Passaic River mudflats in Lyndhurst are in the process of being capped, now that dredging is done
LYNDHURST –
Cleanup of a five-acre stretch of Passaic River mudflats in Lyndhurst at River Mile 10.9 has reached one objective and has begun the next phase.
The Lower Passaic River Study Area Cooperating Parties Group, a corporate partnership that has accepted responsibility for removing toxins from the waterway, completed dredging of that limited section on Oct. 4, excavating 16,050 cubic yards of tainted sediment, according to David Kluesner, spokesman for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which is monitoring the work along with CDM Smith consulting engineers, its oversight contractor.
“Equipment was removed from the dredge site by Oct. 6. Processing of dredged material was completed on Oct. 18, when the final load of material was sent via rail to a disposal facility in Oklahoma,” Kluesner said.
An estimated total of 20,600 tons of processed sediment was transported and, of that total, 11,525 tons was “received at landfill,” while nearly 900,000 gallons of wastewater was transported offsite, according to a CPG fact sheet.
The work continued despite the partial shutdown of the federal government between Oct. 1 and 17, Kluesner noted.
“On Nov. 5, the CPG mobilized equipment to cap the dredged areas with sand, activated carbon and stone. Equipment at the site will include a flat deck barge, belt conveyors and related capping equipment. Capping operations began Nov. 7 and are expected to be completed in January 2014. Over the next two months, barges carrying capping material will be moved up and down the river on a daily basis,” said Jonathan Jaffe, spokesman for CPG.
Updates on barge movements and bridge openings are available by visiting the CPG website, www.rm109. com.
– Ron Leir
