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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has added the Raritan Bay Slag site, including waterfront areas in Old Bridge and Sayreville, to the national Superfund clean-up list.
There have been concerns about the area for years, since metal slag from blast furnace bottoms was deposited along the Laurence Harbor seawall in Old Bridge in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Tests by New Jersey's environmental and health agencies found elevated levels of lead, antimony, arsenic and copper contaminated about 2,500 feet of the seawall.
Investigations expanded to the nearby beach and park, and two years ago the state Department of Environmental Protection sent letters to Laurence Harbor residents alerting them to the hazard. The township fenced off the area.While that study was underway, the agencies also examined about 50 acres along Margaret's Creek in Old Bridge, where they found elevated levels of lead. A third study focused on the Sayreville waterfront, and identified similar problems in an area extending from the western jetty into Cheesquake Creek Inlet in the bay.
The state then requested EPA to add the area to the Superfund, which offers the chance of funds for the cleanups.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Coast Guard conducted reconnaissance along the shores of the Arthur Kill, Raritan River and Staten Island to identify other areas that might have been contaminated by the slag. The state and federal agencies will try to identify the extent of problems and develop an effective response.
For a Google Earth aerial view of the Raritan Bay Slag site, click here. (Please note that you must have Google Earth installed on your computer to view the map. To download Google Earth, click here).
– JOE TYRRELL, NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
