The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has reached a settlement with Occidental Chemical Corp. to perform engineering and design work necessary to clean up 8.3 miles of New Jersey’s lower Passaic River, the most polluted portion.
Sediment in the Passaic River is severely polluted with dioxin, PCBs, heavy metals, pesticides and other contaminants. The pollution is largely caused by the former Diamond Alkali facility in Newark, where the production of Agent Orange and other pesticides during the 1960s generated dioxin that contaminated the land and river. The lower 17 miles of the river are part of the Diamond Alkali Superfund site, and the EPA says 90% of the river’s pollution is concentrated in the lower 8.3 miles.