Federal authorities are seeking a court order to force polluters to pay millions to clean up a toxic site on the Raritan Bay.
The Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday a proposed $151.1 million settlement with NL Industries — formerly National Lead — and its former customers, along with the town of Old Bridge, to finish remediating stretches of the Bayshore where the company dumped toxic waste from its operations in the area. Those impacted areas collectively make up the Raritan Bay Slag Superfund site, which includes beaches in the Laurence Harbor section of Old Bridge that remain closed to the public to limit the risk of exposure to lead and other contaminants.
Though some parts of the Raritan Bay Slag Superfund site have been remediated, much of the cleanup work at the site was delayed for years as NL Industries failed to cooperate in the Superfund process. Eventually, pressure from Rep. Frank Pallone (D-6th) spurred the EPA to step in and begin the cleanup on its own. The agency last year released its plan to remediate the remaining polluted areas.
“This settlement would allow EPA to finish this cleanup and return the waterfront back to the community so that residents and visitors can use the beach without being concerned about their health,” Lisa Garcia, the EPA’s regional administrator for Region 2, said in a statement. “EPA looks forward to cleaning up the seawall and jetty and making good on our commitment to protect people from exposure to toxic lead.”
The proposed consent decree dedicates $132.4 million to reimburse the EPA for the work done so far, and provide money for the rest of the effort. It also sets aside roughly $18.7 million to fund projects that would restore natural resources damaged by the original pollution. The proposal is now subject to a 60-day public comment period, and then a final court approval.
