(New York, N.Y.) In an historic action that will protect people's health and the environment, and benefit riverfront communities, the E.P.A. today suggested a project to remove 4.3 million cubic yards of highly contaminated sediment from the lower 8 miles of the Passaic River in New Jersey. The sediment in the Passaic River is severely contaminated with dioxin, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), heavy metals, pesticides and other contaminants from in excess of a century of industrial activity. The lower 8 miles of the Passaic is the most heavily contaminated section of the river. Ninety percent of the volume of contaminated sediments in the lower Passaic are in the lower 8 miles of the river.
The E.P.A. is proposing bank-to-bank dredging - one of the biggest volumes ever to be dredged under the EPA's Superfund plan - followed by capping of the river bottom.
The suggested project is based on an extensive seven-year study of the lower 8 miles of the river, known as a focused feasibility study, and was developed in consultation with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S.F.W.S., and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and with outreach to representatives of the many communities along the lower Passaic River. The study examined the contamination and analyzed options for reducing the risks that the contaminants in this segment of the river pose to people's health and the environment. The E.P.A. will accept public comments on its suggested project from April 21 to June 20.
The E.P.A. will hold 3 public meetings to explain the proposal.
* May 7, 2014 at seven p.m.
Portuguese Sports Club
55 Prospect Street
Newark, New Jersey, 07105
* May 2014 in Kearny, New Jersey
Specific date and location To Be Determined
* June 2014 in Belleville, New Jersey
Specific date and location To Be Determined
"High concentrations of dioxin, PCBs and other contaminants in the lower 8 miles of the Passaic River are a serious threat to the people who eat fish and crabs from this river," said Judith A. Enck, E.P.A. Regional Administrator. "The EPA's suggested cleanup project will result in a cleaner river that protects people's health and increases the productive use of one of New Jersey's most important natural resources and creates jobs during the cleanup. Doing less is not good enough for this river or the people who live along it."
A major source of dioxin in the river was pollution from the Diamond Alkali facility in Newark, New Jersey, where the production of Agent Orange and pesticides during the 1960s generated dioxin that contaminated the land and the river. In addition, approximately 100 companies are potentially responsible for generating and releasing dioxin, PCBs, heavy metals, pesticides and other contaminants into the river. Fish and shellfish in the lower Passaic, its tributaries and Newark Bay are highly contaminated with mercury, PCBs and dioxin. Fisheries along the river have long been closed due to the contamination. Catching crabs is prohibited and there are "Do Not Eat" advisories for all fish. Local projects for riverfront development have also been hindered because of sediment contamination. The location was added to the federal Superfund List in 1984.
The lower 17 miles of the Passaic River, which stretches from its mouth at Newark Bay to the Dundee Dam, are part of the Diamond Alkali Superfund site. From 1983 to 2001 extensive cleanup work was conducted on land at the Diamond Alkali facility and in the streets and homes near it. The suggested cleanup project announced today addresses the lower 8 miles of the river portion of the site.
Because of the nature and complexity of the Passaic River contamination, the E.P.A. divided the investigation and consideration of cleanup options into 2 studies - one of the entire 17-mile stretch of the Lower Passaic from its mouth to the Dundee Dam and the other focused on just the lower 8 miles. The study of the lower 8 miles was conducted by the EPA. A long-term study of contaminated sediment in the 17-mile stretch is ongoing. It is being conducted by a group of approximately 70 parties potentially responsible for the pollution, with the E.P.A. oversight. Information gained from the 17-mile study was integrated into EPA's suggestion for the cleanup of the lower 8 miles. A portion of Newark Bay is also being studied by one of the parties potentially responsible for the contamination.
In the lower Passaic River, there is an approximately 10-to-15-foot deep reservoir of contaminated fine-grained sediment in the lower 8 miles of the river. Under this plan, about 4.3 million cubic yards of contaminated sediment will be dredged and removed from the Passaic River. Once the top layer of contaminated sediment is removed from the river, a protective cap will be placed over the area that was dredged. The cap will consist of 2 feet of sand except along the shore where it will be one foot of sand and one foot of materials to support habitat for fish and plants. The cap will be monitored and maintained to ensure that the cleanup remains protective.
The suggested project includes several options for managing the contaminated sediment after dredging. Air and water quality will be monitored during the work.
After receiving and considering comments from the public, the E.P.A. will finalize a cleanup project by early next year. Once a project is finalized, engineering and design work necessary to carry out the project will be done in the following years.
The suggested project builds on dredging that has already occurred in 2 smaller areas with high concentrations of contaminants. In 2012, the E.P.A. oversaw dredging in the Passaic near the Diamond Alkali facility in Newark. About 40,000 cubic yards of the most highly dioxin contaminated sediment were removed, treated and then transported by rail to licensed disposal facilities. In 2013, the E.P.A. oversaw dredging of approximately 16,000 cubic yards of highly contaminated sediment from a half-mile stretch of the Passaic River that runs by Riverside Co. Park North in Lyndhurst, New Jersey. This area is located about eleven miles north of the river mouth and outside of the lower 8 miles addressed in today's suggested plan. The work, which is ongoing, was necessary because the E.P.A. identified particularly high levels of contamination in the sediment in this portion of the river.
The Superfund plan operates on the principle that polluters should pay for the cleanups, rather than passing the costs to taxpayers. The E.P.A. searches for parties legally responsible for the contamination at sites that are placed on the Superfund list and looks for to hold those parties accountable for the costs of investigations and cleanups. Most of the work to-date to clean up the Passaic has been performed by parties responsible for the contamination. The E.P.A. will similarly pursue agreements to ensure that the cleanup work suggested today be carried out and paid for by those responsible for the contamination at the site.
People may submit written comments by mail or email:
Alice Yeh, Remedial Plan Manager
E.P.A.
290 Broadway, New York, New York 10007-1866
(212) 637-4427
[email protected]
The project for the lower 8 miles of the Passaic River is accessible at
http://www.epa.gov/region02/passaicriver or
http://www.ourpassaic.org
Follow E.P.A. Region two on Twitter at
http://www.twitter.com/eparegion2 and visit our Facebook page,
http://www.facebook.com/eparegion2
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