DOJ: Ford and Ringwood to Finalize Groundwater Cleanup at Superfund Site

DOJ News

Filed March 19th, 2026

Detected March 20th, 2026

Summary

The Department of Justice announced a consent decree requiring Ford Motor Company and the Borough of Ringwood, New Jersey, to perform the final phase of cleanup at the Ringwood Mines/Landfill Superfund Site. The $3.4 million settlement addresses benzene, 1,4-dioxane, and lead contamination in groundwater and mine water.

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What changed

The U.S. Department of Justice, along with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, has entered into a consent decree with Ford Motor Company and the Borough of Ringwood, New Jersey, to finalize the cleanup of the Ringwood Mines/Landfill Superfund Site. This agreement, lodged with the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, mandates a $3.4 million remediation effort targeting benzene, 1,4-dioxane, and lead contamination in groundwater and mine water, representing the final stage of cleanup for the site which has been under investigation and remediation for over four decades.

The settlement requires Ford and Ringwood to undertake specific actions to address contamination that poses an unacceptable health risk to nearby communities and could impact drinking water sources. While the consent decree is subject to public comment and final court approval, it signifies the resolution of Operable Unit 3. Regulated entities involved in Superfund sites should note the commitment to final remediation phases and the collaborative approach involving federal and state agencies, as well as private parties, in addressing long-standing environmental contamination.

What to do next

Review consent decree details upon public availability.
Monitor EPA and DOJ websites for updates on the consent decree's final approval.

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Press Release

Ford Motor Company and Borough of Ringwood to Perform Final Cleanup Targeting Groundwater at Ringwood Mines/Landfill Site in New Jersey

Thursday, March 19, 2026

Share For Immediate Release Office of Public Affairs Ford Motor Company (Ford) and the Borough of Ringwood, New Jersey, have agreed to a consent decree with the United States under the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), also known as the Superfund law.

This agreement requires Ford and Ringwood to perform the final phase of cleanup, known as Operable Unit 3, at the Ringwood Mines/Landfill Superfund Site located in Ringwood, New Jersey. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the Administrator of the New Jersey Spill Compensation Fund are also parties to the agreement as co-plaintiffs with the United States. The cleanup, expected to cost $3.4 million, addresses benzene, 1,4-dioxane, and lead contamination in groundwater and mine water associated with the historic disposal of paint sludge and other industrial waste at the Site. In the future, this groundwater may be used as a drinking water source for nearby communities. But today, use of the contaminated groundwater would pose an unacceptable health risk to those communities; this risk will be addressed by the cleanup required by this settlement.

The approximately 500-acre Ringwood Mines/Landfill Superfund Site is located in a historic iron mining district and includes forested land, abandoned mine pits and shafts, a closed municipal landfill, and areas currently used as state parkland, utility corridors, and municipal property. Several brooks drain the site and ultimately flow to the Wanaque Reservoir, a drinking water source for more than two million New Jersey residents.

From the late 1960s through the early 1970s, portions of the site were used to dispose of waste materials, including paint sludge and other industrial waste generated at Ford’s automobile assembly plant in Mahwah, New Jersey. Investigations found that some of these materials contributed to contamination in soil, groundwater, surface water, and mine shafts.

The site was added to the Superfund National Priorities List in 1983, removed in 1994 after cleanup actions were completed, and restored to the list in 2006 following the discovery of additional contamination. EPA divided the site into multiple cleanup areas, known as operable units. Cleanup work under Operable Unit 2, which addresses contaminated soil, waste, and fill material in several former mine and disposal areas, is nearing completion under a consent decree entered in 2020.

The agreement addressing Operable Unit 3 at the Ringwood Mines/Landfill Superfund Site represents the final stage of cleanup, bringing to a close over four decades of investigation and remedial work. For more information about the Ringwood Mines/Landfill Superfund Site, visit www.epa.gov/superfund/ringwood-mines.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) made the announcement.

EPA investigated the case.

ENRD’s Environmental Enforcement Section is handling the case.

The proposed consent decree was lodged in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. The settlement is subject to a public comment period and final court approval. The consent decree will be available for viewing on the Justice Department’s website at: www.justice.gov/enrd/consent-decrees.

Updated March 19, 2026 Topic Environment Components Environment and Natural Resources Division ENRD - Environmental Enforcement Section Press Release Number: 26-267