News Releases from Region 02
EPA Set to Oversee Second Phase of $43 Million Cleanup of Pompton Lake
Public Encouraged to Attend March 30th Public Session in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey
(New York, N.Y.) The second phase of Pompton Lake cleanup will begin this spring and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is holding a public session to discuss that work. During the 2017 season, the EPA will oversee dredging and removal of an approximate 128,000 cubic yards of sediment contaminated with mercury and lead from a 36-acre area where the Acid Brook flows into Pompton Lake, called the Acid Brook Delta. Lake bottom sediment was contaminated with mercury and lead from the DuPont (now Chemours) Pompton Lakes Works Site in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey.
“We had a very successful first season of lake cleanup thanks to the hard work and close coordination of EPA, local officials, Chemours and the Pompton Lakes community,” said Acting EPA Regional Administrator Catherine McCabe. “EPA will continue to work with local authorities and the community to ensure that the cleanup is effective and continues to go smoothly.”
In 2016, the EPA oversaw the first phase of cleanup work, which was performed by Chemours and included the removal, processing and off-site disposal of 28,810 cubic yards of soil and sediment. The EPA required monitoring of the air for mercury and dust as well as monitoring of water quality. The work was performed without exceedances of dust limits or air quality standards that were set for the project. Water from dredged sediment was treated and released back to the lake under a New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection permit. Treated water met the required discharge criteria with the exception of one release. Chemours addressed this issue through added treatment and process improvements.
The site is currently being prepared for the second phase of cleanup. Contractors are placing equipment on-site and installing utility lines to provide electricity to the work area. The work area is also being reconfigured to accommodate hydraulic dredging. The EPA is continuing to work with residents, the Borough of Pompton Lakes and school officials to minimize disruptions to the community.
The 2017 phase of cleanup includes the following:
- Installation of material processing equipment and water treatment systems to support hydraulic dredging in the Acid Brook Delta.
- Excavation of a small volume of soil from Area A1 in the Uplands Soil Area obstructed by the presence of a sewer line.
- Installation of a turbidity curtain to contain suspended sediment within the dredging area.
- Fish relocation.
- Hydraulic dredging of sediment in the Acid Brook Delta.
- Placement of an ecological layer over dredged areas within the Acid Brook Delta, the Island Area and Area A of Pompton Lake, and
- Monitoring of air and water quality
The EPA will be overseeing Chemours’ performance of this work.
The EPA will host a public availability session on Thursday, March 30th at 7:00 p.m. in the Carnevale Center located at 10 Lenox Avenue in Pompton Lakes. EPA officials will be on hand to answer questions and update residents on the status of environmental cleanup activities at the Pompton Lakes Works Site, including the dredging of Pompton Lake.
The E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, Inc., the predecessor to Chemours, operated the Pompton Lakes Works facility, located at 2000 Cannonball Road, from 1902 to April 1994. Products manufactured at the facility included explosive powder containing mercury and lead, detonating fuses, electric blasting caps, metal wires and aluminum and copper shells. The manufacturing operations and waste management practices contaminated soil, sediment and groundwater on and near the site. Mercury from lake bottom sediment can build up in the tissue of fish and other wildlife and pose a threat to people who eat them. Exposure to mercury can damage people's nervous systems and harm the brain, heart, kidneys, lungs and immune systems.
To learn more about the Pompton Lake cleanup, please visit: https://www3.epa.gov/region02/waste/dupont_pompton. Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter at http://twitter.com/eparegion2 and visit our Facebook page, http://facebook.com/eparegion2.
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