EPA starts cleanup work at Passaic River

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has started work to remove contaminated sediment from the Lower Passaic River in New Jersey, US.

The work will include installation of vertical steel walls in the river to enclose the area and to remove the sediment without spreading contamination.

 The cleanup of the Lower Passaic River will be carried out in two phases.

 The first phase will involve protecting the river and conducting the cleanup and the communities along the river.

 About 30,600m3 of highly contaminated sediment will be removed and then piped to a processing facility in the first phase.

 Under the second phase, 122,500m3 of sediment will be removed from the same area of the Passaic River.