New JerseySierraClub welcomes EPA Passaic River study.

Byline: David Hutter

The New Jersey Environmental Protection Agency will conduct a study on the Passaic River to determine the impact of dumped hazardous materials there to wildlife, according to environmental organizationNew JerseySierraClub.

The Occidental Chemical Corp. has paid $165 million in a settlement with EPA for the study and cleanup. The overall clean-up plan for the 17-mile stretch of the Passaic River is $1.4 billion,according to the New JerseySierraClub.

"The EPA study on the Passaic River pollution is a good start to know the degree of impact to wildlife like fish and birds,"Jeff Tittel, director of the New JerseySierraClub, said."This should have been done years ago. The study will show that EPA should move forward on a full cleanup of the river and not just a partial cap.

"New Jersey ruled that companies responsible for dumping hazardous materials in the river would have to pay $4 billion for the cleanup. However, the EPA and Christie administration settled for $1.4 billion. What's even more concerning is that only one out of the five companies responsible has agreed to pay for further clean-up. The EPA study can be used to assess damages from chemical dumping and pollution from dioxane and other chemicals. The study is a good start and an important set-up for the basis of a [natural resource damages] case set by the state and federal government," he said.

The EPA's clean-up plan is only for 8.3 miles of the Diamond Alkali Superfund...