Nick Wu

5/6/14
Passaic River Current Event
The article Superfund Efforts to Clean Waterways Come With a Risk, written by Anthony
DePalma on August 13, 2012, describes a clean, seemingly untainted section of the Passaic
River marked as Mile Marker 10.9. However, its image is quite deceiving. In fact, the testing of
that section in 2011 revealed mercury, PCB (a toxic chemical compound), and dioxin
contaminations. In response to these findings, the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)
removed thousands of cubic yards of sediment and planned to seal off the rest. The EPA has
used the Superfunds program to tackle immense pollution problems for over thirty years, but
the Passaic Rivers pollution dilemma would be the most expensive and difficult effort of all.
Also, there is some conflict over how it should be done. A majority of the public, worried by
these events, wants for all of the polluted material to be hauled away, but the EPA believes it
would cause too much damage to the area. Another controversy is over the Superfunds policy
of having those responsible for the pollution pay for the damage. Furthermore, there are many
political and industrial views labeling the program as a huge waste of money. The EPA has yet
to resolve these issues and is unsure on their course of action. They have considered dredging
the area, but it only spread additional pollution, or building dams but they would only work on
a small scale. However, according to Mr. Cohen of the Earth Institute, If we hadnt had
Superfund, we would have 30, 40, 50 million people in the direct pathway of exposure to toxic
wastes. Therefore, the program may be considered a success because of the efforts used in
sediment removal and dam-building. Personally, this article has opened my eyes to how I
perceive the environment. It has shown me how pollution, which may at first be undetected,
can actually exist in massive amounts. I find it worrisome how it occurs so near to me. I also
have learned how pollution can affect other problems such as government budget and
economic/industrial conflicts. I think that while it is unclear how to find a perfect solution,
taking small steps through dam-building and careful detoxification of areas inside the dam
could purify the Passaic in the long run. The EPA has also made progress since 2012. Since then,
they have begun to create dams which were then dredged creating much better results than
from dredging in an area outside a dam. Sanitizing waterways is certainly a difficult task, but
desirable results are approaching fast.