Monday, August 9, 2010
Last updated: Monday August 9, 2010, 9:06 AM

BY JAMES M. O’NEILL
The Record
STAFF WRITER

DuPont expects to remove up to 80,000
cubic yards of mercury-laced sediment and
soil from Pompton Lake and its shoreline in a
project that will take more than four years.

The mercury was deposited into the lake
over many decades by the Acid Brook, which
runs through DuPont’s former munitions
factory in Pompton Lakes.

State and federal agencies want DuPont to
remove the mercury because it is a toxic
metal that can harm humans who eat
contaminated fish from the lake. The lake is a
popular fishing spot known for its pike, bass
and carp.

Pompton Lake, which is ringed by homes,
also serves as a backup water supply to
reservoirs that provide drinking water to
many North Jersey towns. Many residents
recall swimming in the lake as children.

“Our ultimate goal is to do the job safely with
minimum impact to the community,” said Bob
Nelson, a DuPont spokesman.

DuPont estimates that up to 90 percent of the
mercury-tainted sediment will be removed,
according to a new work plan it filed recently
with the state Department of Environmental
Protection and the federal Environmental
Protection Agency. The latter has primary
oversight of the cleanup.

The company had initially considered
removing the sediment “in the dry,” a process
that involves damming off the work area and
pumping water out so the sediment can dry
before removal. But at the DEP’s request,
DuPont explored dredging the sediment in a
wet state and has now chosen that course.

“We’ve had an ongoing dialogue with the
agencies and experts about the wet versus
dry approach, and we’ve concluded the wet
method is more beneficial,” Nelson said.

“In the dry approach, the sheer volume of
water we’d need to pump out of the work

read online