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Saturday, September 04, 2010


Newark Bay is part of the New York/New Jersey Harbor Estuary, which is in the center of one of the most urbanized and industrialized parts of the nation. Newark Bay itself is approximately six miles long and one mile wide and is located at the confluence of the Passaic and Hackensack Rivers between the shores of Newark and Elizabeth to the west, Jersey City and Bayonne to the east, and Staten Island to the south. Newark Bay is linked to both the Upper and Lower New York Bay by the Kill Van Kull and the Arthur Kill, respectively. Port Newark, one of the nation's largest ports for containerized cargo, is located on the western shore of Newark Bay and is used to transfer goods from cargo vessels to rail and truck lines serving the area. The industrialization and urbanization of the Newark Bay area resulted in habitat loss, sediment contamination, degraded water quality, and the need for the area to be under fish and shellfish consumption bans and advisories. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency signed an agreement with Occidental Chemical Corporation in 2004 to perform a Newark Bay Study under the authorities of the Superfund program. This study will assess the nature and extent of contamination in the Newark Bay area and develop cleanup plans to address those problems, as necessary. The Newark Bay study area includes Newark Bay and portions of the Hackensack River, the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull. For information regarding the Passaic River, please visit www.OurPassaic.org

Alerto de Cangrejos de Tenazas Azules en la Region de la Bahia de Newark

There are fish and shellfish consumption advisories in place for the Newark Bay region. Most importantly, everyone should be aware that eating blue claw crabs from this area may cause cancer and harm brain development in unborn and young children. People found catching crabs in this area can be fined by the state of New Jersey. For additional information on the Newark Bay area advisories, please call toll free 1-866-DEP-KNOW, or visit www.state.nj.us/dep/dsr/njmainfish.htm.

Exposure to low levels of some contaminants in the environment may have long lasting health effects on people. Mercury, PCBs and dioxins are among the major contaminants found in some New Jersey fish in portions of the state. These contaminants can be especially harmful to women of childbearing age, pregnant women and nursing mothers. Children are also at risk of developmental and neurological problems if exposed to these chemicals.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and Department of Health and Senior Services (NJDHSS) provide advice on consuming those species of fish in which high levels of dioxin, PCBs and mercury have been found.

Click here for the NJDHSS Woman's Guide to Eating Fish and Seafood.

OCCIDENTAL CHEMICAL AGREES TO CONDUCT NEWARK BAY CONTAMINATION INVESTIGATION
FOR RELEASE: Friday, February 13, 2004

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that Occidental Chemical Corporation (OCC) has agreed to conduct an investigation in Newark Bay with EPA oversight, to determine the extent of dioxin and other industrial contamination in bay sediment and develop an appropriate cleanup plan. Read Press Release

Amendment to EPA's February 2004 Settlement [March 2010]: Effective March 18, 2010, EPA's February 2004 administrative settlement with Occidental Chemical Corporation (OCC) has been amended for OCC to take over risk assessment activities and to work with the Passaic River Cooperating Parties Group to conduct modeling as part of the Newark Bay Study. OCC will perform the study under EPA oversight. Click here for the amendment. Click here for the 2004 AOC.

Final Screening-Level Ecological Risk Assessment [December 2008]: In order to identify the potential for contaminants within the Newark Bay Study Area to adversely affect ecological receptor populations and to determine whether additional ecological evaluation is necessary, a screening-level ecological risk assessment (SLERA) was performed. This SLERA includes a conceptual site model, the contaminants of potential ecological concern, and a preliminary exposure assessment performed using conservative assumptions. Click here to download the SLERA. Click here to download the attachments and appendices to the SLERA.

Phase I and Phase II Field and Data Report Released [October 2008]:

To define the nature and extent of contamination in the Newark Bay Study Area, two phases of work have been performed so far, in 2005 and 2007. Although the data from these phases of work were provided electronically via this website, we are now releasing a report that compiles the Phase I and Phase II data, summarizes the work done, and includes graphical presentations of surface sediment concentrations and maximum sediment concentrations at each sampling location. Click here to download the Field and Data Report.

EPA Approves Report on the Biologically Active Zone: [October 2008]

One of the goals of the Phase I work performed in the Newark Bay Study Area was to estimate the depth of the biologically active zone (BAZ) throughout the different areas of the bay. A draft BAZ Report was produced as a result of the work done in 2005. Based on comments from the government partners, the BAZ Report was revised, and the final report has now been approved. Click here to download the Final BAZ Report.

Phase II RIWP Sampling Results Released [August 2008]:

Phase II RIWP sampling was implemented from October 23, 2007 through December 14, 2007. Fifty-two sediment cores were targeted for sampling, however, two needed to be abandoned due to lack of fine-grained sediment at those locations. The sediment sample analytical results from the Phase II RIWP effort are available in Microsoft Access database format. To download and review the Phase II RIWP analytical data, click here and for the sample location map, click here.

Project News....

The government agencies involved in the Lower Passaic River Restoration Project and the Newark Bay Study will be holding joint project meetings to discuss progress with stakeholders.

The next Passaic River-Newark Bay Project Delivery Team (PDT) meeting will be on September 1, 2010 at 1-3pm, at the North Jersey Transportation Authority (NJTPA) conference room in Newark, NJ. Please contact Elizabeth Butler at 212-637-4396 or butler.elizabeth@epa.gov if you plan to attend.