion testing at potentially affected properties, installation and monitoring of groundwater wells, and continued delineation of the plume.
"So once the soil is removed, then the site is fairly usable," Palmonico said, explaining that removing the source soil should allow groundwater concentrations to decline through monitored natural attenuation.
Palmonico walked the council through practical logistics: the contaminated soil sits roughly five to eight feet below grade under a thin layer of clean material; trench boxes and dewatering will be required because of the shallow water table; utility lines in the excavation area will need to be supported; and excavated soils will be stockpiled temporarily and then transported off-site for disposal. He estimated traffic impacts on 12th Avenue would last about four to five weeks while work is completed.
On cost, the consultant said the remaining work is estimated at about $760,000, with earlier tasks (preliminary assessment, site investigation and some remedial investigation) paid in part from approximately $300,000 that had been held in escrow at purchase. Palmonico said earlier due diligence work did not fully delineate the off-site extent of contamination and that more sampling was required after purchase.
During a lengthy public Q&A, residents asked whether the tanks had been removed, whether the $300,000 escrow had been exhausted, whether additional off-site sampling had been performed before purchase, and whether the borough could pursue legal remedies against former owners. Palmonico and borough staff responded that the tanks were removed, that much of the escrow has been spent on assessments, and that legal questions would be handled by borough counsel.
Next steps described to the council include additional delineation of soil at the northernmost sample locations, conducting vapor-intrusion tests at potentially affected buildings, commencing the proposed targeted excavation, and continuing groundwater monitoring until concentrations decline sufficiently to support an RAO.
The presentation concluded with consultants offering contact information for follow-up questions from residents and staff.
