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Pallone, EPA Announce Start of Testing at Raritan Bay Slag Site |
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Washington, DC – Wednesday U.S. Representative Frank Pallone (NJ-06) and EPA Regional Administrator Judith Enck (Region 2) met to announce the start of testing at the Raritan Bay Slag Superfund site in Old Bridge, NJ. Testing of the site will begin by the end of April and last for three to four weeks.
Environmental organizations and community members also toured the site and participated in a roundtable discussion about the future of the site. The testing will take place at the Laurence Harbor Waterfront Park which is currently fenced off due to earlier testing which showed toxic levels of lead on the beachfront.
“It is essential that this site be cleaned up in a quick and comprehensive manner,” said Pallone. “This site is an integral part of the local community and is used heavily by the public for recreational activities; this is not some abandoned industrial site in the middle of nowhere.”
The testing will include the collection of soil and sediment samples along the seawall. Access to the walking path will be available except in the immediate vicinity of the excavation and the area will be fenced off as appropriate. At the completion of site activities, the test excavation areas will be restored to existing conditions.
Pallone, along with Senators Menendez and Lautenberg, worked to have EPA add the site to the Superfund National Priorities List. It was designated a Superfund site in November 2009. The designation made the site eligible for federal funding for site testing and cleanup.
Pallone has also introduced legislation to reinstate the Superfund tax that would restore the “polluter pays” policy to funding Superfund cleanup. If renewed, the tax would provide significant funding for cleanup at the Raritan Bay Slag site and other Superfund sites in New Jersey.
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