EPA to Remove Mercury from Bottom of
Pompton Lake in Pompton Lakes, New
Jersey
Contact:
John Martin, (212) 637-3662, martin.johnj@epa.gov
(New York, N.Y. – December 19, 2012) The U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency today announced its plan to remove mercury
contamination from the sediment of the Acid Brook Delta of Pompton Lake in
Pompton Lakes, New Jersey to levels that meet stringent standards to protect
people’s health and the environment. The plan will go into effect as a modification
of a permit, which legally requires the E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company,
Inc. to fund and perform the work. Under the permit modification, the EPA will require
DuPont to dredge at least 100,000 cubic yards of mercury contaminated sediment
from the bottom of a 40-acre area of Pompton Lake and remove at least 7,800
cubic yards of contaminated soil from a shoreline area of the lake affected by
DuPont’s past discharges. All of the sediment and soil will be sent to a
licensed disposal facility.
Mercury
in the sediment and soil 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.
“The
removal of mercury-contaminated sediment from Pompton Lake is a major step
toward the recovery of the lake and the protection of people’s health,” said EPA
Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck. “The expanded dredging and other
revisions in the final cleanup plan reflect the EPA’s commitment to protecting
public health and improving environmental quality in Pompton Lakes.”
In November 2011, the EPA proposed a
preliminary permit modification to remove contaminated sediment from the bottom
of Pompton Lake and encouraged the public to comment on it. A public hearing on
the proposed permit modification was held in January 2012. The final permit
modification announced today incorporates changes that were made in response to
comments from the public and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and additional
technical information received from DuPont after the proposed permit
modification was issued. A public meeting to discuss the permit modification for
the Acid Brook Delta of Pompton Lakes will be held on January 15, 2013.
Under the final permit modification, the area
of sediment that will be removed has been expanded by approximately 35% and
sediment sampling is required to identify additional areas of the lake that may
require the removal of mercury-contaminated sediment. In addition, DuPont is
required to implement long-term monitoring of the effectiveness of the dredging,
restore the soil between Lakeside Avenue and the edge of the lake, and perform
an ecological risk assessment to determine whether additional action may be
needed in the future. DuPont will be required to develop work plans for these
requirements, which must be submitted to the EPA for approval. The cleanup will
be financed and conducted by DuPont with EPA oversight.
The
E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, Inc. 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 ground water both on and off-site. Lead and
mercury from its operations were released into Acid Brook, which flows through
the eastern part of the facility and discharges into the Acid Brook Delta of
Pompton Lake. DuPont’s operations also contaminated the ground water with
chlorinated volatile organic compounds, such as tetrachloroethylene,
trichloroethylene, cis 1,2-dichloroethylene and vinyl chloride.
The cleanup of the Acid Brook Delta requires a
modification of the permit under the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery
Act. The final permit modification will become effective on February 4, 2013
pending any requests for appeal submitted prior to that date.
Plans
to clean up the remaining areas of contamination will be proposed through future
permit modifications after ongoing investigations by DuPont have been completed
and reviewed by the EPA and the New Jersey Department of
Environmental Protection. Opportunities for public participation will continue
to be provided through regular updates, public notices and public
meetings.
The
permit modification and relevant documents are available at the EPA’s project
website at: http://www.epa.gov/region02/waste/dupont_pompton/index.html.
The
public also can review documents related to the permit modification and cleanup
at:
Pompton
Lakes Public Library
333
Wanaque Avenue, Pompton Lakes, New Jersey
(973)
835-0482
Technical and legal documents related to the
proposed cleanup, including the existing permit and proposed permit
modification, can be reviewed Monday through Friday from 8 AM to 4 PM
at:
EPA
RCRA Records Center
290 Broadway, 15th Floor, Room 1538
New
York, NY 10007-1866
(212)
637-3043
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EPA Region 2 on Twitter at http://twitter.com/eparegion2
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