Du Pont travesty; Pompton Lakes, NJ and others: July 2013

From 1902 to 1994, the DuPont Chemical company dumped chemicals into New Jersey’s Pompton Lakes. While the company abandoned the explosives site years ago, it has yet to clean up the mess it left behind. The closed work site is still owned by DuPont.

For decades, families like mine have been suffering from the toxic pollution left in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey by DuPont Chemical. Hundreds of families suffer from poisonous gases in the soil that migrate up into our basements. The air we breathe inside our homes is filled with cancer-causing TCE, and the full extent of all this pollution in our community is still not fully understood.

DuPont Chemical, the company responsible for this pollution, has had years to clean up their mess--but they have failed. It's time the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) declare Pompton Lakes a Superfund site and take over the clean-up once and for all.

Two years ago, the New Jersey Department of Human Health and Senior Services released a shocking report with the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. It found a "significantly elevated" cancer rate in the region potentially linked to contamination from the Pompton Lakes DuPont explosives site. DuPont Chemical has proposed a five-year cleanup plan--but that plan will not make our community safe.

DuPont's plan does not address the high levels of mercury, lead, and other toxic chemicals that they left in our creeks and lakes.

It’s clear that DuPont doesn’t care about the Pompton Lakes community, so it’s up to the USEPA to take a stand and protect our health. The USEPA must list this site on the federal Superfund National Priorities list. Cleanup cannot be left in the hands of DuPont Chemical.

To:
The President of the United States
The U.S. Senate
The U.S. House of Representatives
The Governor of NJ
The NJ State Senate
The NJ State House
Judith Enck, USEPA Region 2 Administrator
Walter Mugdan, USEPA Region 2 Superfund Director
John LaPadula, USEPA Region 2 Superfund Branch Chief
Barack Obama, President
Bob Perciasepe, USEPA Administrator 

I urge you to immediately list the Pompton Lakes DuPont Works Site as a federal Superfund site under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) program. Adding the DuPont Pompton Lakes Works site into the United States Environmental Protection Agency Superfund Program will ensure protection for the families living in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey.   

Unfortunately, under the control of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) for the last two decades, the Pompton Lakes DuPont Works site leaked chemicals, languishing unremediated, and DuPont dragged their feet while residents continued to be breathe in toxic gases. While the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) is now a co-lead on the remediation, a lack of trust with the State of New Jersey still plagues the community with a stalled installation of vapor mitigation systems.   

At numerous pubic meetings, the USEPA stated many times that the Pompton Lakes DuPont Works Site would more than qualify for Superfund status. In fact, this site was given a Hazardous Ranking Score of “68” in 1982, which is almost three times the “28.5” score needed to qualify for Superfund status. This scoring would have likely been worse if it included mercury or vapor intrusion pathway of exposure.

In addition, USEPA’s Region 2, at the Pompton Lakes DuPont Works site affects more people by vapor intrusion than any other site. More than 450 homes are blighted by toxic vapor gases rising through their basements from the trichloroethylene-contaminated groundwater plume.   

In addition, Superfund means community participation is required by law. Under the current RCRA status, community participation is optional, whereas Superfund requires community involvement and addresses community concerns in writing. Listing this as a Superfund site would guarantee that Pompton Lakes families have real community involvement incorporating the community’s input before, not after, decisions are made on specific cleanup options and permits. A perfect example is the recently approved cleanup of Pompton Lake, which was approved behind closed doors without public input.  

In closing, I request that USEPA immediately designate the Pompton Lakes DuPont Works site as a federal Superfund Site under CERCLA. I appreciate your timely assistance on this important matter, as hundreds of families continue to suffer from poisonous gases rising into their homes.

Thank you for taking immediate action.  

Sincerely,
[Your name]



If you go to the link here for the petition there are many news stories to read... And Please sign the petition...

http://www.change.org/petitions/stop-dupont-chemical-from-poisoning-new-jersey-families



Like this on the local news...People keep dying of cancer...Pompton is in a valley...

New Jersey Community Devastated by Contaminated Water
http://video.foxnews.com/v/1638487957001/new-jersey-community-devastated-by-contaminated-water/

Video Minutes for Regular Meeting of the Mayor and Council of Pompton Lakes Town meeting... In the beginning comments on radioactivity in the water is addressed...Agenda for Wednesday, June 26, 2013
http://hosting.videominutes.net/Player.aspx?handshake=35846&video=1876

http://www.change.org/petitions/stop-dupont-chemical-from-poisoning-new-jersey-families

Fish Consumption Warning Signs at Pompton Lake that some fought against tooth and Nail on a local level for YEARS! Special thanks to the USEPA for stepping in and making this happen!

A second pilot study to determine the best method to remove chlorinated solvents from the groundwater in the borough's Plume area is underway.

DuPont Project Manager Dave Epps (center) talks with Pompton Lakes Mayor Katie Cole about how the bioremediation process works. They are joined by George Nemethsr, an environmental scientist for O'Brien and Gere, on June 25.

In 2011, DuPont unsuccessfully performed its first pilot study that was designed to remove the Tetrachloroethene (PCE) and Trichloroethene (TCE), two chemicals that infiltrated the groundwater when the company operated a munitions factory in the borough from 1902 to 1994.
In the 1980s, the community learned that DuPont had contaminated the soil, groundwater, and the neighboring streams with these solvents, as well as lead, mercury, and other contaminants used in their manufacturing processes.
In the first pilot study, the company poured vegetable oil mixed with microorganisms into the groundwater in an attempt to remove the chlorinated solvents.
This is a process known as bioremediation, which uses microorganisms to reduce the chemical concentrations in the environment.
DuPont officials explained that his process uses microorganisms to break down the TCE and PCE into ethane, and the vegetable oil is the fuel the microorganisms need to live off of in order to continue to do this.
DuPont reported that this mixture was unsuccessful in the first pilot test because it would not move through the soil and come in contact with the TCE and PCE.
In this second pilot study, the company is mixing lactate with the microorganisms for a texture that is less viscous than the oil.
DuPont began this second pilot study on June 25 at the intersection of Barbara Drive and Schuyler Avenue. Officials said this area was chosen because it has the highest levels of TCE and PCE.
On that day DuPont Project Manager Dave Epps said the company will study this process for the next six months to determine its effectiveness.

http://www.northjersey.com/news/215471651_DuPont_pilot_study_underway_in_Pompton_Lakes.html?fb_comment_id=fbc_480016145424828_3001268_480235502069559#f172088cb4

Du Pont travesty; Pompton Lakes, NJ and others

Monday, July 15, 2013

Stop DuPont Chemical from Poisoning New Jersey Families...Uranium? And Petition !

New Jersey Community Devastated by Contaminated Water

TCE ( Trichloroethene)