The EPA Announces Final Cleanup Plan for 80-120 Lister Avenue portion of the Diamond Alkali Superfund Site [January 2025]

The EPA has finalized the plan to clean up the 80-120 Lister Avenue property in Newark, which is part of the Diamond Alkali Superfund site. The EPA’s final cleanup plan calls for continued operation of the existing remedy, with improvements including reinstalling and reactivating a total of seven groundwater pumps, upgrading the current groundwater treatment system, and making any necessary repairs to the existing cap covering contaminated materials. This approach builds on the previously completed work and would avoid the short-term risks associated with other options such as digging up and removing the contaminated material outright. The final cleanup plan (also called a Record of Decision), responses to public comments and Community Update fact sheet are available on the EPA’s Superfund web site.

Community Involvement Plan (CIP) for 80-120 Lister Avenue [July 2024]

The EPA finalized the Community Involvement Plan, also referred to as CIP, for 80-120 Lister Avenue, also known as Operable Unit 1. The agency developed the CIP, with community input, to encourage community involvement and to facilitate communication between the EPA and all stakeholders interested in the site and cleanup actions at the site. The EPA will update the CIP as needed, to ensure that opportunities for meaningful public participation continue throughout the cleanup action and beyond. This CIP is focused to fit the communication needs associated with the cleanup of 80-120 Lister Ave. It is structured to provide the reader with a high-level understanding of the work being done and to share the EPA’s plans for keeping the community engaged and aware.

EPA Approves Final Clean-Up Design for Lower 8.3 Miles of the Passaic River [May 2024]

EPA has approved the final engineering design work needed to clean up the lower 8.3 miles of the Passaic River. The design was developed by Occidental Chemical Corporation-Glenn Springs Holdings and subject to review and approval by EPA. A fact sheet located here provides an overview of what’s in the design. The design documents will be posted in the Digital Library, under “All Public Documents”, “Passaic River Lower 8 Mile Action”.

With the approval of the bioaccumulation model (Appendix P), EPA has finalized the 17-mile Remedial Investigation Report which can be accessed here. [January 2023]

EPA’s Frequently Asked Questions about the Sediment Processing Facility or Facilities [October 2021]

The cleanup plans for the lower 8.3 miles and upper 9 miles of the Passaic River call for dredging contaminated sediments from the river, which need to be processed at a sediment treatment facility or facilities. This fact sheet, located here, answers frequently asked questions such as what a sediment treatment facility is, where it might be located, and how community health and safety will be protected.