Ciba Specialty Chemicals Corp. and Novartis Corp. have agreed to perform soil cleanup under an agreement with EPA and the U.S. Justice Department. The Ciba-Giegy Superfund site in the Toms River, N.J., will undergo a cleanup project estimated at more than $90 million under a consent decree lodged in the U.S. District Court in Newark, N.J. The two corporations will also reimburse the EPA $250,000 for its past costs associated with the soil cleanup project.

The company already has spent an estimated $60 million on activities related to ground water cleanup at the site, and has already reimbursed EPA almost $12 million, EPA offcials said.

Under EPA oversight, the corporations have agreed to treat or dispose of approximately 150,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil and over 30,000 drums of contaminated hazardous and solid waste. The EPA said they have also agreed to install caps and barrier walls in the subsurface to prevent movement of contaminants into ground water, and perform future monitoring at the site to ensure the effectiveness of the cleanup.