Is there any danger from NJ World War I munitions plant explosion a century ago?

SAYREVILLE – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has reached out to about 100 property owners in the Ernston Road area to determine if further environmental cleanup is needed after a huge munitions plant explosion more than a century ago.

The Oct. 4, 1918 explosion, just a month before the end of World War I at the Morgan Depot, an artillery shell loading plant, killed about 100 people and injured hundreds more.

The facility, one of the largest arms plants in the world at the time, was destroyed along with more than 300 surrounding buildings, forcing the evacuation and reconstruction of Sayreville, South Amboy and Laurence Harbor.

And now, a century later, the Corps of Engineers wants to make sure that the area is free of contamination and potentially dangerous material.

The study is designed to define the nature and extent of contamination and complete a risk assessment, said Gina Kaso, project manager with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New England District.

At this time, there are no known munitions hazards on any particular property, Kaso said.

Approximately 100 property owners were contacted and as of April 9, about 50 responses have been received.

Visits are planned for early summer, according to the Army Corps of Engineers.

During the remedial investigation, high tech metal detectors will be used to survey the ground subsurface – mainly vegetation areas, Kaso said.

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