Justice Department and EPA Announce $125 Million Settlement for Passaic River Cleanup Facilities
The U.S. Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have announced a $125 million settlement with Environmental Resource Holdings LLC, a subsidiary of Occidental Petroleum. This settlement, if approved by a federal judge, will fund the construction of facilities necessary to process toxic sediment dredged from the Passaic River. The river, particularly a 17-mile stretch from Dundee Dam to Newark Bay, has been heavily polluted by decades of industrial activity, including a chemical factory in Newark's Ironbound neighborhood that produced pesticides like Agent Orange. The sediment contains toxic chemicals such as dioxin and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The main facility, a water treatment and sediment processing plant, will be built in Newark adjacent to the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission’s sewage treatment plant on Doremus Avenue. A second facility in Harrison will handle specific oily substances. This development marks a significant step forward in the long-awaited cleanup...
