
The presence of toxic chemicals in water
and sediments throughout New York-New
Jersey Harbor results in reduced
water quality, fisheries restrictions/advisories
and general adverse impacts to the
estuarine and coastal ecosystems.
Problems associated with the management
of contaminated dredged material
have resulted in uncertainty regarding
the construction and future maintenance
of the maritime infrastructure that
supports shipping in the Harbor.
The
NJ Toxics Reduction Workplan for
NY-NJ Harbor (NJTRWP) includes a
series of water quality and hydrodynamic
studies designed to provide the
NJ Department of Environmental Protection
(NJDEP) with the information it
needs to identify sources of the
toxic chemicals of concern, and
to prioritize these sources for
appropriate action. The NJTRWP is
the NJ component of the NY-NJ Harbor
Estuary Program Contaminant Assessment
and Reduction Project (CARP). A
total of $9.5 million in funding
for the NJTRWP was provided by the
Port Authority of NY-NJ, through
the Office of Maritime Resources,
NJ Department of Transportation.
The two-volume New Jersey Toxics
Reduction Workplan, including its
Quality Assurance Project Plan,
is available. |
Phase
One of the NJTRWP included a set
of ambient water quality, source
loading, and hydrodynamic studies:
•
Study I-C (implemented by the U.S.
Geological Survey) - samples were
collected at the heads-of-tide of
the five major New Jersey tributaries
to the harbor (the Passaic, Hackensack,
Elizabeth, Rahway, and Raritan Rivers); USGS
Data Report
• Study
I-D (implemented by Stevens Institute
of Technology) - samples were collected
within the tidal reaches of these
five tributaries;
•
Study I-E (water quality component
implemented by SIT) - samples were
collected in the estuarine areas
of Newark Bay, the Kill van Kull,
and the Arthur Kill;
• Study I-E (hydrodynamic
component implemented by SIT and Rutgers
University) -hydrodynamic studies
of currents, tidal elevations, etc.
were conducted in conjunction with
the ambient water quality studies;
• Study I-G (implemented by
Great Lakes Environmental Center)
- sampled the discharges from all
twelve (12) NJ wastewater treatment
plants (POTWs) that discharge to
the harbor, as well as from selected
combined sewer overflows (CSOs)
and stormwater outfalls (SWOs).
The
NJTRWP sampling program and data
analysis activities focus on the
detection of very low concentrations
of toxic contaminants using state-of-the-science
sampling and analytical procedures.
The samples were analyzed for polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs), dioxins/furans
(PCDD/Fs), organochlorine pesticides
(including DDT, chlordane, and dieldrin),
polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs),
and the metals cadmium (Cd), lead
(Pb), mercury (Hg), and methyl-Hg.
The NJDEP-DSRT Research Project
Summaries for the ambient water quality and POTW\CSO\SWO
studies are available.
The
NJTRWP includes studies of the hydrodynamics
of the Newark Bay - Arthur Kill
- Kill van Kull complex and the
Passaic, Hackensack, and Raritan
Rivers. These studies are the first
comprehensive investigation of the
movement of water and suspended
sediment throughout NY-NJ Harbor.
Short duration and longer-term measurements
of water currents, tides, and suspended
sediment have been obtained simultaneously
with water sampling for the chemicals
of concern. The NJDEP-DSRT Research
Project Summary is also available.
|
NY-NJ
HEP Contaminant Assessment and Reduction Project (CARP)
In
1997, the NY-NJ Harbor Estuary Program (HEP) established the Contaminant
Assessment and Reduction Project (CARP). The CARP is a multi-agency,
bi-state (NJ and NY) effort to develop a better understanding of toxic
contamination in NY-NJ Harbor, with a focus on the management of contaminated
dredged material. The water quality data from the NJTRWP and the NY
State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) CARP program
have been compiled into the CD-ROM CARP Database, and have been used
to develop the CARP Model of sediment and chemical transport and fate
in NY-NJ Harbor. Additional information on CARP, and instructions for
obtaining a copy of the CARP Database and the CARP Model reports, can
be found at: www.carpweb.org
|