OCTOBER 7, 2016--On October 5, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a major step forward in the cleanup and restoration of the Passaic River in New Jersey by securing $165 million to design a $1.38 billion remedy for an 8-mile section of the river that was announced in March of 2016.

The sediment of the lower Passaic River, which is part of the Diamond Alkali Superfund Site, is severely contaminated with dioxin, PCBs, heavy metals, pesticides and other contaminants. Fish and shellfish in the lower Passaic and Newark Bay are highly contaminated and fisheries have long been closed due to the contamination. NOAA and our co-trustees are assessing natural resource damages in the Lower Passaic River and Greater Newark Bay. The lower 8.3 miles of the Passaic River is the most heavily contaminated section of the river and addressing this portion of the site will bring us closer to the eventual recovery of this important natural resource. Please see related story on OR&R’s involvement in this case: How Do You Begin to Clean up a Century of Pollution on New Jersey’s Passaic River? For further information, contact Reyhan.Mehran@noaa.gov Go back to OR&R Weekly Report.