EPA names portion of troubled Hackensack River a superfund site, signaling help is on the way
SECAUCUS, N.J. -- New Jersey is getting some help in its efforts to revitalize the Hackensack River.
On Wednesday, the Environmental Protection Agency named a portion of the river a superfund site, setting the stage for a large-scale cleanup, CBS2's Kevin Rincon reported.
Hamid Chaibe has been fishing the Hackensack River for three years. What he catches, he eats, and he's not alone.
"Sometimes, we are here, like more than 15 fisherman, you know? That means there are a lot of fish in this river," Chaibe said.
But, he does so at a risk. The river is full of contaminants. There's mercury, PCBs that cause cancer, and other industrial waste from waterfront factories.
"Those chemicals are in the sediment. They're in the mud in the river behind us," said Walter Mugdan, EPA deputy regional administrator. "Typically, a cleanup ends up involving some combination of dredging and capping."
That work is time consuming and expensive.
READ MORE: High levels of contaminants land Hackensack River on EPA's Superfund list
To help, the EPA has named the Hackensack a superfund site, which means the state and towns surrounding the river will get federal funding and resources to clean up.
The designation required years of persistence, an effort spearheaded by Hackensack Riverkeeper Capt. Bill Sheehan, who grew tired of hearing the river was a lost cause.
"People my age and even younger than me have heard the same thing: 'Oh that river is a mess. Don't go near it. You'll get sick if you go down there,'" Sheehan said.
"There were points when rivers literally caught fire. That's how bad it was," Congressman Josh Gottheimer said.
From here, researchers will look at what's in the water, and how to clean it, with the goal of bringing it back to what it used to look like.
"Our water, believe it or not, was that clear 50 years ago. I think every child, every young person particularly, should experience what it's like to go to the riverbed and fish," said Nancy Everett of Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr.'s office.
The river, and many like it, was neglected during the industrial days, but the investments that are expected over the coming years will bring new life to a waterway that will be enjoyed by future generations.
The Hackensack is one of five superfund sites across the country.