EPA names part of Hackensack River to Superfund list
Source: Associated Press
EPA names part of Hackensack River to Superfund list
March 17, 2022
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Sediment in a stretch of the Hackensack River in northern New Jersey has traces of arsenic, lead and other contaminants and was named Thursday as a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Superfund site, federal and state regulators said.
Later assessments could reveal more about possible health effects, but for now, officials cautioned that the contaminants could be absorbed by fish in the 19-mile (30-kilometer) stretch of river, which runs from the Oradell Reservoir Dam nearly to the mouth of Newark Bay. Warnings against consuming any fish from the river have already been posted, officials said.
The listing, which must still be finalized, means that the site will undergo a clean-up process, funded by still unidentified responsible parties, but that could take years.
EPA Region 2 Administrator Lisa Garcia and New Jersey’s top environmental regulator Shawn LaTourette hailed the listing on EPA’s National Priorities List as a welcome development.
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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/environment-new-jersey-environment-hackensack-us-environmental-protection-agency-4e76a65b638af8ff467673f99f120b60
FILE - A New Jersey Transit train rides across a portal bridge over the Hackensack River, Friday, Nov. 14, 2014, in Kearny, N.J. Sediment in a 19-mile stretch of the Hackensack River in northern New Jersey has traces of arsenic, lead and other contaminants and is being named as a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Superfund site, federal and state regulators said Thursday. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)