New York- New Jersey Harbor Estuary. Lower Passaic River

Transcription

1 Lower 8 Miles of the Lower Passaic River Focused Feasibility Study November 7, 2013

2 New York- New Jersey Harbor Estuary Lower Passaic River 2

3 Diamond Alkali Superfund Site: Contaminated with dioxins, PCBs, pesticides, metals, PAHs RIVER MILE 10.9 TIME-CRITICAL REMOVAL ACTION Phased approach to clean up

4 Why the Lower 8 Miles? Contaminants bind to fine-grained sediments (i.e., silts) See sediment maps on following pages Below RM8.3: mostly silts with pockets of sand Above RM8.3: mostly sand with pockets of silt 85% of fine-grained sediment surface area is below RM8.3 For LPR, majority of contamination found in the lower 8 miles 4

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8 How Contaminated is the River? No decline in concentrations over last 15 yrs (see graph on next slide) Navigation channel filled in; river approaching equilibrium Concentrations are higher deeper down Resuspension of sediments is the major ongoing source of contamination. 5

9 100,000 2,3,7,8-TCDD in Surface Sediments, RM 1-7 (0-6 inches) 2,3,7,8-T TCDD Concentration (pg/g) 10,000 1, River Mile

10 Human Health Risks Highest risks are from eating fish/shellfish Goal (cancer): 1 excess cancer in 10,000 (1 x 10-4 ) to 1 excess cancer in 1,000,000 (1 x 10-6 ) Goal (non-cancer): Hazard Index = 1 Total Cancer Risk (Adult/Child) Total Non-Cancer Hazard Index (Child) Fish 5 x Crab 2 x

11 Ecological Risks Benthic invertebrates, Fish, Birds, Mammals Hazard Quotients as high as 900 (compared to a goal of 1) Primary contributors: Dieldrin, Total DDx Copper, Mercury Dioxin/Furans; PCBs 8

12 Alternatives Summary FFS evaluates 4 alternatives: 1) No Action 2) Deep Dredging with Backfill 3) Capping with Dredging for Flooding and Navigation 4) Focused Dredging and Capping Active Alternatives Active alternatives have 3 disposal options: A. CAD (confined aquatic disposal) in Newark Bay B. Off-Site Disposal C. Local Decontamination & Beneficial Use 9

13 FFS Active Alternatives (1 of 2) Deep Dredging with Backfill (Bank to Bank): Remove all contaminated fine sediments in lower 8 mi Backfill with 2 feet of sand to address residuals (no maintenance required) Capping with Dredging (Bank to Bank): Engineered cap over lower 8 miles (w/maintenance) Dredge enough contaminated fine sediments to: Prevent additional flooding after cap is installed Allow for navigation channel in RM 0-2

14 FFS Active Alternatives (2 of 2) Focused Capping with Dredging (Partial): Dredge and Cap about 220 acres in lower 8 miles Areas that send the most contaminants into the water Similar to CPG s Targeted Remedy Selected less than 150 acres in lower 13 miles

15 Issues with Partial Remedies EPA s Focused Capping alternative is significantly less protective than the bank-to-bank alternatives. EPA and CPG Partial Remedies assume that small areas of high contaminant flux can be reliably identified. EPA and CPG Partial Remedies rely on natural recovery outside of small capped areas, when in reality: Those areas will be covered over by neighboring contamination on the next tide or during next storm River is approaching equilibrium, so deposition alternates with erosion, making natural recovery extremely slow.

16 (1 of 2) Disposal Options CAD in Newark Bay 2-3 cells dug deep in Newark Bay clay bottom Dredged materials barged directly to CAD Engineered cap closes CAD, restores Bay bottom Off-Site Disposal Dredged materials dewatered at local upland processing facility Transported by rail for disposal at incinerators and landfills. 13

17 (2 of 2) Disposal Options Local Decontamination & Beneficial Use All work done at local upland processing facility Dredged materials are decontaminated using: Thermal treatment (after dewatering) Sediment washing Resulting products beneficially used: Thermally treated materials used to produce cement Sediment washing products stabilized and used for landfill cover 14

18 Summary of Alternatives Alternative Volume Dredged Remedy Implementation Time Dredged Materials Management Options Cost (NPW) 1) No Action N/A N/A N/A $0 2) Deep Dredging with Backfill 3) Capping with Dredging 4) Focused Dredging and Capping 9.7 million cubic yards 4.3 million cubic yards 0.9 million cubic yards 12 years 6 years 3 years CAD Off-Site Disposal Decon./Benefic Use CAD Off-Site Disposal Decon./Benefic Use CAD Off-Site Disposal Decon./Benefic Use $1.4 B $3.5 B $3.0 B $1.0 B $1.8 B $1.8 B $0.4 B $0.6 B $0.5 B 15

19 FFS Evaluation Against 9 Criteria Overall protection of human health & the environment Compliance with ARARs Long-term effectiveness & permanence Reduction of toxicity, mobility, volume through treatment Short-term effectiveness Implementability Cost Threshold Balancing State Acceptance Community Acceptance Modifying (after Proposed Plan)