Demolition of the 18 buildings in the 26-acre industrial park known as the Cornell-Dubilier Electronics Superfund site in South Plainfield has begun and could be completed by summer of 2008, federal officials said.

"We demolished an above- ground storage tank and we hope to bring the first building down in early February," said Peter Mannino, the project manager of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's central New Jersey remediation section.

The demolition is the first of three phases in the cleanup of the site, which is highly contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), 23 heavy metals, and 19 pesticides, Mannino said during the first of two public information sessions held at South Plainfield Borough Hall to detail the ongoing work. The site is at the corner of New Market Road and Hamilton Boulevard.

The demolition is needed to access the contaminated soil, which has discharged pollutants into groundwater and the nearby Bound Brook, a recreational spot for local residents. A plan to clean up the soil is now under design and is expected to begin next year. A plan for cleaning the groundwater and brook is still at least 18 months away, Mannino said.

Contamination was also found at 18 homes in the area located on Hamilton Boulevard, and Spicer and Arlington avenues, Mannino said. EPA contractors have cleaned up all but one of those properties, he said.

Kathleen Thomas, a councilwoman in South Plainfield, called the site a danger to everyone living in the area.

"It's a very long process, but it is very welcome to have work being done," Thomas said.

But, Robert Spiegel, executive director of the Edison Wetlands Association, believes the EPA is not doing enough.

Spiegel said pollution continues to discharge into the Bound Brook from the site, according to his group's experts.

"Edison Wetlands released its report to both the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the (state) Department of Environmental Protection," he said. "Yet, no steps have been taken to this point to address the contamination."

Spiegel called for interim measures to control the discharge until a permanent fix may be applied.

Mannino said investigative work done by his agency and the DEP have, to some extent, contradicted Spiegel's findings.

"EPA does not believe the industrial park continues to discharge into the Bound Brook," he said. "It's the other way around. The water from the Bound Brook flows into the groundwater at the site."

Mannino said the Bound Brook flows past several industrial sites and has been found to contain more than 1,500 contaminants, including those cited by Spiegel. Not all are from Cornell-Dubilier, he said.

The EPA shared its results with the state health department in 1996, and the state issued an advisory that fish taken from the brook should not be eaten, Mannino said. The advisory was posted along the brook.

Cornell-Dubilier manufactured electronic components at the facility from 1936 to 1962, first as a tenant and later as the property owner. Since the company moved out, more than 100 tenants have used the facility. Six tenants must still be relocated so all the buildings may be demolished.