Passaic River Restoration Initiative

Urban reaches of rivers nationwide contain severely contaminated sediments that may affect aquatic life and limit recreational and economic uses. EPA’s National Sediment Quality Study of 1997 identified 96 watersheds having 1.2 billion cubic yards of contaminated sediments. Typically, hundreds or even thousands of polluters (including municipal dischargers) may be responsible for the contamination in each individual watershed, due to a long history of contaminant releases (often spanning more than a century), and ongoing contamination from continuing discharges. Comprehensive efforts are needed to restore these rivers to healthy environmental and economic conditions.

One such river is the Passaic, which traverses New Jersey through Newark.  The Passaic River Restoration Initiative is a new cooperative approach to restoring the Passaic River. It will utilize the leadership of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), working through its civil works project development process in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, various concerned federal, state and local agencies, and other stakeholders.

Under this approach, the Corps will engage in a cooperative project planning and development process to identify and apply feasible solutions to achieve environmental restoration and economic revitalization of the Passaic River. This may include restoration of bottom sediments, restoration of associated wetlands and wildlife habitat, creation of recreational opportunities, and facilitation of economic development measures. The results of the project development process will be incorporated in a report to Congress from the Chief of Engineers.  The report will include recommendations for project implementation and apportionment of funding among the Federal government and non-Federal sponsors, an Environmental Impact Statement, and the views of concerned agencies.  Project implementation will require authorization by Congress.

The Passaic River Environmental Restoration Initiative is consistent with recommendations contained in numerous documents, such as the National Research Council's 1997 report on Contaminated Marine Sediments in Ports and Waterways: Cleanup Strategies and Technologies and EPA's 1998 Contaminated Sediment Management Strategy.  It has strong synergy with several other current major federal initiatives, such as those under Brownfields Redevelopment, setting of Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL), recent Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) based programs (such as the Ecosystem Restoration and Protection and Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration), the NY/NJ Harbor Estuary Program, and the Natural Resources Damage Assessment and Restoration program.

While the precise geographic area and the specific actions to be undertaken will be developed by the Corps through its cooperative planning process, the area will include the lower Passaic River, and also may include a portion of Newark Bay and some wetlands adjacent to lower reaches of the Hackensack River.

Congress took the first step in this initiative on April 11, 2000 when the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the U.S. House of Representatives approved a resolution authorizing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to conduct the Passaic River Environmental Restoration reconnaissance study.  Funding for the effort has been provided in the fiscal year 2001 and 2002 Energy and Water Development Appropriations bills and is included in the President’s FY 2003 budget request. The study currently is underway by the Corps’ New York District in conjunction with Region 2 of the U.S. Environmental, Protection Agency and the State of New Jersey.