Fourth Passaic River Symposium
Organized by
THE PASSAIC
RIVER
INSTITUTE
OF MONTCLAIR
STATE
UNIVERSITY
www.csam.montclair.edu/pri
June 22, 2010
Montclair State University
Conference Center,
Montclair, NJ
Conference web site:
www.csam.montclair.edu/pri/conferences
(photos by Mike Peters, MSU)
Thank You to Symposium Sponsors
PLATINUM LEVEL
The Louis Berger Group, Inc.
AECOM
New Jersey Water Resources
Research Institute
SILVER LEVEL
Matrix New World Engineering, Inc
Fourth Passaic River Symposium
June 22 2010
Montclair State University Conference Center, Montclair, NJ
Conference web site: www.csam.montclair.edu/pri/conferences
Organized by The Passaic River Institute of Montclair State University
Conference Chair: Dr. Kirk R. Barrett, PE, PWS
Director, Passaic River Institute
Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ
973-655-7117, kirk.barrett@montclair.edu
CONTENTS
Program Agenda
List of Posters
Pages
1-4
5
Advertisements
Invited Speaker biographies
Index to Abstracts
Abstracts
Presenter Biographies
6-10
11-13
14-16
17-75
76-86
AGENDA, FOURTH PASSAIC RIVER SYMPOSIUM
June 22, 2010, University Hall Conference Center, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ
Organized by the Passaic River Institute of Montclair State University
8:00 AM
Registration and Continental Breakfast
8:30 AM
Opening Remarks
· Dr. Kirk Barrett, Director, Passaic River Institute, Montclair State University
· Dr. Susan A. Cole, President, Montclair State University
· The Honorable Bill Pascrell, Jr., US Congressman, NJ 8th District
· Colonel John R. Boulé II, Commander, US Army Corps of Engineers, NY District
· Mr. Bob Martin, Commissioner, NJ Department of Environmental Protection
· Ms. Judith Enck, Region 2 Administrator, US Environmental Protection Agency
SESSION Perspectives from Partner Agencies and the Lower Passaic Cooperating Parties
1
10:00 AM Overview of Partner Agency Efforts to Clean Up the Lower Passaic River, with a
Focus on Alternatives for the Lower 8 Miles. Alice Yeh, U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency
10:15 AM Restoration planning for the Lower Passaic River. Lisa Baron, U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers
10:30 AM Federal Trustees' Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration Activities
Update. Timothy Kubiak, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
10:45 AM
11:00 AM
SESSION
2
11:30 AM
Lower Passaic River Study Area RI/FS Update. William Hyatt, K&L Gates, LLP
BREAK -- COFFEE, EXHIBITS AND POSTERS ON THE 7TH FLOOR
Track A
University Hall
Seventh Floor
Conference Center
Track B
University Hall
First Floor,
Room 1070
Lower Passaic
"Phase 1 Removal
Action" and
Community Perspectives
Moderator: Debbie Mans,
NY NJ Baykeeper
The Passaic River
Community Advisory
Group and Its Role in the
Passaic River Removal
Action. Tom Pietrykoski ,
Lower Passaic Watershed
Alliance and Carol
Johnston, Ironbound
Community Corporation
Lower Passaic
Sediment Geochemistry
Moderator: Joseph
Seebode, US Army Corps
of Engineers
An Update to EPA‘s
Conceptual Site Model for
the Lower Passaic River:
An Examination of the
Most Recent Results.
Edward Garvey, Louis
Berger
Track C
University Hall
First Floor,
Room 1050
Water quality
Moderator: Marzooq
Alebus, NJDEP, Division
of Watershed Management
(invited)
Water use regimes, land use
regimes, and spatial data
analysis for better
watershed management.
Benjamin Witherell,
Montclair State University
1
Track A
University Hall
Seventh Floor
Conference Center
Track B
University Hall
First Floor,
Room 1070
Track C
University Hall
First Floor,
Room 1050
Using 210Pb and 137Cs to
identify the bank vs. soil
contributions to excess
fine-grained sediments in
urban and rural New
Jersey river channels.
Joshua Galster, Montclair
State, Passaic River
Institute
Tackling NJ’s 1st TMDL:
a 10-year case study in the
Whippany watershed. Pat
Rector, Rutgers
University and Art
Vespignani, Whippany
River Watershed Action
Committee
Nutrient Cycling and the
Assimilative Capacity of
an Exurban Stream –
Belcher Creek, Passaic
County, NJ. Richard
Pardi, William Paterson
Univ.
11:45 AM
Update on the
Removal Action
Through Potentially
Responsible Party
Initiative. Bob
Romagnoli, Arcadis
Historical Trends of
Energy Use, Energy
Sources and Hydrocarbon
Pollution along the
Passaic River and Newark
Bay, 1660-present.
Stephen G. Marshall
12:00 PM
The Economic and
Social Values of a
Cleaner Lower Passaic
River. Ella Filippone,
Passaic River
Coalition
Sources of Contaminants
of Concern to the Newark
Bay Estuary. Dennis
Farley, The Intelligence
Group
12:15 PM
The Riverfront
Newark Wants:
Progress Report 20082010. Damon Rich,
City of Newark
12:30 PM
1:15 PM
1:35 PM
Characterization of
Contaminant and
Biomass-Derived Organic
Matter in Sediments from
the Lower Passaic River,
New Jersey, USA.
Michael Kruge, Passaic
River Institute, Montclair
State University
LUNCH, POSTERS AND EXHIBITS ON 7TH FLOOR
including book signings by local authors
Dr. Judith Weis of Rutgers-Newark, author of "Salt Marshes: A Natural and
Unnatural History" (with a focus on the Hackensack Meadowlands), and
Mr. Kevin Olsen of Montclair State, author of "A Great Conveniency: a
Maritime History of the Passaic River, Hackensack River, and Newark Bay"
and nature photos, posters and drawings for sale by local artists Joy Yagid and
Jo Bradney in the Conference Room adjacent to the Conference Center
Selected Readings from the forthcoming book "This American River: From
Paradise to Superfund, Afloat on New Jersey's Passaic" by Author Mary Bruno,
in the Conference Room adjacent to the Conference Center
Presentation – Robert J. DeVita Passaic Basin Environmental Champion Award.
Presented to Mr. Kurt Landsberger, Verona, NJ.
Presented by Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr.
2
SESSION
3
1:45 PM
2:00 PM
2:15 PM
2:30 PM
2:45 PM
Track A
University Hall
Seventh Floor
Conference Center
Track B
University Hall
First Floor,
Room 1070
Lower Passaic
Human and
Ecological Health
Moderator: Judy Weis,
Rutgers University
Newark
Lower Passaic
Sediment Dynamics
Moderator: Scott
Douglas, NJ Dept. of
Transportation Office of
Maritime Resources
Historical and Current
Ecological Conditions
of the Lower Passaic
River. Mike Johns,
Windward
Environmental
Altered Gonadal
Development in
Newark Bay
Organisms. Keith
Cooper, Rutgers
University
Application of
Behavioral Simulation
Modeling to Evaluate
Anglers’ Fish
Consumption. Jason
Kinnell, Veritas
Economic Consulting
Human Health Risk
Assessment for
Consumption of Fish
from the Lower Passaic
River. Mark Harris,
ToxStrategies, Inc.
Historical bathymetric
changes in the Lower
Passaic River. William
Hansen, Worcester State
College
Track C
University Hall
First Floor,
Room 1050
Water quality
monitoring and
modeling
Moderator: Sheldon
Lipke, Passaic Valley
Sewerage
Commissioners
Water Supply Protection
through Continuous
Stream Monitors. Paul
Schorr, NJDEP
Understanding of Sediment
Transport in the Lower
Passaic River. Craig Jones,
SEA Engineering
Continuous Water
Quality Monitoring of
the Hackensack River.
Joseph Grzyb,
Meadowlands
Environmental Research
Institute
Effects of morphological
Pathogen Sources and
change in the Passaic
FC-EC relations in the
River/ Newark Bay system Lower Passaic River.
on circulation and sediment David Vaccari, Stevens
transport processes. Robert Institute of Technology
Chant, Rutgers University
Morphology, Modeling and
Bathymetry: Application of
Physical indicators to
Evaluate Sediment
Stability in the Lower
Passaic River. Han
Winterwerp, Deltares
NYHOPS v3 OFS: New
hydrodynamic and water
quality forecasts include
the Passaic River.
Nickitas Georgas,
Stevens Institute of
Technology
BREAK -- COFFEE ON THE 7TH FLOOR
3
SESSION
4
3:15 PM
3:30 PM
3:45 PM
4:00 PM
4:15 PM
Track A - University
Hall Seventh Floor
Track B - University Hall
Room 1070
Restoration and
Remediation
Moderator: Eric Stern,
USEPA
Lower Passaic
Sediment Dynamics
Moderator: Constantine
Theodosiou, Montclair State
University, Vice Provost for
Research
Incentive Based
Environmental
Restoration and
Planning, Shifting the
Paradigm. Stephen
Davis, Matrix New
World Engineering, Inc.
Urban River
Restoration. Terry Doss,
Biohabitats
Topsoil from
Contaminated Sediment
from the Lower Passaic
River, BioGenesis
Sediment Washing
Technology. John
Sontag, BioGenesis
Enterprises, Inc.
Utilization of Barrier
and Treatment Designs
to Address Irregular
Shoreline Surfaces and
Control of Contaminant
Migration. John Hull,
AquaBlok, Ltd.
Sediment Stability in the
Lower Passaic River Integration of Multiple Lines
of Evidence.
Michael Barbara,
mab.consulting LLC
Hydraulic Modeling for
Preliminary Evaluation of
Potential Flooding Impacts
for Various Dredging,
Capping and Armoring
Scenarios. Abdulai Fofanah,
The Louis Berger Group,
Inc.
Water Supply
in the non-tidal
Passaic Basin
Track C - University
Hall Room 1050
Water quality,
Stormwater
Management and
Flood Mitigation
Moderator: Kathleen
Caren, Passaic County
Dept. of Planning
Passaic River Flood
Mitigation NonStructural Solutions.
Hormoz Pazwash,
Boswell Engineering
Long-Term Operation of
Stormwater Infiltration
Best Management
Practices. Clay
Emerson, Princeton
Hydro LLC
Stormwater and Water
Quality Management
Water Pollution Analysis in
New Jersey, Employing the
Cutting Edge Analytical
Technology of 1876.
The Edison
Environmental Center
permeable pavement
site: initial results from
Kevin Olsen, Montclair
a stormwater control
State, Passaic River Institute designed for monitoring.
Thomas O'Connor, U. S.
EPA, ORD, UWMB
Highlands Water Availability Improving River Water
in the Passaic Basin. Daniel
Quality by CSO
Van Abs, NJ Highlands
Disinfection. John
Council
Meakim, Engineers Plus
RECEPTION, POSTERS AND EXHIBITS ON 7th FLOOR
With jazz guitar serenade by MSU's own Michael Kruge!
4
POSTERS
A System Dynamics approach to assessing third party rating systems as holistic and sustainable
redevelopment options for Brownfields in the lower Passaic River Watershed Area. Amy
Ferdinand, Montclair State University
Iron Oxide Coated Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes for the Removal of Arsenic from Water.
Susana Addo Ntim, New Jersey Institute of Technology
Carbon Nanotubes Immobilized Membrane for Enhanced Analytical Separation. Ornthida SaeKhow, New Jersey Institute of Technology
Implementing Sustainable Redevelopment in Paterson N.J.; An Integrated Plan for Open Space,
Recreation and Stormwater BMPs in Riparian Management Zones (RMZs). Marcia Anderson,
Montclair State University
Water Education for Teachers using Project WET. Ray Nichols, NJDEP-DWM
Water Supply and Power in 1894. Schorr, NJDEP
Current Commercial Navigation Use on the Lower Passaic River. Tricia Aspinwall, US Army
Corps of Engineers - New York
Carbon Nanotubes as the Sorbent for Integrating µ-Solid Phase Extraction within the Needle of
a Syringe. Madhuleena Bhadra, New Jersey Institute of Technology
Assessing stream restoration efforts in northern New Jersey. Jared Lopes, Montclair State
University, Passaic River Institute
The impact of Japanese knotweed on stream baseflow. Rob Scherr and Dirk Vanderklein,
Montclair State University
Application of GIS to assess land use change to urban use in Passaic River Basin: A watershed
approach to counter climate change. Faith Justus, Montclair State University
Effects of Soil Metal Concentrations on Nutritional Quality of Vegetables Grown in Urban
Community Gardens. Khadija Latif, Montclair State University
Reducing Contaminated Groundwater Flow to Rivers: Evaluation of Alternative Active Cap
Designs. Ravi Srirangam Adventus Group
The Effects of Distance and Selective Enrichment on Alkane Monooxygenase Gene Diversity
in Passaic River Sediment. Elyse Rodgers-Vieira, Rutgers University
PCB Mass Loading Project: Identifying Non-point Source PCB Contribution to the Surface
Waters of the Christina River Basin. John-Paul Rossi, BrightFields, Inc
A Unique Private/Public Wetland Mitigation Bank Partnership in the Hackensack Meadowlands
of New Jersey. Margaret McBrien, The Louis Berger Group, Inc.,
Design of Infiltration Stormwater Facilities by Limit Equilibrium Analysis of Hydraulic
Conductivity and Geometry. Keithe Merl, Princeton Hydro, LLC
Molluscan Community and Population Structure in an Urban Pond in the Lower Passaic River
Watershed, New Jersey. Rebecca Shell, Montclair State University, Passaic River Institute
Standards for the Construction and Development Point Source Category Final Rule - How Does
this Affect the Passaic River Watershed, and When? Keithe Merl, Princeton Hydro, LLC
Potential Impact of Human Transportation on Amphibian and Reptile Populations, Meiyin Wu
Montclair State University
5
THE
Louis Berger Group, INC.
A global engineering and environmental consultant
providing full service, innovative sediment management solutions,
including dredging, capping, Monitored Natural Recovery
and Beneficial Use of dredge materials.
THE
Louis Berger Group, INC.
412 Mount Kemble Avenue, PO Box 1946, Morristown, New Jersey 07962-1946
With offices in Newark, New York City, Elmsford and major cities around the globe.
www.louisberger.com
AECOM has experience
in all aspects of
contaminated sediment
and dredged material
management
Habitat Restoration
- Stream/Wetlands/Habitat
Restoration
- Wetland Creation/Enhancement
- Endangered Species Conservation
- Coastal Habitats
- Freshwater Aquatic Habitats
- Fish Passage Enhancement
- Upland & Wildlife Restoration
Sediment Management
For More Information:
Captain Al Modjeski
732.564.3626
Aleksander.modjeski@aecom.com
Marcia Greeblatt
978.589.3024
Marcia.greenblatt@aecom.com
www.aecom.com
- Sampling & Monitoring
- Sediment Characterization &
Assessment
- Sediment Contaminant Fate &
Transport Modeling
- Sediment Remediation & Restoration
- Dredging & Dredge Management
- Permitting & Compliance
- Assessment of PAH Bioavailability
in Sediments
Remediation Consulting, Engineering
and Construction
- Groundwater & Soil Subsurface
Investigations
- Health & Ecological Risk Assessments
- Feasibility Studies/Remedial Design
- Remedial Technology Testing/
Evaluations
- Property Redevelopment/Brownfields/
Green Design
- Facility Decommissioning/Asset
Management
- Remediation Construction, Operation
& Maintenance
- Unexploded Ordnance/Range/
Munitions Management
- Emergency & Rapid Response
SALT MARSHES: A NATURAL AND UNNATURAL
HISTORY By Judith S. Weis and Carol A. Butler.
Published by Rutgers University Press, August 2009
This illustrated review of tidal and estuarine ecology
doubles as a terrific introductory field guide for anyone
from general readers to amateur naturalists and beyond
Salt Marshes offers readers a wealth of essential information
about a variety of plants, fish, and animals, the importance
of these habitats, consequences of human neglect and
thoughtless development, and insight into how these
wetlands recover. The book sheds ample light on the human
impact, including chapters on physical and biological
alterations, pollution, and remediation and recovery
programs. The authors place special emphasis on the
Hackensack Meadowlands, calling attention to their
historical and economic legacies.
Author Judith S. Weis, professor of biological sciences at Rutgers
University, Newark, will be autographing books today at lunch.
Also available at bookstores and online sellers.
A Great Conveniency – A Maritime History of the Passaic River,
Hackensack River and Newark Bay by Kevin K. Olsen of the
Passaic River Institute of Montclair State University. Published by
American History Imprints., 2008
This new book by Wayne, New Jersey resident Kevin Olsen explores
the role that these local waterways have played in the development of
their riverfront towns and surrounding areas. Beginning with the first
European explorations of the rivers and concluding with current
efforts at restoration and clean up, it presents a comprehensive yet
very readable chronicle of their place in New Jersey history. Chapters
cover early settlements, the American Revolution, sailing vessels and
their cargoes, whaling, bridges, steamboats, and the natural resources
of the Hackensack Meadowlands. A Great Conveniency tells their
story, and concludes with an explanation of the reasons behind the upcoming $80 million Passaic
River dredging project and the outlook for the continued growth in recreational use of the
Hackensack and Passaic Rivers. 260 Pages including appendices, glossary, sources, and index
Illustrated: 88 historical and contemporary images, line drawings and photographs.
On sale today for a discounted price of $15, during a book signing
by the author at lunch. Also available for $18.95 from the publisher‘s website, local
bookstores, Amazon, Barnes & Noble.
8
Passaic River Institute
Montclair State University
College of Science and Mathematics
1 Normal Ave. ML 116,
Montclair, NJ 07043
phone: 973-655-7117
email: pri@montclair.edu
web: www.csam.montclair.edu/pri
Dr. Kirk R. Barrett, PE, PWS, Director
Passaic River Institute
environmental research and education to help solve environmental problems
Comprehensive Expertise * Extraordinary Credentials * Academic Credibility * University Facilities
The Passaic River Institute (PRI) of Montclair State University has broad and deep expertise to
study environmental issues facing northern New Jersey and the New York metro area.
Established in 2003, the Institute‘s multidisciplinary personnel, strong credentials, academic
credibility, and university facilities provide unique advantages in investigating the region‘s
complex environmental challenges.
Personnel. The PRI brings together over 45 physical, biological and social scientists and
engineers from Montclair State and other universities. Many PRI members are renowned experts
in their fields and nearly all hold doctoral degrees. The expertise embodied by our membership is
recognized by service on many advisory committees include the NJ Highlands Council, NJ
Water Monitoring Coordinating Council, New Jersey Office of Sustainable Business, Barnegat
Bay National Estuary Program, NASA, National Science Foundation, Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change, and the United States National Center for Atmospheric Research.
Discipline Expertise. We cover the spectrum from ecology, microbiology, geochemistry,
hydrogeology, hydrology, environmental engineering and analytical chemistry to remote sensing,
geospatial analysis, geographic information systems, applied math and information technology to
environmental planning, policy, anthropology, communications and education.
Regional Experience. PRI members have conducted field and lab-based projects throughout the
region, in particular the Passaic River Basin, Hackensack Meadowlands, Barnegat Bay, NJ/NY
Highlands, Delaware River Basin, Long Island Sound, Hudson River, and Bronx River.
The University Advantage. PRI has access to a wide array of state-of-the-art facilities and
equipment available only at a large, comprehensive university like Montclair State. The
University environment also provides a large cadre of capable and eager undergraduate and
graduate students, technicians and postdoctoral researchers.
Granting Agencies and Clients. PRI members have successfully competed for well over $10
million dollars in grants and completed projects for many federal and states agencies including
the US EPA, US Dept. of Energy, US Fish and Wildlife Service, National Science Foundation,
NASA, NOAA, National Park Service, NJ DEP, NJ Meadowlands Commission, and NJ Board of
Public Utilities. Several members have private sector and/or subcontracting experience with
firms such as Birdsall Engineering, Inc., Matrix New World Engineering, Inc. and Metcalf &
Eddy, Inc.
9
Types of Services. PRI experts are eager to work with government agencies and private
firms, to provide a host of services including
 water/sediment sampling and chemical analysis
 geochemical contamination investigation
 hydrologic and hydrogeological monitoring and
modeling
 benthic biodiversity studies
 wetland assessment
 vegetation and wildlife studies, including
threatened and endangered species
 landscape characterization
 environmental data management





computerized mapping
air quality and climate modeling
environmental planning
site investigations
brownfields consulting:
assessment, acquisition, financing,
and redevelopment
 designing and assessing the
effectiveness of environmental
outreach programs
 technical writing.
REPRESENTATIVE PROJECTS
Distributions and Inferred Sources of Heavy Metal and PCBs in Surficial Sediments of the
Hudson River Estuary. PRI Investigator: Dr. Huan Feng
Variability of plant and animal populations within eelgrass (Zostera marina) beds in
Barnegat Bay, NJ. PRI Investigator: Dr. Paul Bologna
Inventory of Freshwater Mollusks and Crayfish at the United States Military Academy (West
Point, NY) and Comparative Regional Biodiversity of Gastropods. PRI Investigator: Dr.
Robert S. Prezant
Chemical and Biological Assessment of An Urban, Estuarine Marsh In Northeastern New
Jersey, USA. PRI Investigator: Dr. Kirk Barrett, PE, PWS
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and petroleum biomarker compounds in sediments
of Harrison Reach, Passaic River, New Jersey. PRI Investigator: Dr. Michael Kruge
The importance of metal storage in prey and digestion in predators on metal trophic transfer
in estuarine food chains. PRI Investigator: Dr. William G. Wallace
Using GIS to integrate pollution data and study pollutant source function in the Passaic River
System, New Jersey. PRI Investigator: Dr. Huan Feng
Hydrogeological modeling of the effects of pumping on groundwater levels and flow patterns
using MODFLOW in the Central Passaic River Basin, New Jersey. PRI Investigator: Dr.
Duke Ophori
Summer educational program in environmental science and computer technology.
PRI Investigators: Dr. Kirk Barrett
Contact PRI Director Dr. Kirk R. Barrett, PE, PWS,
at 973-655-7117 or pri@montclair.edu
to discuss how PRI can help on your projects.
10
Invited Speaker biographies
Hon. William J. Pascrell, Jr., US House of Representatives, Eighth Congressional District
of NJ, was born in Paterson, New Jersey and has lived in the Silk City all of his life. He was
first sworn in to the United States House of Representatives, representing the Eighth
Congressional District of New Jersey, in November of 1996 and was sworn into his seventh term
in January of 2009. Bill attended Fordham University in New York, receiving a Bachelor's
degree in Journalism and a Master's degree in Philosophy. He is a veteran of the United States
Army and the Army Reserve, having received an honorable discharge in 1967. In 1987, he was
elected to the New Jersey General Assembly. He eventually was elevated to the position of
Minority Leader Pro Tempore. In 1990, Bill was elected Mayor of Paterson, New Jersey's third
largest city. At the start of the 110th session on Congress, Bill was selected by House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi to serve on the exclusive Ways and Means Committee. Due to its broad
jurisdiction on critical issues - involving economic policy, international trade, welfare, Social
Security, Medicare and health care policy - the committee occupies a pivotal place in the House
Committee system.
Immediately after taking office, he began to address critical projects that had been repeatedly
ignored or delayed, including cleanup of hazardous waste sites in Wayne and Glen
Ridge/Bloomfield. This steadfast work has paid off, as the Wayne thorium site is finally free of
hazardous waste after years of bureaucratic red tape. In Glen Ridge, Bill once again cut through
years of government inaction, resulting in the long-awaited cleanup of radon and re-opening of
the Barrow‘s Field Superfund site. Another outstanding example of Bill working with affected
communities towards a common goal has been his recent efforts to find solutions for the flooding
along the Peckman River, which runs through parts of Little Falls, West Paterson, Cedar Grove,
Verona, and West Orange. A long ignored problem, the flooding dangers posed by the Peckman
River came to a head during Hurricane Floyd when the waterway became a deadly raging river,
causing millions of dollars in property damage and taking the life of a Little Falls resident. Bill
listened to the needs of the community and brought in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to
study the river. Bill has secured over $900,000 in federal money to fund the Army Corps work
and fostered an agreement with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection which
guarantees that every dollar brought in on the federal level is matched by the state government.
Bill has also fought to have the Great Falls National Historic District made a part of the
National Park Service. In March 2009, this dream was realized as the Omnibus Public Lands
Management Act of 2009, HR 146, was signed into law by President Obama. Upon the
completion of land use agreements between the State, City and Federal Government, the Great
Falls will officially become a part of the United States' National Park System.
Judith A. Enck was appointed Regional Administrator of Region 2 of the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) by President Barack Obama On November 5, 2009,. Previously, she
was Deputy Secretary for the Environment in the New York State Governor's Office. As
Regional Administrator, Judith's responsibilities are wide-ranging. In cooperation with state and
regional authorities in New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and seven
federally recognized Indian Nations, Region 2 administers federal programs governing air and
water pollution, industrial discharges, toxic substances, pesticides, protection of streams, lakes
11
and the ocean, solid and hazardous wastes, the cleanup of chemical spills and abandoned
hazardous waste sites, and much more.
Judith is responsible for managing a staff of about 900 from a variety of professions – including
engineering, hydrogeology, law, chemistry, biology, public affairs – and overseeing an annual
budget of approximately $700 million.
In her prior position, she was responsible for policies and operations of New York State‘s
environmental protection agencies including the Department of Environmental Conservation,
Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, Adirondack Park Agency, Agriculture and
Markets, Department of State and others.
Judith previously served for eight years as a policy advisor in the New York State Attorney
General‘s Office. Prior to that, she was Senior Environmental Associate with the New York
Public Interest Research Group. She has also served as the Executive Director of Environmental
Advocates of New York, a non-profit government watchdog organization dedicated to enforcing
laws that protect natural resources and safeguarding public health. She is a past President of
Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, former Executive Director of the Non-Profit Resource Center
and a designer of her town‘s recycling program. She worked with the New York State
Legislature to pass a number of the state‘s most far reaching environmental laws including those
addressing acid rain, toxics, pesticides, recycling, energy conservation and environmental
funding.
Her accomplishments in the field of environmental protection have been recognized with
professional awards from the Attorney General‘s Office, the Sierra Club, Center for Women in
Government, Citizen Action and other public interest groups. Judith was raised in the Catskill
Mountains and is a graduate of the College of St. Rose, in Albany.
Colonel John R. Boulé II assumed command of the New York District of the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers in July 2009. The New York District is responsible for the Corps‘ water resource
development, navigation, and regulatory activities in northeastern New Jersey, eastern and southcentral New York State, including the New York Harbor and Long Island, and parts of Vermont,
Massachusetts, and Connecticut. The District is also responsible for design and construction at
Army and Air Force installations in New Jersey, New York, Virginia and overseas in Greenland.
Colonel Boulé also holds the title of Supervisor of New York Harbor.
Colonel Boulé, originally from Plattsburgh New York, graduated in 1986 from the United
States Military Academy, at West Point, with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. After
earning two Masters of Science degrees from Stanford University and Professional Engineer
certification, he taught Hydrology in the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering at the
United States Military Academy. Colonel Boulé served in a variety of operational, command and
staff assignments in the United States and overseas. His most recent assignment was Assistant
Director of Civil Works at Headquarters, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, D.C.,
where he performed numerous duties until attending senior service college at the Industrial
College of the Armed Forces (ICAF) where he earned a Masters of Science in National Resource
Strategy as a distinguished graduate in June 2009.
His previous assignments include serving with the 16th Engineer Battalion, 1st Armored
Division, in Furth, Germany. As a captain, he volunteered for service in Operation Desert Storm
with the 27th Engineer Battalion. He then served as a staff officer and company commander with
the 41st Engineer Battalion, 10th Mountain Division, deploying his unit to south Florida and
Somalia in support of Operation Hurricane Andrew Relief and Operation Restore Hope. After
12
company command, Colonel Boulé performed duties as a Division Plans Officer. As a major, he
also served as the Battalion Executive Officer of the 1st Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment.
After graduating with distinction from the Naval Command and Staff College, Colonel Boulé
relocated to Korea, serving as a Battalion Executive Officer for the 2nd Engineer Battalion, 2nd
Infantry Division. Following this tour, he was assigned to the Pentagon on Army Staff, serving in
the G-8, with specific duties managing Current Force Modernization and Setting the Force
operations. In June 2004, Colonel Boulé assumed command of the 62nd Engineer Battalion at
Fort Hood, Texas. Beginning in Dec 2005, Colonel Boulé led the battalion on a one-year
deployment to Baghdad, Iraq, in support of the 4th Infantry Division.
Colonel Boulé‘s decorations include the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, and six
awards of the Meritorious Service Medal, the Ranger Tab, and the Combat Action Badge.
Bob Martin was nominated by Governor Chris Christie to serve as Commissioner of the
Department of Environmental Protection. An accomplished business and industry leader with
recognized expertise in energy and utilities, he served as a key policy adviser throughout
Governor Christie‘s gubernatorial campaign. He assisted in shaping and drafting then-candidate
Christie‘s Energy Policy and Environmental Policy, and provided policy guidance on other
major issues. In recent years, he also has served as a respected and trusted adviser, primarily in
energy policy, to several other candidates for U.S. Senate, congressional and gubernatorial seats.
In 2008, he retired as a partner with Accenture LLP after more than 25 years. Accenture
is the world‘s largest business and technology consulting firm with more than 140,000
employees around the globe.
Highly experienced in consulting, he has achieved impressive results working with a variety of
businesses and industries – particularly energy and utility companies – to improve efficiency and
enhance performance in an increasingly competitive marketplace. He has expertise in all aspects
of business and management consulting, including business strategy and planning, business
transformation and re-engineering, IT strategy, systems implementation, and change
management. He also has considerable experience in project management of large systems
integration and in business re-engineering projects.
Commissioner Martin also has extensive international experience. While living in England
from 1991 to 1995, he worked with several large U.K. water and electric utilities as the
companies privatized and the markets deregulated. He also spent significant time working with
utility and energy companies throughout Europe and Canada.
Actively involved in the community, he was a candidate for State Senate in New Jersey‘s 15th
District in 2007. He formerly served as the Chairman of the Finance Committee for the Mercer
County Republican Committee. He served on the Salvation Army Advisory Board of Greater
New York from 2001 until January 2010, and as its Chairman from 2007 until January 2010. He
served on the Princeton Healthcare System Foundation Board in 2008 and 2009. He also served
on the Board of Trustees at the Chapin School in Princeton from 1996 to 2008, and on the
Finance Advisory Committee for Hopewell Township from 2005 to 2007. He has been active in
coaching youth soccer and lacrosse in Hopewell Valley for more than13 years.
Born and raised in Massachusetts, Commissioner Martin earned a bachelor of arts in
Economics and Sociology from Boston College in 1979 and an MBA from The George
Washington University in 1982. He and his wife, Brenda, have lived in Hopewell Township for
more than 14 years. They have three children: Andrew, 24; Sara, 21; and Caroline, 12. Mrs.
Martin is a teacher at the Cambridge School in Pennington.
13
INDEX TO ABSTRACTS
Abstracts are arranged in the order of presentation in the agenda
Plenary Abstracts
Track A - Lower Passaic "Phase 1 Removal Action" and Community Perspective
Track B - Lower Passaic Sediment Geochemistry
Track C - Water quality
Poster Abstracts
Pages 17-19
Pages 20-31
Pages 32-43
Pages 44-55
Pages 56-75
INDEX BY AUTHOR
(sorted by last name of presenting author)
Page Presenting Author
57
Susana Addo Ntim
Title
Iron Oxide Coated Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes for the Removal of
Arsenic from Water
59
Marcia L. Anderson
Implementing Sustainable Redevelopment in Paterson N.J.; An Integrated
Plan for Open Space, Recreation and Stormwater BMPs in Riparian
Management Zones (RMZs)
62
Tricia Aspinwall
Current Commercial Navigation Use on the Lower Passaic River
40
Michael Barbara
63
Madhuleena Bhadra
Sediment Stability in the Lower Passaic River – Integration of Multiple
Lines of Evidence
Carbon Nanotubes as the Sorbent for Integrating µ-Solid Phase
Extraction within the Needle of a Syringe
38
Robert J. Chant
25
Keith Cooper
28
Stephen K. Davis
29
Terry Doss
53
Clay H. Emerson
Long-Term Operation of Stormwater Infiltration Best Management
Practices
34
56
Dennis P. Farley
Amy V. Ferdinand
22
Ella Filippone
Sources of Contaminants of Concern to the Newark Bay Estuary
A System Dynamics approach to assessing third party rating systems as
holistic and sustainable redevelopment options for Brownfields in the
lower Passaic River Watershed Area
The Economic and Social Values of a Cleaner Lower Passaic River
41
Abdulai Fofanah
45
Joshua C. Galster
Effects of morphological change in the Passaic River/ Newark Bay
system on circulation and sediment transport processes
Altered Gonadal Development in Newark Bay Organisms
Incentive Based Environmental Restoration and Planning Shifting the
Paradigm
Urban River Restoration
Hydraulic Modeling for Preliminary Evaluation of Potential Flooding
Impacts for Various Dredging, Capping and Armoring Scenarios of
The Lower Passaic River Restoration Project
Using 210Pb and 137Cs to identify the bank vs. soil contributions to
excess fine-grained sediments in urban and rural New Jersey river
channels
14
Page Presenting Author
32
Edward A. Garvey
49
Nickitas Georgas and
Alan F. Blumberg
Joseph Grzyb
Title
An Update to EPA‘s Conceptual Site Model for the Lower
Passaic River: An Examination of the Most Recent Results
NYHOPS v3 OFS: New Hydrodynamic and Water Quality
Forecasts include the Passaic River.
Continuous Water Quality Monitoring of the Hackensack River
36
William Hansen
Historical bathymetric changes in the Lower Passaic River
27
Mark Harris
31
John H. Hull
24
Mike Johns
37
Craig Jones
66
Faith Justus
26
Jason Kinnell
35
Michael Kruge
67
Khadija Latif
Human Health Risk Assessment for Consumption of Fish from
the Lower Passaic River
Utilization of Barrier and Treatment Designs to Address
Irregular Shoreline Surfaces and Control of Contaminant
Migration
Historical and Current Ecological Conditions of the Lower
Passaic River
Understanding of Sediment Transport
In The Lower Passaic River
Application of GIS to Assess Land-use Change to Urban use in
Passaic River Basin Watersheds: A watershed approach to
counter climate change
Application of Behavioral Simulation Modeling to Evaluate
Anglers‘ Fish Consumption in the Lower Passaic River Study
Area
Characterization of Contaminant and Biomass-Derived Organic
Matter in Sediments from the Lower Passaic River, New Jersey,
USA
Effects of Soil Metal Concentrations on Nutritional Quality of
Vegetables Grown in Urban Community Gardens
64
Jared Lopes
Assessing stream restoration efforts in northern New Jersey
33
Stephen G. Marshall
71
Peg McBrien
55
John Meakim
72
Mr. Keithe J. Merl
74
Mr. Keithe J. Merl
60
Ray Nichols
Historical Trends of Energy Use, Energy Sources and
Hydrocarbon Pollution along the Passaic River and Newark
Bay, 1660-present.
A Unique Private/Public Wetland Mitigation Bank Partnership
in the Hackensack Meadowlands of New Jersey
Improving River Water Quality through Disinfection of CSO
Outfalls
Design of Infiltration Stormwater Facilities by Limit
Equilibrium Analysis of Hydraulic Conductivity and Geometry.
Standards for the Construction and Development Point Source
Category Final Rule -40 CFR Part 450 - December 1, 2009
How Does this Affect the Passaic River Watershed, and When?
Water Education for Teachers using Project WET
51
15
Page Presenting Author
54
Thomas P. O‘Connor
42
Kevin Olsen
47
Richard R. Pardi
52
20
Hormoz Pawash
Thomas Pietrykoski
73
Robert S. Prezant
46
Pat Rector
23
69
Damon Rich
Elyse A. Rodgers-Vieira,
21
Robert Romagnoli
70
John-Paul Rossi
58
Ornthida Sae-Khow
65
Rob Scherr
48
61
75
Paul Schorr
Paul Schorr
Christina Soman
30
John Sontag
68
Ravi Srirangam
50
David Vaccari
43
39
Daniel J. Van Abs
Han Winterwerp
44
Benjamin Witherell
Title
The Edison Environmental Center Permeable Pavement Site:
Initial Results from a Stormwater Control Designed for
Monitoring
Water Pollution Analysis in New Jersey, Employing the Cutting
Edge Analytical Technology of 1876.
Nutrient Cycling and the Assimilative Capacity of an Exurban
Stream – Belcher Creek, Passaic County, NJ
Passaic River Flood Mitigation - Non-Structural Solutions
The Passaic River Community Advisory Group (CAG) and Its
Role in the Passaic River Removal Action
Molluscan Community and Population Structure in an Urban
Pond in the Lower Passaic River Watershed, New Jersey
Tackling NJ‘s First Fecal coliform TMDL: a 10-year case study
in the Whippany watershed
The Riverfront Newark Wants: Progress Report 2008-2010
The Effects of Distance and Selective Enrichment on Alkane
Monooxygenase Gene Diversity in Passaic River Sediment
Update on the Removal Action through Potentially Responsible
Party Initiative in the Lower Passaic River, New Jersey
PCB Mass Loading Project: Identifying Non-Point Source PCB
Contribution to the Surface Waters of the Christina River Basin
Development of Carbon Nanotubes Immobilized Membrane for
Enhanced Extraction
The impact of Japanese knotweed on stream baseflow in Bonsal
Preserve, Montclair, NJ
Water Supply Protection through Continuous Stream Monitors
Water Supply and Power from 1894 to 2002
Potential Impact of Human Transportation on Amphibian and
Reptile Populations
Topsoil from Contaminated Sediment from the Lower Passaic
River, BioGenesis Sediment Washing Technology
Reducing Contaminated Groundwater Flow to Rivers:
Evaluation of Alternative Active Cap Designs
Pathogen Sources and FC-EC relations in the Lower Passaic
River
Highlands Water Availability in the Passaic Basin
Morphology, Modeling and Bathymetry: Application of
Physical indicators to Evaluate Sediment Stability in the Lower
Passaic River
Water use regimes, land use regimes, and spatial data analysis
for better watershed management
16
Overview of Partner Agency Efforts to Clean Up the Lower Passaic River
With Focus on Alternatives for the Lower Eight Miles
Alice Yeh1, Elizabeth Butler2, Stephanie Vaughn3,
Elizabeth Buckrucker4, Scott E. Thompson, PE5, Carolyn Zeiner6
1
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, NY, NY; (T) 212-637-4427, yeh.alice@epa.gov
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, NY, NY; (T) 212-637-4396, butler.elizabeth@epa.gov
3
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, NY, NY; (T) 212-637-3914,
vaughn.stephanie@epa.gov
4
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City, MO; (T) 816-389-3581,
elizabeth.a.buckrucker@usace.army.mil
5
The Louis Berger Group, Inc., Elmsford, NY; (T) 914-798-3720, sthompson@louisberger.com
6
The Louis Berger Group, Inc., Elmsford, NY; (T) 914-798-3723, czeiner@louisberger.com
2
An interagency effort is underway to remediate and restore the Lower Passaic River (17-mile
tidal portion of the river from Dundee Dam to Newark Bay). Given the complexity of the
estuary, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), under the Superfund Program, is
implementing concentric studies of manageable scope, while moving forward expeditiously on
key actions.
 The overall study of the Lower Passaic River (17 miles) is being implemented by a group
of about 70 potentially responsible parties, under oversight by EPA and its Federal and
State Agency partners. While EPA and the New Jersey Department of Environmental
Protection are studying how to address the contamination (including dioxins, metals,
polychlorinated biphenyls, etc.), the other partner agencies (U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service) are studying how to restore the ecosystem to various human and ecological uses.
 During that overall 17-mile study, EPA found that the sediments of the lower eight miles
are the major source of contamination to the Lower Passaic River and Newark Bay. EPA
and its partners are focusing on whether action can be taken on those highly contaminated
sediments while the 17-mile study is on-going.
 Most recently, EPA and Occidental Chemical Corporation signed an agreement to
remove the most highly contaminated river sediments adjacent to the former Diamond
Alkali plant in Newark.
 As these interrelated studies and actions are proceeding on the Passaic River, EPA is also
overseeing another study of contamination in Newark Bay.
While most of the work described above is being implemented by potentially responsible parties
under government oversight, EPA and its partner agencies are leading the effort to focus
attention on cleaning up the sediments of the lower eight miles of the Passaic River. The goal of
the lower eight-mile action is to substantially reduce risks by first addressing the major on-going
source of contamination. A Focused Feasibility Study (FFS) evaluates alternatives for clean up,
including no action and combinations of dredging and capping. Since a draft FFS was reviewed
by stakeholders in 2007, substantial revisions have been made, including additional sampling, a
reconfigured navigational channel and modeling of future river recovery scenarios. A Proposed
Plan is expected to present a preferred clean-up option for public comment in 2011.
17
Restoration Planning Within The Lower Passaic River
Lower Passaic River Restoration Study
Lisa Baron1, Peter Weppler2, Heather Morgan3 and Diana Kohtio4
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 26 Federal Plaza, New York, NY 10278-0090. (T) (917) 7908306,
1
Lisa.A.Baron@usace.army.mil, 2Peter.M.Weppler@usace.army.mil,
3
Healther.m.morgan@usace.army.mil, 4 Diana.m.kohtio@usace.army.mil
The Lower Passaic River Restoration Project is being conducted through a joint, integrated plan
between USACE, EPA and NJDOT in partnership with NJDEP, USFWS, and NOAA. The partners
are utilizing multiple authorities and missions to achieve a comprehensive solution to remediate and
restore the Lower Passaic River watershed from Dundee Dam to the confluence of Newark Bay.
This study is a derivative of the broader Hudson-Raritan Estuary (HRE) Restoration Study which is
the overall approach for restoring the NY/NJ Harbor Estuary. In April 2009, the USACE and Port
Authority of NY/NJ in partnership with the NY/NJ Harbor Estuary Program (HEP) released the draft
Comprehensive Restoration Plan (CRP) for the NY/NJ Harbor Estuary. This Restoration Plan was
adopted by HEP to be the path forward for future restoration activities. The remediation and
restoration of the Lower Passaic River is essential to reduce contaminant loading throughout the
harbor and is a critical component of achieving the vision of the World Class Estuary.
Planning and illustrating the restoration vision of the partner agencies and the stakeholders within the
communities along the river has been an ongoing activity over the years. In order to capture this
vision, the USACE is preparing the Focused Ecosystem Restoration Plan (FERP), a restoration
companion to EPA‘s potential early action Focused Feasibility Study (FFS). This (FERP) will
concentrate on River Miles 0 through 8.2. In the future, following the additional biological sampling
of the 17-miles, an overall Lower Passaic Comprehensive Restoration Plan (LP- CRP) for the entire
study area for River Miles 0 through 17 and the associated tributaries will be prepared.
In support of restoration planning efforts for the FERP, LP-CRP and overall HRE CRP, the USACE
has been assessing restoration opportunities that have been identified throughout the sub-watershed.
The evaluation identifies what can be done at the site; how the restoration at each site contributes to
achieving the restoration goals for the River and the overall harbor, preparation of conceptual
designs, review of ecological benefits, generic costs and analysis of a Comparative Restoration Ratio.
Over the years, the multi-agency team has conducted biological sampling (vegetation communities
[2007/2008], benthic and fish communities [2009/2010]) and visualization products to demonstrate
our restoration plans for the future. In particular, the Corps has focused our efforts on ―Restoration
Visioning‖ products including before and after representations of restoration opportunities and a 3Dimensional Simulation Video Presentation showing existing and desired future conditions for the
Lower Passaic River.
The presentation will focus on this illustration for the future, attempting to capture the views of the
agencies and most importantly, the communities living adjacent the River. We all have a need to
transform the existing hardened shoreline, bulkheads, degraded habitat and dilapidated public access
points into a greener, more diverse, healthier community structure for both wildlife and surrounding
communities to utilize and enjoy.
18
Federal Trustees‘ Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration Activities Update
Timothy Kubiak1, Reyhan Mehran2
1
2
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, New Jersey Field Office, 927 N. Main St. Pleasantville, New
Jersey 08232 (T) (609) 646-9310x26; tim_kubiak@fws.gov
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Ocean Service, Office of Response
and Restoration, Coastal Protection and Restoration Division,
290 Broadway, 18th Floor. New York, NY 10007-1866.
(T) (212) 637-3257reyhan.mehran@noaa.gov.
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are the
two federal trustee agencies that are conducting Natural Resource Damage Assessment and
Restoration activities under the Superfund Law as part of the Lower Passaic River Restoration
Project (LPRRP). We will provide an overview of ongoing activities, status of the case relative
to Department of the Interior regulatory requirements, the coordinated approach within and
external to the interagency partnership for the LPPRP, discuss the benefits and challenges of
cooperative assessment with Potentially Responsible Parties and present case-specific examples
that are illustrative of our concerns relative to injury assessments and restoration opportunities.
19
The Passaic River Community Advisory Group (CAG) and Its Role in the Passaic River
Removal Action
Thomas Pietrykoski¹, Carol Johnston²
1
Lower Passaic Watershed Alliance, Passaic River CAG co-chair
(T) (973) 817-5735; tpietrykoski@gmail.com
2
Ironbound Community Corporation, Passaic River CAG co-chair
(T) (973) 589-3353; caroljsc@aol.com
Pursuant to an agreement signed with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in June
2008, Tierra Solutions, Inc. is designing a project to dredge 40,000 cubic yards of contaminated
sediments immediately adjacent to the Diamond Alkali facility and dispose of them at a licensed
off-site facility. As a result of community interest in that project, in the fall of 2009 with the
assistance of an EPA headquarters‘ contract, a community advisory group (CAG) formed
representing a variety of community interests to provide recommendations to the EPA and other
government agencies to help ensure a more effective and timely cleanup and restoration of the
Passaic River. The CAG had its first formational meeting in October 2009 and has met monthly
since then. The primary focus of the CAG so far has been on the removal action but that focus
will expand to other projects as time goes on.
This presentation will focus on the formation of the CAG and its role in the removal action in the
near term and in community involvement in general in the long term. Presenters will discuss
how interests that were often in conflict have come together over the last 8 months to create a
process to represent a broad range of interests to fashion solutions that are responsive to
community concerns.
20
Update on the Removal Action through Potentially Responsible Party Initiative
in the Lower Passaic River, New Jersey
Robert Romagnoli1, Philip Spadaro2, Paul Bluestein3, Paul Brzozowski4, Shannon Dunn5
1
ARCADIS, 6723 Towpath Road Syracuse, New York 13214, (T) (315) 671-9250,
bob.romagnoli@arcadis-us.com,
2
ARCADIS, Seattle, Washington 98102, (T) (206) 726-4706, (F) (206) 325-8218,
philip.spadaro@arcadis-us.com,
3
Tierra Solutions, Inc., II Tower Center Boulevard, 10th Floor East Brunswick, New Jersey
08816, (T) (732) 246-3091, (F) (732) 246-5858, pjbluestein@tierra-inc.com,
4
Tierra Solutions, Inc., II Tower Center Boulevard, 10th Floor East Brunswick, New Jersey
08816, (T) (732) 246-5851, (F) (732) 246-5858, paul.brzozowski@tierra-inc.com,
5
ARCADIS, Seattle, Washington 98102, (T) (206) 726.4708, (F) (206) 325-8218,
shannon.dunn@arcadis-us.com,
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) placed the Lower Passaic River (river) on
the National Priorities List in 1984. Tierra Solutions, Inc. (Tierra), on behalf of Occidental Chemical
Corporation, proposed an action to remove over half of the estimated 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzop-dioxin (TCDD) mass from the river. Per the June 2008 Agreement and Order on Consent with
USEPA, an initial phase will dredge approximately 40,000 cubic yards (cy) of the sediments
containing the highest 2,3,7,8-TCDD concentrations and dispose of them at a licensed facility off
site (Phase I Removal Action).
Since the 2008 Passaic River Symposium, Tierra has made significant progress on the Phase I
Removal Action, including preparing an Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis, Remedial
Design Work Plan, and seven Quality Assurance Project Plans (QAPPs) for pre-design
investigations, which have all been approved by USEPA. Tierra has completed investigations
associated with the QAPPs, and the resulting data are being used in the design of the Phase I
Removal Action. Tierra is updating the Community Advisory Group on the status of the design
and the Community Health and Safety Plan, which Tierra is preparing.
The Phase I Removal Action is based on the USEPA-selected alternative, described as follows.
A sheet pile enclosure will be constructed around the Phase I Work Area. The 40,000 cy of
sediment and debris will be removed using a mechanical dredge and placed on barges. Upon
arrival at the upland processing facility, the sediment will be dewatered using a mechanical
press. The resulting dewatered sediment will be placed in containers. These containers will be
sealed and staged for off-site transport via rail for treatment and/or disposal. Water generated
during sediment processing will either be recycled or treated using a water treatment system.
Upon completion of the Phase I Removal Action, the Phase I Work Area will be backfilled.
21
The Economic and Social Values of a Cleaner Lower Passaic River
Ella Filippone
Passaic River Coalition, prcwater@aol.com, (T) (973) 532-9830
The economic value of a navigable river is well known. The Lower Passaic River was once a
major industrial river. That has changed, and now an assessment should be made as to what its
value would be for other uses. This presentation will look at the economic value from several
viewpoints, i.e., commercial, residential, industrial, transportation facilitation, and
tourism/recreational. It will present examples of other river systems that have been improved
and show how this project can bring stimulus and life back to the Lower Passaic River in our
lifetime. It will be wake up call. The region is losing money every day because of inaction.
22
The Riverfront Newark Wants: Progress Report 2008-2010
Damon Rich
Urban Designer and Waterfront Planner, City of Newark, (973) 733-5918,
richda@ci.newark.nj.us
The City of Newark and its partners
are working to create a constituency
for the Newark Riverfront (with a goal
of ―2 cents from 2 percent,‖ where
two percent of Newark will participate
in a riverfront-related activity before
2012), build public access and
facilities, and create rules for private
development and long-term priorities
for public investment.
Since 2008, these efforts have resulted
in:
 Completion of a communitybased design of Newark‘s first
true riverfront park, scheduled
for 2010 construction
 Over 200 Newarkers seeing
their city from the water on
free boat tours
 180 Newarkers trekking across
their riverfront for interactive
―walkshop‖
 Completion of a Young
Riverfront Planners program
resulting in a City Hall
exhibition
 Development of a draft
Riverfront Development
Framework setting rules for
private development and
priorities for public
investments
This presentation will include
documentation of these activities and
discussion of next steps to return
Newark‘s riverfront to its residents.
23
Historical and Current Ecological Conditions of the Lower Passaic River
Mike Johns1, Timothy Iannuzzi2
1
Windward Environmental, 200 W Mercer Street, Suite 401, Seattle, WA 98119,
(T) (206) 812-5418, mikej@windwardenv.com
2
ARCADIS, 326 First Street, Suite 200, Annapolis, MD 21403,
(T) (410) 295-1205, tim.iannuzzi@arcadis-us.com
The post-Columbian history of the lower Passaic River is one of industry and urban
development. For more than 250 years, the river and its shorelines have been physically altered,
habitats have been destroyed or severely degraded, and the river has been used as a receptor for
sewage and industrial/municipal point- and nonpoint-source pollutants, many of which now
reside in buried and, to a lesser extent, surface sediments. Biological production in the Passaic
River reached a low point at the turn of the 20th century. Since that time, the active industry
along the River has decreased, sewage systems have been enhanced, and water/sediment quality
have improved to a degree – yet the urbanized nature of the river remains. A Comprehensive
Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) remedial investigation
(RI) and feasibility study (FS) are currently underway for the Lower Passaic River Study Area
(LPRSA). These projects are led by the Cooperating Parties Group, which entered into a
Settlement Agreement with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in May 2007. Initial
field studies have been conducted to determine the status of the fish and benthic communities
below Dundee Dam.
In this presentation, we will briefly review the ecological history of the Lower Passaic River and
summarize the biological community data and information that have been collected to date.
Integration of these data with additional ecological, toxicological, and habitat information to be
obtained in subsequent studies will continue to inform the development of the conceptual site
model and provide additional insights into environmental management and restoration options
for the Lower Passaic River.
24
Altered Gonadal Development in Newark Bay Organisms
Keith Cooper
Rutgers University, cooper@aesop.rutgers.edu, (T) (732) 932-9763 x:123
Since the mid 1980‘s our laboratory has been examining the reproductive health of aquatic
organisms (Mya arenaria, Crassostrea virginica, Fundulus heteroclitus) inhabiting the heavily
industrialized Newark Bay and reference populations from Great Bay, Tuckerton, NJ. Gonadal
development in both invertebrates and in lower vertebrates appear to be a target for compounds
present within the Newark Bay complex that result in abnormal egg and to a lesser extent sperm
development. Both field and laboratory studies have shown that 2,3,7,8-TCDD at
environmentally observed tissue concentrations could reproduce these effects. Recent studies
have shown that Newark Bay killifish exhibited molecular and morphological changes indicative
of impaired reproduction and endocrine disruption compared to the reference population.
Newark Bay males had decreased gonad weight, altered testis development and decreased
gonadal aromatase mRNA expression, compared to the reference population. Newark Bay
females had decreased gonad weight, inhibited gonadal development, decreased hepatic
vitellogenin production (mRNA and protein) and increased mRNA expression of gonadal
aromatase, compared to the reference population. In addition, Newark Bay females had a
significant increase in the percent of pre-vitellogenic follicles (43% at Tuckerton, 64% at
Newark Bay) and a significantly decreased percent of follicles at the mid-vitellogenic and mature
stages (25% mature at Tuckerton and 3% at Newark. Bay). In addition to reproductive endpoints,
killifish at Newark Bay exhibited high basal levels of CYP1A mRNA and protein expression,
which indicated exposure to aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonists. An inverse relationship
between hepatic CYP1A protein and hepatic vitellogenin mRNA expression was observed
suggesting a possible link between AhR agonist exposure and vitellogenesis. Disruption of
normal gonadal development can result in the inability of successful repopulation by more
desirable species and should be considered in restoration projects. (NJAES 01201, ES05022,
NJDEP-431102)
25
Application of Behavioral Simulation Modeling to Evaluate Anglers‘ Fish Consumption
in the Lower Passaic River Study Area
Jason Kinnell1 and Betsy Ruffle2
1
Veritas Economic Consulting, 1851 Evans Road, Cary, NC 27513, (T) (919) 677-8787,
jason.kinnell@veritaseconomics.com,
2
AECOM Environment, 2 Technology Park Drive, Westford, MA 01886,
(T) (978) 589-3071, betsy.ruffle@aecom.com
Evaluation of the potential health risk from consumption of fish is a critical element in regulatory
risk assessment of contaminated sediment sites. There are a number of key variables in the fish
consumption exposure pathway, including amount of fish consumed, preferred species, parts
consumed, preparation and cooking practices, as well as number of fishing trips to a site, and
years consuming fish from the site. In order to develop reliable estimates of these variables, it is
critical to understand the site-specific characteristics and behaviors of the angling population.
Use of assumptions based on default scenarios or studies of other water bodies may over- or
underestimate site-specific exposures and risks. This is particularly relevant for the Lower
Passaic River because of its unique and diverse water body, shoreline, and demographic
characteristics.
One of the tools that can be used to evaluate these variables and their relative importance in
predicting potential health risk is behavioral simulation modeling. Random utility models
(RUM) use data on individual trips and statistical techniques to explain anglers' fishing site
choices. Such models are commonly used in management of recreational fishing resources.
Factors that influence anglers‘ fishing site choices (e.g., access, travel distance, available species,
catch rate, and presence of a fishing advisory), are combined with angler characteristics and
behavior information from an on-site creel/angler survey to simulate fishing trip frequency,
location, likelihood of keeping fish that are caught, consumption rate and preferences. The
application of a fishing RUM to the Lower Passaic River Study Area is presented, using
available site-specific angler and recreational survey data, to estimate fish consumption rate.
The model results provide insight into which inputs most impact fish consumption estimates and
may warrant further consideration.
26
Human Health Risk Assessment for Consumption of Fish from the Lower Passaic River
Harris, M.1, Urban, J.2, Tachovsky, A.3, Staskal, D.4, and Haws, L.5
1
ToxStrategies, Inc., Houston, TX; (T) (281) 712-2062; mharris@toxstrategies.com
2
ToxStrategies, Inc., Austin, TX; (T) (512) 351-7358; jurban@toxstrategies.com
3
ToxStrategies, Inc., Austin, TX; (T) (512) 351-7254; atachovsky@toxstrategies.com
4
ToxStrategies, Inc., Austin, TX; (T) (512) 351-7178; dstaskal@toxstrategies.com
5
ToxStrategies, Inc., Austin, TX; (T) (512) 351-7094; lhaws@toxstrategies.com
The Lower Passaic River (LPR) in New Jersey has been impacted by various human activities
over the last two centuries. In this risk assessment, we evaluated potential human health risks
associated with consumption of fish from a lower 6-mile portion of the LPR. This risk
assessment incorporates fish consumption information gathered during a year-long, intercept
style creel angler survey (CAS) and representative fish tissue concentrations for 156 analytes
obtained from USEPA's public database (OurPassaic website: http://www.ourpassaic.org)
(Tachovsky et al., in press). The CAS was designed to address important fish ingestion exposure
parameters in order to inform assessments of human health with site-specific information (Ray et
al., 2007). Due to the large number of analytes investigated, this risk assessment was divided
into two phases: (1) identification of analytes that contributed to the majority of overall excess
cancer risk and hazard estimates using deterministic and probabilistic methods, and (2)
probabilistic characterization of risk using distributions of chemical concentration and cooking
loss for those compounds identified in Phase 1. Phase 1 relied on point estimates of analyte
concentrations and demonstrated that PCDD/Fs and PCBs are the greatest contributors to cancer
risk, while non-dioxin-like PCBs are the primary contributors to non-cancer hazard estimates.
The total excess cancer risks for adult and child and receptors estimated in Phase 1 were within
USEPA's acceptable excess cancer risk range, with the exception of RME child (3.0×10 -4 and
1.3×10-4 for deterministic and probabilistic approaches, respectively). Phase 2 focused on
PCDD/Fs and PCBs, and utilized distributions of chemical concentrations in fish. The results
showed that all excess cancer risk estimates were within the acceptable risk range, although noncancer hazard estimates for PCBs slightly exceeded a Hazard Index of 1 at the 95th percentile for
the child exposure scenario. This HHRA of LPR fish ingestion represents the most
comprehensive evaluation conducted to date, and demonstrates that current analyte levels are not
likely to pose an imminent health risk to people who currently consume fish from the LPR.
References
Ray R, Craven V, Bingham M, Kinnell J, Hastings E, Finley B. (2007). Human health exposure
factor estimates based upon a creel/angler survey of the lower Passaic River
(part 3). J Toxicol Environ Health A. 70:512–28.
Tachovsky JA, Urban JD, Staskal Wikoff D, Haws LC, Harris MA. Reduction of a Large Fish
Tissue Analyte Database: Identifying and Assessing Data Specific to a Remediation Site for Risk
Assessment Application. Chemosphere. In press.
27
Incentive Based Environmental Restoration and Planning Shifting the Paradigm
Stephen K. Davis, P.G. 1, Lawrence D. Malizzi, P.G. 2 Ralph G. Stahl, Jr., Ph.D, D.A.B.T3 ,
Joseph C. Steinbacher, PMP4
1
Matrix New World Engineering, Rochester, Illinois 62563; (T) (217) 660-8003:
sdavis@matrixneworld.com
2
Matrix New World Engineering, Wilmington Delaware; (T) (302) 824-7074;
lmalizzi@matrixneworld.com
DuPont Corporate Remediation Group, Wilmington, Delaware 19805 (T) (302) 999-3733;
Ralph.g.stahl-jr@usa.dupont.com
4
Versar, Inc., Baltimore, Maryland 21211; (T) (410) 366-2518; JSteinbacher@versar.com
Although not necessarily a new concept in the area of natural resource damage assessment
(NRDA) settlements, the notion of ―proactive incentive based environmental restoration and
planning‖ remains just that…a concept. Why is that? In stale economic conditions, why do
state and federal regulators and in some situations, potentially responsible parties (PRP‘s), resist
the development of a market based approach to natural resource restoration? Is it time to allow
and encourage the development of new environmental restoration and compensation tools?
Natural Resource Trustees (Trustees) and PRPs are often forced into a protracted scientific,
technical and legal debate on the level of ―injury‖ to natural resources and how best (and how
much) to compensate for the injuries in the form of damages. Unfortunately these damage cases
can take years and even decades to resolve with often times thousands, if not millions of dollars
required for settlement. As a result, the environment remains injured, and restoration is put on
hold until which time agreement and settlement on damages is reached.
Prospective Restoration begins when a Natural Resource Damage claim is initiated by Trustees.
An entity then undertakes restoration and receives ―credit‖ for that restoration in a currency (e.g.
discounted service acre years) that can be applied to an existing, pending or future liability.
Ultimately these credits may be sold or traded to another entity or even potentially leveraged
with other funding mechanisms. The credits are ―durable‖ so long as the habitat or resource that
generates the service flows remains in the same or similar condition as when the credits were
first assigned. For example in the case of contaminated sediments and the need for dredging, a
restoration project may be ―planned‖ or developed ―up front‖ prior to finalizing a settlement of a
damage claim. Restoration can begin ―sooner rather than later‖ as long as the necessary
parameters are agreed to and memorialized. (Stahl et. al.)
The authors believe that now is the time to realize the ―concept‖ and reduce the time and costs
associated with natural resource restoration that will lead to an increase in voluntary restoration
and conservation nationally, with NJ leading the way. This presentation will evaluate some of
the perceptions held by NRD practitioners and describe how a significant shift in the current
restoration based paradigm could be achieved under the new administration in NJ by using the
Passaic River as a pilot case.
Reference: Stahl, R., Gouguet, R., DeSantis, A, Liu, J., Ammann, M, 2007. Society of Environmental Toxicologist and Chemists, Prospective
Environmental Restoration/Restoration Up Front: A Concept for an Incentive-Based Program to Increase Restoration Planning and
Implementation in the United States.
28
Urban River Restoration
Terry Doss1, Joe Berg2, Keith Bowers3, and Ed Morgereth4
1
Biohabitats, 855 Bloomfield Avenue, Glen Ridge NJ 07028 (T) (973) 748-9800
tdoss@biohabitats.com
2
Biohabitats, 2081 Clipper Park Road, Baltimore MD 21211 (T) (410) 554-0156
jberg@biohabitats.com
3
Biohabitats, 2081 Clipper Park Road, Baltimore MD 21211 (T) (410) 554-0156
kbowers@biohabitats.com
4
Biohabitats, 2081 Clipper Park Road, Baltimore MD 21211 (T) (410) 554-0156
emorgereth@biohabitats.com
Urban rivers were historically the site for the birth of many of our North American cities. Over
time, industrial practices turned these waterways into neglected resources or over-engineered
systems. Recent attention to stormwater and urban water quality has aided in the recovery of
urban river systems, but restoration of the land/water interface is also needed for overall
improved river health.
One technique being used widely along the east coast - the restoration of a living shoreline creates a more stable shoreline using natural habitat elements to protect shorelines from erosion
while also providing critical habitat. This restoration technique is currently being proposed for a
few projects along the Passaic River and will likely be an important tool when ecological
restoration efforts within the Passaic River begin to ramp up.
Selected case study examples from similar urban river systems located in New York City,
Philadelphia, Baltimore and Massachusetts will be discussed in this presentation. These case
studies describe complex challenges and unique solutions developed from a broad range of
perspectives, which provide stacked benefits from needed investments in urban waterfront
infrastructure. These restoration techniques are also an important tool to be used as a part of a
comprehensive approach needed to address the ramifications of global climate change and sea
level rise.
29
Topsoil from Contaminated Sediment from the Lower Passaic River, BioGenesis Sediment
Washing Technology
John Sontag
BioGenesis Enterprises, Inc., jsontag@biogenesis.com, (484) 678-6135
The sediment in the Lower Passaic River has been impacted with pesticides, PCBs, dioxins,
heavy metals, and a variety of other organic and inorganic contaminants from past industrial
activities along the river. Dredging of the contaminated sediment will remove the impact of the
contaminants on the environment, but will result in a large volume of material that must be
handled safely. The BioGenesis Sediment Washing Technology has been demonstrated to be
effective in decontaminating sediment from the Lower Passaic River and producing
manufactured topsoil from the decontaminated sediment. The BioGenesis Sediment Washing
Technology is a patented, ambient temperature, decontamination process for coarse and finegrained sediment particles impacted by a variety of contaminants. The technology uses physical
and chemical forces to remove contaminants from sediment particles. The decontaminated
sediment is then amended for use as manufactured topsoil. Thus, the decontaminated sediment
can be sustainably recycled back to the environment instead of being placed in a landfill, as is
often the case today. The results of a 15,000 cubic yard full-scale demonstration of the
BioGenesis Sediment Washing Technology are presented. Contaminated sediment was dredged
from three sources in the New York/New Jersey Harbor, including the Lower Passaic River, for
the demonstration project. Decontaminated sediment from the Lower Passaic River was
amended with organics, sand, and organic fertilizer to produce high-end manufactured topsoil.
The topsoil is being used at Montclair State University, outside Mallory Hall, as part of a
Sediment Sustainability Demonstration Project.
30
Utilization of Barrier and Treatment Designs to Address Irregular Shoreline Surfaces and
Control of Contaminant Migration
John H. Hull, P.E., BCEE
President, AquaBlok Ltd, Toledo, Ohio, 419.385.2980, jhull@hullinc.com, 419-385-2018
The presentation will provide an overview of material technology that can address some
construction challenges posed by barrier and treatment systems for shorelines and for control of
contaminant migration in sediments, or at upland/surface water interfaces. Case studies and
lessons learned from implementation of three specific projects where barrier and/or treatment
systems were installed will be presented. The evaluation of site related issues including
installation objectives and challenges and the materials selection process will be discussed.
The three case studies to be presented are as follows:
1. MGP Site - Combining Treatment and Sequestration – Application of a combined in-situ
sediment treatment approach/sequestration utilizing low permeability barrier to maximize
product capture and minimize seepage and subsequent sheen in a waterway.
2. Combination Stream Bank Stabilization and Landfill Cap – Engineered low permeability
barrier system and erosion control system as a component of a shoreline landfill stream
bank stabilization project to address freeze/thaw and severe hydraulic forces.
3. Trench Pipe Cap / Salt Water – Providing an engineered barrier material to cut off site
contaminant pathways during excavation and installation of pipeline in an upland and
marine setting. Specific challenge in the need for replication of existing area
hydrogeologic conditions post-construction to address on-going litigation.
In addition to the above case studies, information regarding the ability to deliver high volume
alternative treatment materials and their practical applicability as upland and aquatic Passive
Reactive Barriers will be discussed and several examples of geotechnical applications will be
presented.
31
An Update to EPA‘s Conceptual Site Model for the Lower Passaic River:
An Examination of the Most Recent Results
Edward A. Garvey1, Alice Yeh2, Solomon S. Gbondo-Tugbawa1, Juliana Atmadja1,
John Kern3, AmyMarie Accardi-Dey4, Shane McDonald5 and Chitra Prabhu6
1
The Louis Berger Group, 412 Mt Kemble Ave. , Morristown, NJ 07962; (973) 407-1689,
egarvey@louisberger.com; (973) 407-1688, stugbawa@louisberger.com;
(973) 407-1687, jatmadja@louisberger.com
2
US EPA-Region 2, 290 Broadway, NY, NY 10007; (212) 637-4327, yeh.alice@epa.gov
3
Kern Statistical Services, Sauk Rapids, MN 56379; (320) 281-0676, jkern@kernstat.com
4
The Louis Berger Group, 565 Taxter Rd., Suite 510, Elmsford, NY 10523; (914) 798-3712,
aaccardidey@louisberger.com; (914) 798-3718, cprabhu@louisberger.com
5
The Louis Berger Group, Exton, PA 19341; (610) 280-4032, smcdonald@louisberger.com
An essential component of any remedial investigation is a well-developed and rigorously tested
conceptual site model (CSM). In 2008, the US EPA developed an extensive conceptual site
model of the Lower Passaic River and presented these results in a report as well as at the Third
Passaic River Symposium. Since that time a large number of additional sampling program s have
been conducted to verify some of the CSM concepts as well as to further delineate the extent of
contamination.
The complex history of the Lower Passaic River factors heavily into the current CSM. Beginning
with the Industrial Revolution, the Lower Passaic River in northern New Jersey has been subject
to industrial discharges laden with contaminants. Coincident with these discharges was the
construction and subsequent neglect of an extensive shipping channel along most of the lower
river. As solids settled in the abandoned channel, thick sediment beds were created, tainted with
multiple contaminants, notably 2,3,7,8-TCDD, PCBs, mercury and PAHs. Current estimates
place the contaminated sediment inventory at over 8 Mm3 of sediment with over 30 kg of
2,3,7,8,-TCDD and 8 metric tons of PCBs in the lower 8 miles of the river alone.
The most recent studies of the river examined recently deposited sediments as well as suspended
matter delivered to the Lower Passaic River by tributaries, CSOs and storm water outfalls. These
data provided new insights into the external sources of contamination, geochemical processes
and estuarine circulation occurring in the river. Additionally, an extensive geostatistical analysis
of bathymetric studies covering the period 1989 to 2008was completed. This analysis
documented the short term variation of deposition and erosion of sediments throughout the lower
8 miles of the estuary as well as the long term rates of deposition and erosion. These analyses
were integrated with the prior geochemical and geophysical investigations as well as modeling
exercises to revise the original CSM.
This presentation will include the results of EPA‘s most recent investigations as well as their
implications for the present understanding of contaminant fate and transport and the long-term
rate of recovery.
32
Historical Trends of Energy Use, Energy Sources and Hydrocarbon Pollution along the Passaic
River and Newark Bay, 1660-present.
Stephen G. Marshall, Esq.,
P.O. Box 524, Lincoln Park, NJ, (T) (973) 628-8131, gateur2@aol.com.
For two centuries after Europeans settled along the Passaic River and Newark Bay,
energy sources were primarily humans and animals, plus wind, water, and wood. The
introduction of Pennsylvania coal via canals and railroads in the 1830s caused the first
substantial hydrocarbon pollution, which further increased after the development of local coal
gas production plants. Petroleum arrived in the late 1800s, its impact magnified by a growing
concentration of refineries and storage tanks along the Bayonne Peninsula and Arthur Kill. Everexpanding petrochemical production also increased pollution from oil spills, discarded refinery
by-products, and waste from consumer use of kerosene, fuel oil, and gasoline. Electric
generating plants increased local coal usage (and pollution) during the early and mid-20th
Century, even as residential and industrial coal use declined. PSE&G sited its coal gas and
electric generating plants on riverfront sites to reduce transport costs of incoming coal, allow
immediate disposal of liquid by-products, and use coal ash to transform nearby riverine wetlands
into new upland. Oil tanker shipping (and spills) temporarily decreased during WW2 after
construction of the Big Inch and Little Inch pipelines, but later increased with the postwar
expansion of suburbs, automobiles, and petroleum use. The pipelines‘ postwar conversion to
natural gas, however, allowed Texas Eastern Transmission Company to bring the new energy
source (with less pollution) into the region. The number of local coal-based electrical generating
plants (and local pollution) also declined during the postwar period, as innovations in longdistance electric transmission technology allowed the construction of mine-mouth generating
plants in Pennsylvania coal country. The enactment of environmental laws during the late 20th
Century also contributed to lower levels of contemporary pollution. The legacy of earlier energy
use still remains, however, in the form of PAHs and other hydrocarbons in the sediments and
waters of the Passaic River and Newark Bay.
33
Sources of Contaminants of Concern to the Newark Bay Estuary
Dennis P. Farley
The Intelligence Group, Bedminster, NJ, (T) (908) 901-0112,
dfarley@intell-group.com
Multiple sources of dioxins, furans, and dioxin-like PCBs to Passaic River and Newark Bay
Estuary sediments are known to exist. Based on investigations conducted to date and evidence
that is publicly available from USEPA and NJDEP, it is known that:




Multiple sources employed processes utilizing chlorinated phenols and organo-chlorine
compounds identified by USEPA as associated with the formation of dioxins.
Multiple sources handled other chemicals and employed processes identified by USEPA as
associated with the formation of dioxins.
Sampling for dioxins on the upland sites of these sources has been limited; where sampling and
characterization has included dioxins, dioxins have been detected.
Many of these sources have historical and/or present day discharge pathways to the Passaic River
and Newark Bay Estuary.
Passaic River and Newark Bay Estuary sediments reflect the operating histories and discharges
from these sources. With respect to these and other sources, additional investigation is required
to confirm the specific nature of, and to properly and completely characterize, the dioxin
contamination.
34
Characterization of Contaminant and Biomass-Derived Organic Matter in Sediments from the
Lower Passaic River, New Jersey, USA
Michael Kruge1, Nicole Bujalski2
1
2
Montclair State University, (T) (973) 655-7902, krugem@mail.montclair.edu
Montclair State University, (T) (212) 637-4098, bujalskin1@mail.montclair.edu
The lower Passaic River has been heavily contaminated during the twentieth century due
to the industrial activity within its watershed. The geochemistry of four deep sediment cores was
examined using an environmental forensics approach. Pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass
spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) and grain size analysis were performed in conjunction with
radiometric analysis to understand the sediment and contaminant transport patterns. Distinctive
molecular fingerprints were recognized by employing petroleum hydrocarbon and polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) distributions, principal components analysis, and
chemostratigraphy. Radiometric analysis and observations of chlorinated contaminant patterns
permitted rough (but nonetheless useful) sediment age assignments. Three distinct stratigraphic
zones were observed in all cores, including an evidently mixed layer mid core, and apparently
less disturbed sequences in the top and bottom sections of the cores. The main geochemical focus
was on organic material, namely the investigation of possible anthropogenic hydrocarbon
sources by identifying petrogenic and pyrogenic signatures and observing trends in biomass
input. Two trends emerged with respect to the former. Two cores were observed to have both
zones with a predominantly natural signature and zones with a mixed combustion/petroleum
signature, while the other two cores were observed to contain distinct zones which were
impacted more heavily by petrogenic sources or pyrogenic sources. Grain size analysis
confirmed that the majority of the samples were comprised mostly of silt, but a sandy lens was
observed around 5 meters depth. This sand lens correlates with elevated PAH concentrations and
may reflect a subsurface migration of coal tar, possibly from the nearby site of a former
manufactured gas plant. Biomass relationships were evaluated using the VGI ratio, which
compares terrestrial to aquatic inputs in order to observe background trends in sediment transport
and erosional/depositional events. The VGI trends describe oscillating patterns, suggesting that
the sedimentary regime was significantly impacted by sporadic flood events.
35
Historical bathymetric changes in the Lower Passaic River
William Hansen
Worcester State College, whansen@worcester.edu, (T) (508) 929-8608
Scanned historical hydrographic survey sheets obtained from the US Army Corps of Engineers
were converted to Geographic Information System (GIS) data layers. Dates of surveys included
1949, 1966, 1976 and 1986. Hydrographic point depths were digitized from rectified surveys into
point GIS data layers. The bathymetric sample points were transformed into upstream and across
stream coordinates to account for the highly anisotropic nature of the data points. Resulting point
locations were interpolated to continuous grids using Universal Kriging Interpolation.
Bathymetric surfaces for subsequent time periods were used to create difference maps showing
areas of deposition and erosion during the given time interval. Results showed significant
infilling of the river during the initial decade after dredging halted with significant reworking of
the cross section and thalweg during later time periods..
36
Understanding of Sediment Transport In The Lower Passaic River
Craig Jones1, Ed Garland2, Eugenia Naranjo3
1
Sea Engineering, Inc., cjones@seaengineering.com, (T) (831) 421-0871
2
HydroQual, Inc., egarland@hydroqual.com, (T) (201) 529-5151
3
USEPA, Naranjo.Eugenia@epamail.epa.gov
Understanding sediment transport sediment is key for remediation of the Lower Passaic River
(LPR), because the LPR is contaminated with numerous hydrophobic contaminants, which
strongly sorb to sediments in the system.
Deposition of cleaner sediment can reduce biologically available contaminant concentrations,
while erosion of contaminated sediments can result in a redistribution of contaminants to other
parts of the system. Therefore sediment transport processes are important in determining the
magnitude and rate of recovery of LPR sediments.
LPR is a partially mixed estuary, with its main source of sediments from flow over Dundee Dam.
Under daily low flow conditions, the LPR has tidal delivery and deposition of sediment from
Newark Bay due to estuarine circulation. During occasional high flow events, river flow in the
LPR dominates and there is a net flux of sediments out of the river to Newark Bay. Large storm
events provide energy for erosion of sediments in higher shear regions of the river, with
subsequent deposition of resuspended sediment in lower shear regions. The net flux of solids
during high flow events is orders of magnitude larger than upstream tidal delivery of sediment
from the bay during low flow events. Long term transport has resulted in net deposition in the
river coupled with a net efflux of sediment from the river.
The system was naturally shallower in the 1800‘s, however dredging in the 1940‘s disrupted the
equilibrium of the system and has resulted in infilling of the dredged regions. The system is
returning towards a quasi-equilibrium state as the water depths in the dredged regions have
decreased over time.
Since the most significant transport pathway for hydrophobic contaminants is by transport of the
sediments to which they are sorbed, sediment transport is a key system wide process to
understand when evaluating environmental risk and any remedial selection.
37
Effects of morphological change in the Passaic River/ Newark Bay system on circulation and
sediment transport processes.
Robert J. Chant and Jige (Dove) Guo
Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University
chant@marine.rutgers.edu (T) (732) 932-6555 x 544
The Newark Bay/Passaic River system has undergone significant morphological changes over
the past several decades. While the main channels to Newark Bay have been deepened by
dredging activities to accommodate modern container ships, the Passaic River has shoaled
significantly since dredging ceased in the 1940‘s. Theoretical models of both tides and mean
exchange flows indicate that both are significantly modified by channel morphology. In
particular these theories suggest that estuarine exchange flow should significantly increase in the
main shipping channels while tidal currents weakened. In contrast, in the Passaic River tidal
currents should have increased while the estuarine exchange flow should have decreased. We test
these theoretical ideas based on available moored current meter data in the system.
Characterizing the change in circulation processes in the shipping lanes is based on moored
Doppler current profiler data and bottom salinity data collected in 1998, 2002 and 2008-2009
over which time the shipping lanes were deepened from 14-18 m. Changes in the Passaic flows
are inferred based on moored and shipboard observations in 2004-2005. Results indicate that in
the shipping lanes the exchange flow has increased nearly near two-fold and salinities have
increased by 2psu while tidal currents have reduced in speed. In contrast the opposite has
happened in the Passaic which has become fresher, with stronger tides and weaker exchange
flow. In general theses results suggest that Newark bay has become more frontal with the
bathymetric changes. This is likely to increase the efficiency of the dredged channels to trap
material transported to it from both the Passaic River and New York Harbor.
38
Morphology, Modeling and Bathymetry: Application of Physical indicators to Evaluate
Sediment Stability in the Lower Passaic River
Han Winterwerp1, Rooni Mathew2, Rafael Cañizares2 and Robert Law3
1
Deltares, Rotterdamseweg 185,2629 HD Delft, The Netherlands. (T) (+31) 88 33 58273.
Han.Winterwerp@deltares.nl
2
Moffatt & Nichol, 104 West 40th St, New York, NY 07110. (T) (212) 768 7454
rmathew@moffattnichol.com, rcanizares@moffattnichol.com
3
de maximis Inc. 186 Center Street, Suite 290, Clinton, New Jersey 08809. (T) (908) 735-9315.
rlaw@demaximis.com
The Cooperating Parties Group is performing as part of the Lower Passaic River Study Area
(LPRSA) remedial investigation and feasibility study a sediment stability evaluation using
multiple lines of evidence. Relying on multiple (chemical, physical, and modeling) lines of
evidence provides a robust methodology for determining the stability of the sediments. The
evaluation includes a system understanding that incorporates the observed sedimentary patterns
and requires understanding of the morphodynamics (e.g., infilling) during the post-dredging
period since 1949. Our results indicate that comparison of bathymetric surveys within the
LPRSA can provide a qualitative or possibly semi-quantitative indicator of deposition and
erosion. However, the inherent uncertainties associated with bathymetric surveys preclude the
development of highly precise estimates of erosion and deposition using bathymetric
comparisons.
As part of the RI/FS, these physical indicators are being compared to the results of the high
resolution hydrodynamic model to confirm system understanding and identify stable areas.
Results obtained from this model of the LPR/NB can be used to estimate the stability of the
sediment in specific areas and complement other lines of evidence. Several simulations were
performed covering the full range of LPR discharge and offshore tidal conditions (the main
driving forces in the system). Model results from these simulations and the available historical
records of discharge and tides were combined to develop a time series of shear stresses at every
model grid point representing the conditions of the last several decades.
Physical indicators such as morphology and bathymetry together with the results of high
resolution hydrodynamic modeling strongly suggest that much of the LPRSA sediment bed has
been and remains stable. Sediment stability will be a critical consideration during remedy
selection and the identification of locations in the LPRSA that require treatment.
39
Sediment Stability in the Lower Passaic River – Integration of Multiple Lines of Evidence
Michael Barbara1, Marcia Greenblatt2, and John Connolly3
1
mab.consulting LLC, Brookside, NJ; (T) (973) 543-9608; mab.consulting@verison.net
2
AECOM, Westford, MA; (T) (978) 589-3024; marcia.greenblatt@aecom.com
3
Anchor QEA, Montvale, NJ; (T) (201) 930-9890; jconnolly@anchorqea.com
Sediment stability in the Lower Passaic River (LPR) is an important factor in the
conceptualization of the site (i.e. CSM) and the evaluation of potential remedial options. A
CERCLA remedial investigation (RI) and feasibility study (FS) are currently under way for the
Lower Passaic River Study Area (LPRSA) by the Cooperating Parties Group, who entered into a
Settlement Agreement with the USEPA in May 2007.
As part of the RI, bathymetric surveys and a sediment coring program have been conducted.
Ongoing and future surveys include collection of benthic, fish tissue and water column data.
Hydrodynamic, sediment transport, and fate and transport models are under development, and
human health and ecological risk assessments will be performed as the data become available.
The completion of the RI will support the development, and evaluation and selection of remedial
options for the LPRSA during the FS.
Sediment stability must be evaluated using multiple lines of evidence, including bathymetry,
sediment and water column chemical data, and numerical modeling, to fully understand the
processes controlling sediment transport, and to characterize the potential impact on risk and
recovery of the system. These data (radiochemistry data, downcore chemical concentrations, and
burial rate) were interpreted considering hydrology, hydrodynamics, and geomorphology as
several lines of evidence to determine sediment stability. Vertical patterns in these data were
analyzed to date sediment horizons, calculate settling rates, and gain insight into historical
constituent discharge patterns. These data, together with knowledge of historical dredging
patterns, were used to assess LPR sediment stability. Downcore profile data demonstrated that
much of the sediment bed in the LPR has been stable for at least forty-five years. Integration of
these data with additional physical and chemical information to be obtained in subsequent
studies will continue to inform CSM development, and provide additional insights to overall
sediment bed stability.
40
Hydraulic Modeling for Preliminary Evaluation of Potential Flooding Impacts for Various
Dredging, Capping and Armoring Scenarios of The Lower Passaic River Restoration Project
Abdulai Fofanah 1, Murat Utku 2, Michael Burlingame 3, Steve Rock 4, Stephen Trainor 5,
Ellis Byeon 6
1
The Louis Berger Group, Inc., 412 Mt. Kemble Avenue, Morristown, NJ 07962,
afofanah@louisberger.com, (T) (973) 407-1378, 2 The Louis Berger Group, Inc.,
mutku@louisberger.com, (T) (973) 407-1411, 3 NJDEP, 401 E. State Street, Trenton, NJ,
Michael.Burlingame@dep.state.nj.us, (T) (609) 292-1424, 4 The Louis Berger Group, Inc.,
srock@louisberger.com, (T) (973) 407-4002, 5 The Louis Berger Group, Inc.,
strainor@louisberger.com, (T) (973) 407-1410 6The Louis Berger Group, Inc.,
ebyeon@louisberger.com, Tel: (973) 407-1426
As part of the collaborative effort with NJDEP, the USEPA and various other agencies, The
Louis Berger Group, Inc. (LBG) performed permit related hydraulic modeling for potential
flooding in support of the Lower Passaic River Restoration Project. The modeled remedial
alternatives range in scope from the removal of fine grained sediment (dredging) to capping and
armoring methods, and various combinations of each. These activities would constitute
―development‖ within the New Jersey Flood Hazard Control Act, and therefore requires
hydraulic analysis be performed to confirm compliance with the engineering standards of those
regulations. The hydraulic modeling performed for this study involved the creation of an existing
condition Hydrologic Engineering Center River Analysis System (HEC-RAS) Model of the
entire River system concentrating on the lower 17 miles of the Passaic River, extending from the
river mouth at Newark Bay upstream through the tidally influenced area (approximately 8.5miles of the Lower Passaic), and continuing upstream to Dundee Dam. As part of this work,
LBG then developed another HEC-RAS model of the Lower Passaic River, as a means of
evaluating potential flooding impacts that may
result from the implementation of the various
remedial options, with an emphasis placed on
evaluating each alternative for compliance with the
State‘s Flood Hazard Control Act. The
presentation will highlight the branch-and-bound
enumeration procedure for evaluation of the
optimal combination of dredging, capping and
armoring measures that will minimize flooding
impacts and illustrate how the HEC-RAS
computer program can be used in this analysis as
well as to provide preliminary findings that will
aid in the decision making process for the selected remedy.
41
Water Pollution Analysis in New Jersey, Employing the Cutting Edge Analytical Technology of 1876.
Kevin Olsen
Passaic River Institute, Montclair State University, 1 Normal Ave.
Montclair, New Jersey, 07043, (T) (973) 655-4076, olsenk@mail.montclair.edu
New Jersey has long depended on surface water for much of its potable water supplies. The 1876 Annual
Report of the State Geologist features detailed discussions of the state‘s water resources and provides
valuable insights into what was then known about pure water and public health. By 1876 the links
between pure water and health were well established but the underlying pathology was only dimly
understood.
Dr. John Snow‘s studies of cholera outbreaks in London (1854 and 1857) established a clear link between
contaminated water and disease. Louis Pasteur would not publish his own pioneering work, Germ Theory
and Its Applications to Medicine and Surgery until 1878. There was at the time however, a growing body
of evidence that illnesses could be caused by the ―organized and living organic matter.‖ Many scientists
were convinced that water was the medium through which diseases were spread.
In 1876 the New Jersey Geological Survey was forced to find ways of measuring the disease-causing
potential of a water supply without actually knowing exactly how diseases were transmitted. This task
was given special urgency because in the summer of 1876 a committee of the northern New Jersey
mayors requested the aid of the State Geologist in identifying new sources of water supply. Many cities
relied on the Passaic River which by 1874 could not supply potable water anywhere below the city of
Paterson.
Searching for an alternative source of supply, Geological Survey chemists analyzed water samples from
wells and rivers throughout the region.
They focused on the ammonia and chloride concentrations. They knew that decaying animal and
vegetable materials in water decompose with all nitrogen containing matter ultimately being converted to
either ammonia or nitric acid. Ammonia concentrations became a proxy measure of sewage
contamination. Public health manuals of the time stated that water contaminated with ammonia also
contained poisons that could cause diarrhea, cholera, enteric fever, or, dysentery.
Chlorine (sic) was also recognized as a proxy marker for sewage contamination and what today would be
termed ―non point source‖ pollution. The report noted that while chlorine by itself was non-hazardous, it
was often found in excrement and elevated levels could indicate sewage contamination. The authors of
the report observed that very little chlorine was present in mountain streams, higher levels were found in
cultivated areas, and the highest levels were found in rivers where towns and cities are located.
Based on these results the Geological Survey recommended the upper Passaic River basin as the new
source of domestic water. To confirm this conclusion, they consulted John Cooke, president of the
Danforth Locomotive Works and Machine Company in Paterson. Cooke stated that Upper Passaic River
water seemed to be free of scale-causing minerals. Cooke also assured them that silk dyers and paper
manufacturers also relied on this water.
The Geological Survey recommendations of 1876 lead directly to the construction of reservoirs in
northern New Jersey. Today there are 13 major reservoirs in with a combined storage capacity of 76.2
billion gallons.
42
Highlands Water Availability in the Passaic Basin
Daniel J. Van Abs1, James Hutzelmann2
1
Highlands Water Protection and Planning Council, 100 North Road, Chester, NJ 07930,
(T) (908) 879-6737, dan.vanabs@highlands.state.nj.us
2
Highlands Water Protection and Planning Council, 100 North Road, Chester, NJ 07930,
(T) (908) 879-6737, james.hutzelmann@highlands.state.nj.us
The NJ Highlands Council adopted in 2008 a Regional Master Plan (RMP) that protects the
water resources, ecosystems and other natural resources of the 880,000 acre Highlands Region of
New Jersey while encouraging compatible agricultural and community development. The RMP
includes a detailed system for assessing, allocating and managing water availability for human
and ecological purposes. This system is documented in the Highlands Council‘s Water
Resources Technical Reports, 2008,1 and focuses upon the HUC14 subwatershed as the basis for
analysis and management. It uses low flow statistics from 121 long-term stream gages. The
results were extrapolated and interpolated to the 183 HUC14 subwatersheds of the Highlands
Region, which generally are not coincident with the gauged basins.
The Highlands Council selected the Low Flow Margin of Safety method to determine each
HUC14 subwatershed‘s critical low flow metric, termed Ground Water Capacity. Ground Water
Capacity was then allocated between in-stream needs (i.e., for ecological maintenance and
protection of downstream reservoir safe yields) and human water uses, with the latter value
termed Ground Water Availability. The allocations vary by Land Use Capability Zone, with the
Protection Zone being the most protective of flows for ecological maintenance, and the Existing
Community Zone less. The Conservation Zone, which contains most of the dense agricultural
areas in the Highlands, is the only Land Use Capability Zone with a specific allocation for
agricultural uses.
For each HUC14 subwatershed, existing (2003) consumptive and depletive water uses were then
subtracted from Ground Water Availability to determine Net Water Availability. The overall
method was feasible using available data; many other methods were examined and deemed
infeasible due to the lack of sufficient information. The same basic approach is also being used
in development of NJDEP‘s new Statewide Water Supply Plan, and the Highlands results will be
incorporated directly into that plan.
Of the 67 subwatersheds in the Passaic River Basin, 44 were determined to be in deficit. There
is a close relationship between development patterns and deficits. The results are being used to
guide future water use and deficit reduction planning. The Highlands Council has begun pilot
projects to develop Water Use and Conservation Management Plans, several of which are in the
Passaic River Basin, from which guidance will be developed for local use. In addition, the Net
Water Availability results are being updated using data from 2004 through 2007.
1
http://www.highlands.state.nj.us/njhighlands/master/tr_water_res_vol_2.pdf
43
Water use regimes, land use regimes, and spatial data analysis for better watershed
management
Benjamin Witherell1, Huan Feng2
1
Doctoral Candidate, Montclair State University,
witherellb1@mail.montclair.edu, (T) (908) 399-5106
2
Professor, Department of Earth and Environmental Studies, Montclair State University
Water use regimes represent a two-dimensional description of the relative human impact on the
natural flow regime for a given watershed. Human withdrawals and return flows are normalized
with respect to the net flux of water through the basin. Using this approach, results in four
theoretical end-members (corners of the two-dimensional space): return-flow dominated, humanflow dominated, natural-flow dominated, and withdrawal dominated. Where a watershed plots
in the two-dimensional framework provides information useful to management of that system.
Water use regimes are primarily defined by point-source data. A similar concept is presented to
address non-point contributions. Land use regimes quantify land-use characteristics in a
watershed, and spatial analysis is used to interpret the influence of land use regimes within the
same watersheds where water use regime data is available. Thus a more complete picture of
anthropogenic influence on the hydrologic system is revealed.
44
Using 210Pb and 137Cs to identify the bank vs. soil contributions to excess fine-grained sediments
in urban and rural New Jersey river channels
Joshua C. Galster1, Kirk Barrett2, Huan Feng3, Nicole Bujalski4, Jared Lopes5
1
Department of Earth and Environmental Studies and Passaic River Institute, Montclair State
University, (T) (973) 655-4123, galsterj@montclair.edu
2
Passaic River Institute, Montclair State University, (T) (973) 655-7117,
kirk.barrett@montclair.edu
3
Department of Earth and Environmental Studies and Passaic River Institute, Montclair State
University, (T) (973) 655-7549, fengh@mail.montclair.edu
4
Department of Earth and Environmental Studies, Montclair State University,
bujalskin1@mail.montclair.edu
5
Department of Earth and Environmental Studies, Montclair State University,
lopesj3@mail.montclair.edu
Fine-grained sediment is currently a major pollutant in New Jersey rivers and can affect biologic
systems, river aesthetics, recreational use, and water supply. Controlling sediment supply is often
complicated because determining the source of this sediment is difficult. It is reasonable to
simplify possible sources to a two-source model: 1) from widespread but shallow surficial
erosion from overland flow occurring in the watershed, or 2) from the lateral erosion of vertical
river channel bank material. The goal of this study was to distinguish between these two sources
using their different radionuclide signatures of 210Pb, and 137Cs. Older ( ~ >200 years) sediment
will have little 210Pb, and 137Cs activity due to the short half-lives of the radionuclides, while
sediment will have progressively more activity with less age. Sediment generated from surficial
erosion should have higher activity levels of these radionuclides than the sediment produced
from vertical channel banks. We sampled channel bank material, watershed soils, and in-stream
fine sediment, and analyzed them for their radionuclide signature to identify the relative
contributions of sediments from the watershed and channel banks. The sampling was done for
two small watersheds in New Jersey, Cold Brook (agricultural) and East Branch of the Rahway
(urban), each of which has distinct land uses. The channel bank sediment and soils had similar
activity levels between the two watersheds, indicating consistent radionuclide signatures between
the sources. However, the in-stream sediment from the two streams differed significantly. The
urban East Branch had much higher activity levels than the rural Cold Brook, suggesting that the
sediment in East Branch is not coming from channel banks but from surficial erosion. The Cold
Brook appears to have more of its sediment coming from channel banks due to the low activity
levels of its in-stream sediment. This knowledge will allow for improved stream and watershed
management and the possible initiation of sediment-reduction programs.
45
Tackling NJ‘s First Fecal coliform TMDL: a 10-year case study in the Whippany watershed
Pat Rector1, Art Vespignani2, Chris Obropta3, Steve Souza4 Kimberly Cenno5
1
Environmental and Resource Management Agent, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Morris
County, Morristown, NJ 07963-0900, rector@njaes.rutgers.edu
2
Whippany River Watershed Action Committee, Morristown, NJ 07963-0900, info@wrwac.org
3
Rutgers Cooperative Extension Water Resources Program, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
www.water.rutgers.edu
4
President Princeton Hydro, LLC, Ringoes, NJ 08551, http://princetonhydro.com/
5
Supervising Environmental Specialist, Bureau of Environmental Analysis and Restoration,
Trenton, NJ 07836-0418, Kimberly.cenno@dep.state.nj.us
The Whippany River is situated within the Upper Passaic, Whippany and Rockaway River Watershed
Management Area (HUC-11 02030103020) and joins the Rockaway River for less than 3 miles before its
confluence with the Passaic River. For the past ten (10) years the Whippany River Watershed Action
Committee (WRWAC) has spearheaded various planning and implementation projects throughout the
Whippany River Watershed with various partners and through various means to create an inexorable
current moving incrementally forward to improve water quality within the Whippany Watershed. This
presentation will provide an overview of the components that have been undertaken or are underway to
implement water quality improvements in a suburban watershed and an update on the status of progress of
New Jersey‘s first adopted Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs).
The WRWAC has partnered to develop a Sanitary Survey of the Whippany River Basin; a Watershed
Lakes Study; sediment loading analysis; the first Regional Stormwater Management Plan (RSWMP); and
a Watershed Restoration Plan to achieve the targeted TMDL. The WRWAC has partnered to implement
many projects including, but not limited to: retrofitting detention basins; Shoreline Restorations and
implementation of the Troy Brook RSWMP. Educational components include Stormwater workshops for
municipal officials upon adoption of the Stormwater Management Rules in 2004, Goose Management
workshops; Stream Visual Assessment Workshops, Watershed Jeopardy; and training of WRWAC
Volunteer Monitoring Program, and the Whippany Annual Canoe Trip. As with all complex
environmental issues the solutions must be varied. The results of these projects will be presented as a case
study in addressing the Whippany watershed within the Upper Passaic River watershed. Even as we
move forward, in 2009 a TMDL to address pathogens in the Northeast water region included three lakes
in the Whippany watershed .
46
Nutrient Cycling and the Assimilative Capacity of an Exurban Stream – Belcher Creek,
Passaic County, NJ
Richard R. Pardi1, Michael Sebetich2 Chad Socha3
1
Environmental Science, pardir@wpunj.edu
2
Biology, sebetichm@wpunj.edu
3
Biology (alumnus) sochac@student.wpunj.edu
William Paterson University, Wayne, New Jersey 07470
Belcher Creek is the principal tributary to Greenwood Lake, flowing north primarily from
within the Township of West Milford into the Lake which straddles the northern border of New
Jersey into New York. Greenwood Lake is, in turn, the headwaters for much of the potable
water supply system for much of lower Passaic County. Greenwood Lake itself has been
showing signs of increasing eutrophication and significant efforts have and are being made to
control excessive aquatic plant growth and improve levels of dissolved oxygen in deep waters.
An intensive study was conducted during the summer of 2009 of habitat, water quality and
quantity within Belcher Creek. The primary goal of this study was to assess the impact of
nutrient loading and other pollutant sources on the stream. We found that under the current
conditions, and during the exceptionally wet summer of 2009, the Creek was able to maintain
acceptable habitat and water quality along much of the length of the stream and its tributaries.
However, continued development within West Milford Township, particularly reductions in
wetland acreage and open space, could potentially tip the current precarious state of the stream‘s
water quality and result in a severely degraded aquatic habitat.
47
Water Supply Protection through Continuous Stream Monitors
Paul Schorr, PE
Research Scientist, NJDEP, (T) (609) 292-2957; paul.schorr@dep.state.nj.us
Real time streamflow is measured by USGS at close to 200 gages in New Jersey. At almost all
sites, the gages serve a regulatory purpose, that is: to prevent an upstream diversion from
depleting streamflow permitted for a diversion downstream. In addition, real time instream
water quality is measured by USGS at about 20 sites. The continuous water quality monitors
also serve regulatory purposes: to prevent instream water quality from deteriorating for fish and
aquatic uses; to prevent instream water quality from impairing a downstream water supply use.
At two sites, one on the Ramapo River and one on the Passaic River, USGS real time stream
water quality is measured continuously, again as a regulatory program to protect downstream
uses and instream surface water quality standards. The purpose of this presentation is to review
the data and how it is used by purveyors and dischargers and the State. The data collected
continuously includes dissolved oxygen, nitrate, pH, temperature, specific conductivity,
dissolved organic carbon and streamflow. At one site on the Passaic, a new continuous
monitoring device, calibrated and verified for observations by USGS, uses an accepted
technology, ultraviolet light absorption, transmittance and reflectance coupled with advanced and
proprietary mathematical functions. The S:Scan monitor generates a spectrum of absorbance and
transmittance responses that is compared to proprietary fingerprints of specific parameters so
that both quantitative and qualitative assessments may be made of chemicals in the water. The
frequency of observations is manually set, and may be as slow as once an hour or as fast as once
every minute. The use of real time monitors and the computational and storage capability that
exist in computers enable water supply operations to be managed at a time scale more frequent
than ever before.
48
Continuous Water Quality Monitoring of the Hackensack River
Joseph Grzyb
Meadowlands Environmental Research Institute, joe.grzyb@njmeadowlands.gov,
(T) (201) 460-4844
The lower Hackensack River has a legacy of pollution that goes back more than 100 years.
Today, over 20 million people live in its watershed, which supports one of the highest population
densities and industrial infrastructure footprint in the country. The lower Hackensack River is
tidally influenced from Newark Bay and by freshwater discharges from two water treatment
facilities and 20 miles upriver from the Oradell Dam. These factors, along with industrial and
residential runoff during storms, greatly affect the water quality. Understanding how these
factors impact the spatial and temporal patterns of water quality is crucial for managing this
resource and the wildlife associated with it. The New Jersey Meadowlands Commission (NJMC)
operates a distributed network of sensors that continuously monitors the water quality of the
lower Hackensack River and makes this information available in real time. Currently there are
water quality monitors strategically placed at 4 locations measuring water depth, dissolved
oxygen, conductivity, salinity, pH, temperature, and turbidity. This study will show a few
phenomena recorded by the monitoring system that illustrate the spatial and temporal effects on
water quality by the man made discharges and natural events affecting the estuary. Our
monitoring activity has shown for example that after a significant storm or discharge of fresh
water from the Dam it takes 1 – 2 weeks for the river to return to its brackish baseline. Similarly,
daily tidal pulses as always associated with increase turbidity and decrease oxygen levels also
greatly affected by temperature. Due to the increased temperatures and the unusual amount of
rainfall in June and July of 2009, the dissolved oxygen concentration fell below the criteria a
couple times in August and September. Water level on the other hand is significantly affected by
freezing temperatures and sea surge events from tropical storms.
49
Pathogen Sources and FC-EC relations in the Lower Passaic River
David Vaccari
Stevens Institute of Technology, dvaccari@stevens.edu, (T) (201) 216-5570
A comprehensive sampling project is currently being carried out in the Lower Passaic River at
Paterson, NJ, a CSO-impacted waterbody, to determine the sources, loadings, fate and transport
of fecal coliform and E. Coli for the purpose of developing a Pathogen Total Maximum Daily
Load (TMDL). The sampling network was designed such that the impact of CSOs and non-point
sources on the pathogen concentrations in the river could be quantified along with the
background concentrations. To date, two dry weather events and one wet weather event have
been conducted as part of this project. Tests were conducted to determine possible effects of
sediment contribution either by hydraulic scour or by sampler disturbance. Important information
about potential sources between consecutive sampling sites was obtained by observing the
concentration data immediately after a storm event, and of the discharges from these potential
sources which include tributaries, selected storm water outfalls, and combined sewer outfalls.
The CSOs were continually monitored for overflows during high intensity storm events. This
provides information on the frequency of their occurrence. Further, a strong linear model was
obtained relating fecal coliform and E. coli concentrations for the three events.
50
NYHOPS v3 OFS: New Hydrodynamic and Water Quality Forecasts include the Passaic River.
Nickitas Georgas1 and Alan F. Blumberg2
1
Center for Maritime Systems, Stevens Institute of Technology, 711 Hudson Street, Hoboken,
NJ, 07030, (T) (201) 216-8218, nickitas.georgas@stevens.edu
2
Center for Maritime Systems, Stevens Institute of Technology, 711 Hudson Street, Hoboken,
NJ, 07030, (T) (201) 216-5289, alan.blumberg@stevens.edu
A multi-year effort, funded primarily by the NJ Department of Transportation and the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, reached a milestone in summer 2009 when the
extensively validated 3rd version of the New York Harbor Observing and Prediction System
(NYHOPS v3) that is being developed at Stevens Institute of Technology became operational.
Through an automated system of systems architecture, NYHOPS v3 combines a diverse network
of real-time observation stations and computer forecast models spanning a 7-US-States area to
paint a picture of the present and near-future physical environment around, and especially within,
the NY/NJ Harbor, including 48hr forecasts of 3D currents, water temperature, salinity, water
levels, waves, and Chromophoric Dissolved Organic Matter (CDOM).
The tidal lower Passaic River, downstream of the Dundee Dam to the river‘s mouth in Newark
Bay, is included in the new NYHOPS v3 OFS (Operational Forecast System). The local
resolution of the new NYHOPS model grid is as high as 25m within the Passaic. A system-wide
2-yr evaluation of the NYHOPS v3 forecast product showed moderate to high-forecasting skill in
terms of water level predictions near the PVSC plant at Newark, NJ: R-square values for
astronomical tide levels were higher than 0.97, with a Willmott skill of 0.98 for total water levels
(tides, freshets, and storm surge). At the same station, the Willmott skill for water temperature
was as high as 0.99, while for salinity it stood at a lower 0.91; putting the last number in
perspective, a root-mean-square error less than 4psu was achieved in a region that sees average
intra-tide variations in salinity over 16psu.
A parallel effort funded by the Office of Naval Research (ONR) included colored DOM forecasts
into NYHOPS. End-member concentrations were estimated for river-and-WPCP-derived
CDOM, the former dynamically broken down and tracked separately within base-flow and
runoff components. Using dynamic allocation and a CDOM bio-kinetic fate model coupled to
NYHOPS-predicted transports, CDOM from these sources is tracked and photodegraded
throughout the NYHOPS region. The NYHOPS CDOM module predictions were validated
within and near the tidal Passaic River against horizontal transects of temperature, salinity, and
CDOM fluorescence and absorption collected along-track an Eco-Shuttle by University of
Massachusetts, Boston. Overall, the NYHOPS CDOM model reliably predicted allochthonous
CDOM in receiving harbor waters in both the October 2006 survey (correlation coefficient =
0.953) and the ―Tax-Day-flood‖ April 2007 survey (correlation coefficient = 0.670), explaining
86.4% of the overall variability in the observed data.
These and other NYHOPS products can be accessed 24/7 through the system‘s public website at
www.stevens.edu/maritimeforecast. The forecasts can be extended to include fate and transport
of other water quality components as well, such as pathogens etc.
51
Passaic River Flood Mitigation - Non-Structural Solutions
Dr. Hormoz Pazwash, P.E., F.ASCE. D.WRE
Project Manager and Director of Hydraulics/Hydrology, Boswell Engineering, South
Hackensack, NJ 07606; (T) (201) 290-2241, hpazwash@yahoo.com
The Passaic River drainage basin covers 935 square miles. Of this, 787 acres are in New Jersey
and the remainder in New York. The river is approximately 80 miles (129 km) long, originating
from Mendham, Morris County and emptying into Newark Bay. More than 2.5 million people
(nearly 30% of New Jersey population) live in the basin and approximately 20,000 homes and
places of business lie within the Passaic River floodplain (1990 census).
The river has a long history of flooding. The most recent flooding in mid March crippled many
homes and businesses, such as, The Willowbrook Mall and the Wayne Towne Shopping Center
for three (3) days. The flood stage on Tuesday, March 16, 2010, rose to elevation 11.9 feet at the
Little Falls gauging station with a drainage area of 762 mi2. The largest modern day flood of
record in 1984 reached elevation 12.9 feet which was 3.9 feet above the 9 foot major flooding
level.
A number of structural solutions have been sought to mitigate the flooding in the Central Passaic
River basin. The most notable solution is a 20 mile long tunnel proposed by the Army Corp of
Engineers. Apart from not being environmentally friendly, the structural measures are also not
cost effective. A spending bill adopted last October gave the Corps $5 million to acquire flood
prone homes from willing sellers in Wayne and Pompton Lakes and demolish them. This
however, is a drop in a bucket considering the number of structures within the Passaic River
floodplain. Acquisition of homes in floodplain and turning them to greenery is a viable solution,
but it is too costly.
This paper discusses quantitative effect of non-structural measures on flood mitigation. These
measures include:
•
Disconnection of roof runoff from pavements and drainage system by redirecting roof
leaders to lawn/landscape areas, lawn depressions and rain gardens. Alternatively, roof
runoff may be retained in underground retention/infiltration systems, such as, seepage pits
and chambers in stone trench.
•
Directing runoff from pavements wherever feasible into lawns and landscaping. Using
pavers in lieu of asphalt or concrete pavements for patios and driveways.
•
Collecting roof runoff in barrels, tanks and underground cisterns. In addition to reducing the
flow, this solution provides a source of freshwater supplies for many outdoor and even some
indoor demands.
Although, each home has small contributions to stream flow, collectively, they have a significant
impact on flooding. Removing the roof runoff alone from entering the drainage system is
anticipated to reduce the peak discharges in the Passaic River by 10-20 percent.
52
Long-Term Operation of Stormwater Infiltration Best Management Practices
Clay H. Emerson, PhD EIT
Princeton Hydro, LLC, (T) (856) 629-8889, cemerson@princetonhydro.com
Historically, stormwater regulations focused on peak flow rate attenuation in an effort to
alleviate downstream flooding. Experience has shown that proper stormwater management
requires a more comprehensive approach to managing stormwater runoff from developed areas.
Current stormwater regulations within the Passaic River Watershed require the management of
non-point source pollution and the attenuation of the total volume of runoff discharged from the
site in addition to previous peak flow rate control. The engineered infiltration of stormwater
runoff has become the primary technique promoted to achieve compliance with new stormwater
regulations. As a relatively new and somewhat unfamiliar technique, the implementation of
stormwater infiltration Best Management Practices (BMPs) has been challenging. This
presentation will discuss factors contributing to the failure of stormwater infiltration features.
This presentation will also outline site investigation techniques, infiltration testing methods, and
maintenance measures for successful implementation and long-term performance of infiltration
BMPs. Specific case studies and example sites are used throughout the presentation to illustrate
important concepts.
53
The Edison Environmental Center Permeable Pavement Site: Initial Results from a Stormwater
Control Designed for Monitoring
Thomas P. O‘Connor1, Michael Borst2, Amy A. Rowe3, Emilie K. Stander4
1
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), ORD/NRMRL/WSWRD, Urban Watershed
Management Branch (UWMB), 2890 Woodbridge Ave, MS-104, Edison, NJ 08837;
(T) (732) 321-6723; oconnor.thomas@epa.gov
2
EPA, ORD/NRMRL/WSWRD, UWMB (T) (732) 321-6631; borst.mike@epa.gov
3
Oak Ridge Institute of Science and Education, EPA, ORD/NRMRL/WSWRD, UWMB,
(T) (732) 906-6823;rowe.amy@epa.gov
4
EPA, ORD/NRMRL/WSWRD, UWMB (T) (732) 906-6898; stander.emilie@epa.gov
There exist few detailed studies of full-scale, replicated, actively-used permeable
pavement systems. Practitioners need additional studies of permeable pavement systems in its
intended application (parking lot, roadway, etc.) across a range of climatic events, daily usage
conditions, and maintenance regimes to evaluate these systems. The EPA‘s Urban Watershed
Management Branch (UWMB) installed an instrumented, working, 110-space, perviouspavement, parking lot to be used by EPA facility staff. The UWMB is monitoring water quantity
and quality parameters in side-by-side pervious asphalt, pervious concrete, and permeable
interlocking concrete paver systems. The parking lot consists of three monitored permeable
parking rows, each with a different surface separated by conventional asphalt driving lanes. The
permeable pavement parking areas have subsections underlain with an impermeable liner to
collect the infiltrating water. The remaining sections are lined with a permeable geotextile liner
to allow the filtered effluent to infiltrate to the underlying soil. There are four impermeable and
five permeable sections for each pervious pavement type, which allows for statistical analyses of
collected data.
Initial surface infiltration rates were comparable to those seen in the literature for each
permeable surface type and these are being measured monthly to monitor changes with time and
use of parking lot. Time domain reflectometers are being used to document the passing of the
wetting front produced by both direct precipitation and stormwater runoff generated by the
impervious areas of the lot. There are instruments in the storage layer (recycled concrete
aggregate) below the permeable surfaces as well as in the underlying soil. The magnitude and the
timing of the passing-wetting front are quantifiable in both media types. The monitoring scheme
outlined here allows for the assessment of the long-term performance of permeable pavements as
stormwater low impact development controls with regard to pollutant removal capability and
runoff volume reduction.
Notice
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, through its Office of Research and Development,
funded and managed, or partially funded and collaborated in, the research described herein. It
has been subjected to the Agency’s peer and administrative review and has been approved for
external publication. Any opinions expressed are those of the author (s) and do not necessarily
reflect the views of the Agency, therefore, no official endorsement should be inferred. Any
mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or
recommendation for use.
54
Improving River Water Quality through Disinfection of CSO Outfalls
John Meakim1, Jim Dugan2 and Bob Freeborn3
1
Engineers Plus – St Louis, MO – (T) (804) 363-9178(O) - jmeakim@engineers-plus.com
Dugan Environmental – Medford, NJ – (T) (856) 985-2771 (O) - jimdugan@comcast.net
3
Engineers Plus – Detroit, MI – (T) (734) 582-0074 (O) - bfreeborn@engineers-plus.com
2
Over the last several years, the United States finally committed to a process for improving water
quality. This effort is catalyzed by Advocacy Groups, forward thinking, municipalities, States
such as New Jersey and California, and in conjunction with a handful of aggressive elected
Officials. A major driving force of this focus is the interest in the reduction of pathogens in our
surface waters, and the ultimate resulting improvement in public health. Total Maximum Daily
Loads (TMDLs) are presently either written, or in process, specifically targeting the waterborne
pathogens: bacteria, protozoa and viruses.
―The most significant water quality concern directly associated with CSOs is pathogens.
Congress set an interim goal in section 101(a) (2) of the Clean Water Act (CWA) to provide,
wherever attainable, water quality for the protection and propagation of fish, shellfish, and
wildlife and for recreation in and on the water. States protect recreational uses, such as
fishable/swimmable, also known as primary recreational (swimming), by adopting appropriate
criteria for E. coli, fecal coliform and enterococcus.‖
Over the last12 to 15 years, New Jersey has installed netting and screening devices at CSO
outfalls discharging directly into the Passaic River. These systems have removed tons of gross
waterborne pollutants (trash and floatables) prior to discharge to the Passaic River. The next step
in Water Quality Improvement would logically be the destruction of pathogens such as E-coli,
fecal coliform and other bacteria strains.
This Paper will address this next step in Water Quality Improvement; Disinfection of CSO and
Stormwater discharges utilizing environmentally benign – green technologies.
55
A System Dynamics approach to assessing third party rating systems as holistic and sustainable
redevelopment options for Brownfields in the lower Passaic River Watershed Area
Amy V. Ferdinand
PhD Student, Montclair State University; 1 Normal Avenue, Montclair, NJ 07043;
(T) (973) 655-4367; ferdinanda@mail.montclair.edu
An aging infrastructure, and an abandoning of urban manufacturing sites, has brought many
cities to the brink of disaster. Especially at risk are cities with high concentrations of derelict
properties, or Brownfields, located within the urban core and those in proximity to Urban
Industrial Riverfronts. Unfortunately, the contamination of river sediments by inorganic elements
has been an increasing eco-toxicological problem, because such rivers often receive
anthropogenic and industrial wastes from these abandoned sites. For example, the Passaic River,
located in my study area of Northern New Jersey, has the distinction of being one of the most
polluted rivers in the country. Ironically, throughout its history, the Passaic River brought wealth
to the very businesses that polluted, and then abandoned, its cities as industries relocated
overseas or expanded from the urban core out to the hinterlands. As the Passaic River is
currently undergoing an environmental rebirth, so too is Brownfield redevelopment‘s attempt to
breathe new life into the old, abandoned factories and mills of the cities on the river. The
problem of deciding how to prioritize projects to achieve holistic and sustainable urban
redevelopment, is receiving considerable attention with third party rating systems such as the U.
S. Green Building Council‘s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Neighborhood
Development Rating System, Yale University's Land and Natural Development Code, USEPA‘s
Sustainable Criteria for Land Revitalization, and the Sustainable New Jersey rating process.
Spatial Hedonic Pricing and System Dynamic modeling are used to investigate socio-economic
impacts of implementing third party rating systems as holistic and sustainable options for
Brownfields redevelopment in the Passaic River Watershed Area.
56
Iron Oxide Coated Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes for the Removal of Arsenic from Water
Susana Addo Ntim1 and Somenath Mitra2
1
Department of Chemistry and Environmental Science, New Jersey Institute of Technology,
Newark, New Jersey 07102, sa57@njit.edu, (T) (973) 596-6456, (F) (973) 596-3586
2
Department of Chemistry and Environmental Science, New Jersey Institute of Technology,
Newark, New Jersey 07102, mitra@njit.edu, (T) (973) 596-5611, (F) (973) 596-3586
This study presents the synthesis of iron oxide-multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWNT-FeOx)
hybrid as a novel sorbent for arsenic removal from water. The synthesis was facilitated by the
high degree of functionalization of MWNTs using a microwave assisted process. In the final
product, 14.5% of the carbon atoms were attached to –FeOx. The MWNT-FeOx was effective in
arsenic removal with capacity of 1667 μg g-1 and 189 μg g-1 for As (III) and As (V) respectively.
The adsorption of As (V) on MWNT-FeOx was faster than that of As (III). The pseudo-second
order rate equation was found to effectively describe the kinetics of arsenic adsorption. The
adsorption isotherms for As (III) and As (V) fitted both the Langmuir and Freundlich models.
57
Development of Carbon Nanotubes Immobilized Membrane for Enhanced Extraction
Ornthida Sae-Khow1, Somenath Mitra2
1
Department of Chemistry and Environmental Science, New Jersey Institute of Technology,
Newark, New Jersey 07102, os26@njit.edu
2
Department of Chemistry and Environmental Science, New Jersey Institute of Technology,
Newark, New Jersey 07102, mitra@njit.edu. (T) (973) 596 5611
The incorporation of CNTs in the pores of a polypropylene membrane was demonstrated. A
dispersion of CNTs in polyvinylidene fluoride was injected through a porous membrane, which
immobilized the nanotubes in the pore structure. In the modified membrane referred to as
(CNIM), the CNTs served as a sorbent facilitating solute exchange between the two phases
leading to enhancement of the enrichment factors by as much as 230%. The presence of CNTs
also developed a diffusion barrier which led to higher retention of the extractant within the
membrane.
The development of CNIM for pervaporative removal of organics from an aqueous
matrix was also developed. The enhancement in organic removal was as high as 108% using
CNIM. The CNIM demonstrated several advantages including enhanced recovery at low
concentrations, and higher removal efficiency could be attained by the CNIM at a lower
temperature and higher flow rate, leading to the development of a more energy efficient
methodology.
58
Implementing Sustainable Redevelopment in Paterson N.J.; An Integrated Plan for Open
Space, Recreation and Stormwater BMPs in Riparian Management Zones (RMZs)
Marcia L. Anderson
Montclair State University, PhD candidate; US EPA: (T) (732) 906-6842;
Anderson.marcia@epa.gov
The implementation of sustainable management has three main goals: economic growth,
environmental protection and the health and happiness of the people. These goals can be met in
Paterson through careful planning that involves all of the City stakeholders, from government,
business, industry, community groups to school children. The key issues that Paterson currently
faces, such as the lack of forested RMZs, a deficit of over 1000 acres of open space, recreational
facilities, and problems implementing stormwater BMPs and separating CSO‘s, are carefully
addressed. The last 150+ years have seen rapid urbanization and an associated increase in
impervious surfaces both in Paterson and in communities upstream. This development has
occurred right up to the river banks, strangulating the river and leaving no natural floodplain for
the storm water to go. As a result, Paterson faces many threats, such as flooding and toxins, both
in the ground and water, caused in part, by the aged infrastructure, prior unsustainable practices,
stormwater runoff and CSO‘s. These last two elements continue to contaminate the Passaic
River, which surrounds Paterson on three sides, with each and every storm event. In addition,
scrap metal yards, chop shops, aged auto repair shops and slaughterhouses, are within a few feet
of the Passaic River, with their waste adding to the contaminated waters that surrounds everyone
in the City. Every time the Passaic floods, communities are exposed to these toxins. This
flooding has left its mark all along the edges of this once great city, by the creation of many
abandoned and blighted sites along the rivers‘ edge.
Through tragedy, however, come hope and the opportunity to rectify past environmental
ignorance. We can make the waters of the Passaic cleaner and reduce flood waters by rectifying
our CSO‘s, relocating polluting industries along the waterfront, especially in residential areas,
and by developing more efficient stormwater BMPs. We can provide a healthier, safer and
cleaner environment for the residents by enlarging and enhancing the riparian forest buffer and
providing numerous recreational opportunities such as walking and biking trails, playing fields,
tot lots and connections to the waterfront by small boating and picnicking. Creating waterfront
parks will also deter illegal dumping and illicit activities, if designed for safety. We can also
grow economically by providing jobs, and enticing rateables through the beautification of the
riverfront. The challenge is to establish better boundaries along the waterfront. Adopting and
enforcing a riparian management and zoning plan, and adopting green building codes. This
project addresses protecting and enhancing riparian forested buffers, providing more open space
and creating stormwater BMPs, all in an attempt to enhance the quality of life for those that live
and work in Paterson. The strategy used is to combine all of the aforementioned needs and to
creatively design the floodplain to perform multiple functions at the same time. By working
together, the citizenry, business and government can implement all of these goals with the
support of both the public and private sectors. In the process of riparian restoration, children and
adults will come away with a greater connection to their environment and learn to make greener
choices for a healthier and more sustainable future.
59
Water Education for Teachers using Project WET
Ray Nichols
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Watershed Management,
Bureau of Environmental Analysis and Restoration, PO Box 418, Trenton, NJ 08625-0418
(T) (609) 984-0583, Ray.Nichols@dep.state.nj.us
The New Jersey Project WET Program has the mission of reaching children, parents, teachers
and community members with water education, helping them to learn about the most precious
resource on the planet — water. The program is sponsored by NJDEP, in coordination with the
International Project WET Foundation, to facilitate and promote awareness, appreciation,
knowledge, and stewardship of water resources through the dissemination of classroom-ready
teaching aids.
The goals of the NJ Project WET Program are:
 To enable teachers and students to practice responsible water stewardship in their local
communities while understanding the importance of water resources in a global context.
 To provide educators with the materials and skills they need to teach about water through
professional development workshops.
 To reach children, parents, educators, and communities throughout the state of New Jersey
with water education programs and activities that focus on the most precious resource on the
planet – water.
 Since children and adults learn by doing, NJ Project WET promotes activities that engage
students with hands-on, interdisciplinary lessons that teach important concepts about water.
Through workshops, which follow a train-the-trainer model, educators learn how to engage
students with lessons and activities that are described in the Project WET Curriculum and
Activity Guide and the other popular educator guides, including WOW! Wonders of Wetlands,
Healthy Water, Healthy People and Conserve Water. These activities are designed to satisfy
the goals of educational programs by complementing existing curricula rather than displacing or
adding more concepts. Project WET activities provide many opportunities to address curricula
objectives and educational standards. These interdisciplinary activities, designed for students in
grades K-12, are perfect for use in formal and non-formal education settings. Most adults enjoy
them also.
NJ Project WET also provides training and mini-grants to school teachers to help them conduct
Water Festivals where students engage in a variety of water related activities and meet members
of their community who use water as part of their jobs or hobbies.
NJ Project WET believes that informed people are more likely to participate in the decision
making process and to make a difference through their actions. Therefore, educators, resource
managers and community leaders are invited to take part in the NJ Project WET Program.
60
Water Supply and Power from 1894 to 2002
Paul Schorr, PE
Research Scientist, NJDEP, (T) 609-292-2957; paul.schorr@dep.state.nj.us
Cornelius Clarkson Vermeule, Consulting Engineer, prepared a Report on Water Supply, WaterPower, the Flow of Streams and Attendant Phenomena, Volume III in 1894, This text is a classic
that has been added to the Google library of books available in PDF format. The PDF version by
Google does not include several important charts of daily streamflow on the Passaic River from
1879 to 1888 and droughts going back to 1840. This data will be presented and available on
request. Inaddition, the poster presentation will compare water quality and water quantity data
on Passaic River including watersheds in the Highlands from 1890 to USGS Annual reports.
Finally, conflicts between water supply and water power, that are noted in Vermeule's 1894 text,
will be updated to 2002 when the need for water supply to northeast New Jersey had to be
weighed against the needs of the electric grid to meet peak demands by adding 1100 megawatts
of power to be generated by state of the art, air cooled gas combustion turbines in New York
State.
61
Current Commercial Navigation Use on the Lower Passaic River
Tricia Aspinwall1 and Lisa Baron2
USACE, New York District, 26 Federal Plaza, New York, NY
1
2
Plan Formulation Branch, (T) (917) 790-8734, (F) (212) 264-1275, email:
tricia.aspinwall@usace.army.mil
Programs and Project Management Division (T) (917) 790-8306 (F) (212) 264-2924,
lisa.a.baron@usace.army.mil
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), New Jersey Department of Transportation, and
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in partnership with NJ Department of
Environmental Protection (NJDEP), National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and
US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) are developing a holistic watershed based solution for
the Lower Passaic River.
As part of the joint study, USACE-NY District conducted an assessment of current commercial
navigational use on the Lower Passaic River. To perform this assessment, the following historic
information was compiled and utilized:
 Federal Navigation Channel related project construction (since 1874) and maintenance
dredging (up to 1983);
 Bridge Locations and Operations;
 Waterborne Commerce Statistics 1980-2006; and
 Interviews with current users.
Trends in the transportation of petroleum commodities on the Lower Passaic River were
evaluated over the period 1980-2006. Present channel conditions accommodate navigation up to
a 30-foot draft in some parts of the Kearny Point Reach but lesser drafts in the rest of the Federal
channel. A more detailed berth-by-berth analysis of the most recent ten years was conducted
utilizing USACE Port Series data and IWR Waterborne Commerce Statistics data to further
assess current operational use by commercial vessels (vessel type with associated drafts,
commodities, and tonnage transported) were evaluated over this period. Despite the changing
operational conditions, the Lower Passaic River has retained a niche in the regional petroleum
shipping market. This poster updates the information presented at the 2008 Passaic River
Symposium with more operational details from the current and future commercial users.
62
Carbon Nanotubes as the Sorbent for Integrating µ-Solid Phase Extraction within the Needle of a
Syringe
Madhuleena Bhadra, Ornthida Sae-Khow and Somenath Mitra
Department of Chemistry and Environmental Science, New Jersey Institute of Technology,
Newark, NJ 07102, USA, mb72@njit.edu, (T) (267) 252-1293
In this research we report the implementation of µ-SPE in the needle of a syringe for integrating
sampling, analyte enrichment and sample introduction into a single device. Both single and
multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were explored as high performance sorbents for µ-SPE in
packed and self assembled formats. The need for such a sorbent was critical because the needle
probe could hold only a small amount of material (around 300 μg). Conventional C-18 and
self-assembled CNTs were found to be ineffective with enrichment factors less than one.
However, packed beds of CNTs were found to be excellent sorbent phases, where high extraction
efficiencies (as high as 27%) as well as enrichment factors (close to 7) could be achieved. The
overall method showed excellent linearity, reproducibility, and low method detection limit (0.1-3
ng/mL for MWNTs). The sorption on CNTs followed Freundlich isotherms, and the
functionalized CNTs were more effective for enriching the polar compounds.
63
Assessing stream restoration efforts in northern New Jersey
Jared Lopes1, Joshua C. Galster2
1
Department of Earth and Environmental Studies, Montclair State University,
lopesj3@mail.montclair.edu
2
Department of Earth and Environmental Studies, Montclair State University,
(T) (973) 655-4123, galsterj@montclair.edu
Stream restoration is becoming increasingly common in New Jersey, where anthropogenic
activity has altered and impacted streams and rivers. These impacted streams and rivers may
exhibit decreased water quality, increased bank instability, and present flooding issues. To
combat these problems, stream restorations and alterations have been conducted state-wide to
restore the natural state of streams. While approximately a billion dollars per year are spent
nationwide on stream restoration, there is exceedingly little post-restoration surveying conducted
to evaluate how beneficial or stable these projects are over long term periods of time. This
project entails locating and surveying various stream restoration sites around New Jersey for the
purpose of post-restoration evaluation. The chosen sites vary in project completion age from 1 to
6 years and have shown varied levels of degradation since restoration was completed. The
Rutgers University Water Resources Program‘s modified Stream Visual Assessment Protocol
(SVAP) tool has been used to assign a numeric value to the health and conditions of streams and
rivers. A Topcon total station has also been utilized to survey the post-restoration area and
provide thalweg, stream bank measurements, and channel morphology. The surveying data
points were used to create digital elevation models of the streams in ArcGIS, and the stream
geomorphology has been used in conjunction to the SVAP tool in evaluating overall stream
health. Initial conclusions suggest that restored streams frequently suffer from degradation,
aggradation, widening, and even large scale changes in planform over time which have impacted
the streams' health following the restoration project.
Figure showing the long profile of the restored Mulhockaway Creek. Notice the deep pool at
approximately 75 m.
64
The impact of Japanese knotweed on stream baseflow in Bonsal Preserve, Montclair, NJ
Rob Scherr1, Dirk Vanderklein2, Joshua C. Galster3
1
Department of Biology and Molecular Biology, Montclair State University,
scherrr1@gmail.com
2
Department of Biology and Molecular Biology and Passaic River Institute, Montclair State
University, (T) (973) 655-5265, vanderkleid@mail.montclair.edu
3
Department of Earth and Environmental Studies and Passaic River Institute, Montclair State
University, (T) (973) 655-4123, galsterj@montclair.edu
The impact of Japanese knotweed on stream baseflow in Bonsal Preserve, Montclair, NJ
Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica) is an invasive exotic species. Found commonly in
riparian habitats, it forms dense thickets along the banks of rivers and streams. Previous research
has been reported on topics ranging from knotweed‘s impact on bank stability, water quality, and
the effect of stream discharge on the dispersal of Japanese knotweed, but this study is unique in
that its aim was to investigate the effect of Japanese knotweed on stream depth and discharge at
baseflow. In early June 2008, pressure sensors were placed upstream, near downstream, and
within a stretch of river containing the study area of Japanese knotweed. The study area was
located along the Third River within the Bonsal Preserve, Montclair, NJ. Stream depth and
temperature were recorded at 15 minute intervals for the next two months. A rating curve was
determined to calculate stream discharge from the recorded depths. Knotweed daily
photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, and leaf water potential patterns were also recorded
during the course of two, day-long samplings. The plants in the study area were then cut down
in early August 2008 and their leaves were harvested. Leaf mass and a leaf mass to leaf area
conversion factor were used to calculate total leaf area in the study area. Pressure sensors
remained in the stream for the remainder of September and October 2008, and weekly discharge
measurements were taken. The data show a diurnal pattern in stream depth that coincided with
daily transpiration patterns observed in the knotweed. Stream depth also increased significantly
within the patch following plant removal. We conclude that knotweed affected stream depth at
base flow by affecting soil discharge into the stream.
65
Application of GIS to Assess Land-use Change to Urban use in Passaic River Basin Watersheds:
A watershed approach to counter climate change
Faith Justus
Montclair State University, Department of Earth and Environmental Studies
(T) (862) 216-3024; justusf2@mail.montclair.edu
Land use - Land cover change is a phenomenon widely studied providing evidence that earth‘s
spatially heterogeneous landscape is continually changing. Global climate systems are affected
by such changes which in turn influence climatic conditions at local and regional scales.
Urbanization robustly transforms land surface nature, greatly influencing interactions of diverse
patches and ecosystems within a watershed. Small changes in urban development by converting
land from other prior uses or even deforestation can change local rainfall patterns and trigger
other substantial climate disruptions.
The study examined acreages of six land use categories under change to urban use within Passaic
River Basin between 1986-1995 and 1995-2002, using GIS data layers from New Jersey
Department of Environmental Protection. The basin has three watershed management areas;
WMA3, WMA4 and WMA6. Percentage acreage of land converted to urban use per category per
watershed was determined. Generally, agricultural and barren land acreage conversion was high
across all watersheds in both periods when compared to other uses. However, agricultural
acreage declined by 15%, 33% and 9% in WMA3, WMA4 and WMA6 respectively in 19952002. Barren land altered to urban use increased by 16% in WMA4 and by 8% in WMA6, while
forest land changed decreased in all watersheds. The total land use change in the watersheds
indicated a 0.5% and 0.9% decrease in WMA3 and WMA6 respectively, while increasing by
0.7% in WMA4 in the second period. It was evident that land use conversion to meet urban need
inclined towards barren lands and less of agricultural, forested, wetlands and water uses.
66
Effects of Soil Metal Concentrations on Nutritional Quality of Vegetables Grown in Urban
Community Gardens
Khadija Latif1, Kirk Barrett2, Padmini Das3, Charles Feldman4, Dibyendu Sarkar5 and Shahla
Wunderlich6
1
Montclair State University, 1 Normal Avenue, Montclair, NJ 07043, (T) (732) 429 -4476,
latifk1@mail.montclair.edu
2
Montclair State University, 1 Normal Avenue, Mallory Hall Room 116, Montclair, NJ 07043,
(T) (973) 655- 7117, barrettki@mail.montclair.edu
3
Montclair State University, 1 Normal Avenue, Mallory Hall Room 358N, Montclair, NJ 07043,
(T) (973) 655 -3456, dasp1@mail.montclair.edu
4
Montclair State University, 1 Normal Avenue, University Hall Room 4016, Montclair, NJ
07043, (T) (973) 655- 6987, feldmanc@mail.montclair.edu
5
Montclair State University, 1 Normal Avenue, Mallory Hall 116, Montclair, NJ 07043,
(T) (973) 655- 7273, sarkard@mail.montclair.edu
6
Montclair State University, 1 Normal Avenue, University Hall Room 4018, Montclair, NJ
07043, (T) (973) 655- 4373, wunderlichs@mail.montclair.edu
Studies have found that community gardens promote better nutrition, ease of access to food and
physical activity. There is a growing public health concern because many community gardens
have been developed on vacant lots or abandoned areas which might have been contaminated by
toxic elements such as lead-based chemicals. The objective of this research is to analyze soil in
such gardens and edible portions of plants grown in the soil for toxic metals. Vitamin C levels of
the vegetables, as a micronutrient marker, will also be assessed. Soil and plant samples from an
established inner-city community garden, small private inner-city plots, and gardens in other
outlying areas will be obtained. Two samples will be taken from each garden or plot: 1 soil
sample at surface horizon and another sample from the rooting depth. Soil will be analyzed for a
suite of metals in the Montclair State University (MSU) Environmental Science laboratories by
inductively-couple plasma mass spectrometry. Also, vitamin C from plant samples will be
analyzed in the MSU Nutrition and Food Science laboratory by using an accepted Association of
Analytical Communities (AOAC) colorimetric assay. Findings will be compared to NJ
Department of Environmental Protection residential soil criteria and USDA standards.
67
Reducing Contaminated Groundwater Flow to Rivers:
Evaluation of Alternative Active Cap Designs
Ravi Srirangam2, PHG, John Hull1, John Collins1, Fayaz Lakhwala2, PhD.
1
AquaBlok, Ltd., Toledo, Ohio, 419.385.2980, jhull@hullinc.com, jcollins@aquablokinfo.com
2
The Adventus Group, Freeport, Illinois, USA, (T) (815) 235-5303
fayaz.lakhwala@adventusgroup.com, ravi.srirangam@adventusgroup.com
Contaminated groundwater flow to surface water bodies, whether from localized seepage or
regional impacts, can be minimized by use of active caps on surface water banks or beds. These
approaches reduce the ―risk-of-remedy" often created by conventional sediment removal and ex
situ treatment alternatives and avoid the unsustainable practice of moving the problem from one
media to another (i.e. from sediment to upland landfill).
This paper presents an analysis of two alternative cap designs that utilized data collected on
permeability and removal efficiencies of reactive granular capping materials in combination with
a low permeability AquaBlok® capping material. Modeling data are presented to illustrate the
impact of the addition of reactive materials to the composite aggregate to treat contaminants and
sensitivity to variables such as cap permeabilities, groundwater discharge rates, steadystate/declining contaminant source levels, and other design parameters for system performance,
including treatment efficiencies and active system life. The two primary configurations
evaluated are active caps and funnel and gate systems.
The modeling demonstrates that effective long-term performance can be achieved by
combinations of active in situ treatment (chemical fixation and adsorption) in practical
application configurations. Using this approach immediate conformance to eco-risk goals can be
achieved in the shortterm and can be
sustained over long
time periods sufficient
to
exceed
source
depletion rates and/or
function
effectively
until supplanted by
other
natural
attenuation processes.
Example
full-scale
costs are discussed.
Posters and abstracts on this and related topics, preceding the one presented at this conference,
can be found at:
http://www.adventusgroup.com/pdfs/posters/Battelle%20JAN07%20poster%20%20Funnel%20and%20Gate.pdf
http://www.adventusgroup.com/pdfs/presentations/AIPG%20SEP08.pdf
http://www.adventusgroup.com/pdfs/posters/Battelle%202009%20Sediment%20Conf%20AB+.pdf
68
The Effects of Distance and Selective Enrichment on Alkane Monooxygenase
Gene Diversity in Passaic River Sediment
Elyse A. Rodgers-Vieira1, James R. Cole2, Jerome J. Kukor3,
James M. Tiedje4, Gerben J. Zylstra5
1
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, (T) (732) 932-8165, rodgerse@eden.rutgers.edu
2
Michigan State University, (T) (517) 353-3842, colej@msu.edu
3
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, (T) (732) -932-3000, kukor@aesop.rutgers.edu
4
Michigan State University, (T) (517) 353-9021, tiedjej@msu.edu
5
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, (T) (732) 932-8165, zylstra@aesop.rutgers.edu
The Passaic River in New Jersey has been extremely impacted by human activities and polluted
by industrial processes. The presence of heavy industry along the shores of the Passaic in
Newark dates back to the late 1800‘s, and many petroleum refineries and chemical
manufacturing plants still operate along the river. The aim of the present study was to examine
the bacterial population diversity and degradative gene distribution at different points along the
river and how this may affect the microbial response to a hydrocarbon challenge. Triplicate
sediment samples were collected in the middle of the Passaic River from three sites in a heavily
industrialized area (0 m, 100 m, and 1 km in relationship to the start point). Each of the nine
sediment samples were enriched in minimal media with hexadecane as the sole carbon source.
Total DNA was extracted at the beginning of the enrichment and after 4 days. Cell growth was
monitored by DAPI staining. PCR was performed on the extracted DNA using primers for the
16S rRNA gene and primers for two different families of alkane monooxygenase encoding genes
(P450 and AlkB type). In order to obtain a complete picture of the genetic diversity of each
sample, the 54 PCR products were subjected to pyrosequencing. Parallels between each of the
sample populations were observed, however, there were also gene sequences that were unique to
each of the sample locations. As expected, a shift in the microbial community and in the
population of the two different alkane monooxygenase genes was observed in the hexadecane
enrichment cultures.
69
PCB Mass Loading Project: Identifying Non-Point Source PCB Contribution to the Surface
Waters of the Christina River Basin
John-Paul Rossi1, Stephen A. Johnson1, Ph. D., P.G., Jenna E. Harwanko1,
Mark A. Lannan1, P.G.
1
BrightFields, Inc., 801 Industrial Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19801,
(T) (302) 656-9600, sjohnson@brightfieldsinc.com
The Christina River Basin lies within the greater Delaware River Basin and provides more than
100 million gallons of water a day for over 500,000 people, including 70% of the water supply
for New Castle County, Delaware and 40% of the water supply for Chester County,
Pennsylvania. In 1999, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental
Control (DNREC) performed a water quality assessment of the portion of the Christina River
Basin that falls within Delaware. This study identified elevated concentrations of polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs) in sediment and fish tissue. As part of developing regulations pertaining to the
Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for PCBs, a current estimate of the mass loading of PCBs
entering the Christina River Basin from discrete sources via overland runoff and groundwater
discharge needed to be generated. In conjunction with DNREC, BrightFields, Inc. studied 32
identified PCB-contaminated sites and estimated the impact of PCBs transported from these sites
through overland flow of surface water and from groundwater discharge into surface water. A
series of 192 maps were created utilizing ESRI‘s ArcGIS and 3D Analyst that displayed the PCB
distribution in surface soil, subsurface saturated soil, and groundwater at the sites. The data
processing and analysis entailed geo-referencing 6,000 data points, tabulating 5,300 analytical
results and developing defensible statistical representations for each media and the flow regime
at each site. By evaluating all of the sites consistently, the relative PCB contribution from each
site was estimated in order to prioritize and rank sites according to their potential impact to the
Christina River Basin. This study revealed that contributions of PCBs to the Christina River
Basin from overland flow ranged up to 10,000 grams per year per site. The contribution
attributed to groundwater mass loading from each site was much lower, ranging up to 300 grams
per year. The total mass loading estimates will be used to prioritize future work, both to address
data gaps identified by this study, and to identify where remediation efforts will have the greatest
impacts.
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A Unique Private/Public Wetland Mitigation Bank Partnership
in the Hackensack Meadowlands of New Jersey
Peg McBrien1 and Richard Mogensen2
1
The Louis Berger Group, Inc., 412 Mount Kemble Ave, Morristown, NJ 07962(T) (973) 407-1465; mmcbrien@louisberger.com
2
EarthMark Mitigation Services, LLC, 1960 Derita Road, Concord, NC 28027;
(T) (704) 782-4133, RichMogensen@EarthMark.US
The Hackensack Meadowlands provide the largest wilderness in the New York City area. The
majority of these 3,400 hectares of wetlands are ecologically degraded, hydrologically disturbed,
frequently contaminated, and crisscrossed by infrastructure and development. The Meadowlands
Conservation Trust (the Trust), a state agency based land-trust, owns one of the largest remaining
parcels of open space in the Meadowlands District. In April 2008, the Trust issued a Request for
Proposal to private mitigation banking companies to establish the Richard P. Kane Natural Area
Mitigation Bank. The bank credits are restricted to use for transportation-related impacts by four
New Jersey state transportation agencies.
In 2008, the EarthMark/Berger Team (including contractors Geo-Con and Dawson) provided the
successful bid, which required conceptual design plans, financial assurances, and much more.
Working with our public partners, the team proceeded to develop the plans and Banking
Instrument to restore ~240-acres of the Kane Tract from a degraded, tidally restricted, invasive
Phragmites monoculture to a diverse tidal wetland with a small, locally rare, freshwater forested
wetland component. The Kane Bank had to address a unique set of challenges, including
potential marsh subsidence, a natural gas pipeline bisecting the site, the ―Miracle on the Hudson‖
which brought an unprecedented level of scrutiny by the Federal Aviation Administration, and
concerns from federal and state agencies on low-level contaminants on the site. Meanwhile, the
immense pressure to provide wetland mitigation quickly to the regionally significant,
transportation-related stimulus-funded projects has both strengthened and challenged this unique
public-private partnership. The project also represents the third wetland mitigation bank
approved by the Corps NY District, and the first in the NY District to seek approval under the
April 2008 Final Mitigation Rule. After 18 months of regulatory review, the project received all
necessary approvals and construction was initiated in May 2010.
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Design of Infiltration Stormwater Facilities by Limit Equilibrium Analysis of Hydraulic
Conductivity and Geometry.
Mr. Keithe J. Merl, PE, CPESC1
1 Princeton Hydro, LLC 1200 Liberty Place Sicklerville, NJ (T) (856) 629.8889
kmerl@princetonhydro.com
Stormwater designers, planners, and implementers rely heavily on the implementation of
infiltration stormwater facilities to comply with water quality, water quantity, and peak flow rate
stormwater regulations. This reliance results in a significant quantity of surface and subsurface
infiltration facilities designed and installed in any range of developments. In many situations
residential (low impact developments) utilize surface accessible infiltration basins whereas
heavily commercial developments rely on limited access subsurface galleries/piping networks. In
many jurisdictions assessment of these facilities has relied upon testing and modeling
methodologies intended for the implemented of waste-water disposal facilities. These models
are an inaccurate assessment for stormwater facilities as the mechanics and processes of wastewater disposal differ significantly from stormwater disposal.
Primarily the waste-water models are intended for the assessment of steady state (or continuous)
water flow conditions, continuously saturated soils, and a constant influx of volume over an
extended time period. The implementation of these models is complicated by the mistaken
assertion that these steady state flow models represent a conservative assessment of
functionality/suitability of infiltration stormwater facilities.
This poster presents modeling methodology that resolves model parameter inconsistencies and
provides a limit equilibrium methodology. The model is based on the stream function (Guo 1998,
2001). where the hydraulic conductivity and physical makeup of the unsaturated zone, aquifer
hydraulic conductivity, facility geometry, and proximity to the persistent water table are utilized
to ascertain the functionality and suitability of a stormwater facility.
These methodologies have been used in several ways to determine the suitability of a stormwater
basin: to limit the infiltration capacity of the soil, the depth of the basin, or the water depth of the
basin. This poster presents an alternative utilization of this method that provides a factor-ofsafety (FoS) method of assessing the facility. It also attempts to address the concern of utilizing
and FoS for hydraulic conductivity measurements. This methodology can be utilized for forensic
assessment of existing facilities as well as during the design/approval of proposed facilities.
References
Guo, James C.Y. (2003). Design of Infiltrating Basin by Soil Storage and Conveyance
Capacities, IWRA International J. of Water, Vol 28, No 4, December.
Guo, James C.Y. (2003). Detention Basin Sizing for Small Urban Catchments‖ ASCE J. of
Water Resources Planning and Management, Vol 125, No.6, Nov.
Guo, James C.Y. (2001) Design of Circular Infiltration Basin Under Water Mounding Effects,
ASCE J. of Water Resources Planning and Management, Vol 127, No. 1, Jan/Feb.
Guo, James C.Y. (1998) Subsurface-surface Hydrologic Model for Infiltration Trenches, ASCE
J. of Water resources Planning and Management, Vol 124, No 5, Sept.
72
Molluscan Community and Population Structure in an Urban Pond in the Lower Passaic River
Watershed, New Jersey
Robert S. Prezant1 and Eric J. Chapman1, 2
1
College of Science and Mathematics, Department of Biology and Molecular Biology, Montclair
State University, Montclair, NJ 07043 USA
2
Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, Watershed Conservation Program, Blairsville, PA 15717
USA
Continued urban growth without regard to sustainability can carry concomitant concerns about
water quality and related ecological health as reflected in biotic communities. Barbour‘s Pond is
a 4.45 hectare pond located in Garrett Mountain Reservation, Passaic County in northern New
Jersey, one of the most densely populated regions in the United States. The park is heavily used
for recreation, including fishing, horseback riding, and numerous cross country meets. During
the latter, hundreds of individuals can crowd into this park. Despite its small size and
surrounding urban sprawl, the shallow waters of this pond hold 18 species of molluscs, including
one nonindigenous species of viviparid snail and one species of unionid bivalve. Monthly
samples over a two year period found the highest diversity in December 2004, and January, June,
and July 2005. Total molluscan abundance was greatest in July and November 2004, possibly
reflecting new cohorts released in the late spring and autumn. Univariate statistics demonstrate
that this pond has a temporally stable and diverse malacofauna. Little information is available
about the possible horizontal or vertical migration of freshwater molluscs during winter months
or in particularly warm summers. There was no apparent die off of any species during the two
year sampling period (Should there be?). Possible molluscan predators included centrarchid fish,
wading birds, crayfish, and raccoons. Analysis environmental parameters and pond size,
however, showed little correlation with molluscan diversity, underscoring the complexity in
understanding biodiversity in small urban ponds.
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Standards for the Construction and Development Point Source Category
Final Rule -40 CFR Part 450 - December 1, 2009
How Does this Affect the Passaic River Watershed, and When?
Mr. Keithe J. Merl, PE, CPESC1
1 Princeton Hydro, LLC 1200 Liberty Place Sicklerville, NJ (T) (856) 629-8889
kmerl@princetonhydro.com
The EPA has concluded a significant source for water quality degradation in streams and lakes is
attributable to sediment-laden runoff as a result of construction disturbance. The new Standards
for the Construction and Development Point Source Category final rules (40 CFR Part 450) point
source category of the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) have been
released in an attempt to address this major polluter to our waterways.
The performance standards fall under two (2) categories: non-numeric and numeric turbidity
performance standards. The rules are effective as of January (2010): the non-numeric limitations
of the rule are effective as of February 1, 2010 on all sites regardless of size or area of
disturbance; numeric turbidity limitations will be phased in over time for sites that disturb 10
acres or greater in land surface.
These rules will change the way the industry prepares and implements erosion and sediment
control plans, the way stormwater pollution prevent plans (SWPPP) are written, effects the way
sites are reviewed by regulators, and increases the type and quantity of turbidity control
measures on construction and development point source category projects.
To maintain water quality in the Passaic River Basin it is important that designers, agencies,
reviewers, and officials understand the rules and how to implement them. The rules provide
additional guidance for small sites including the use of new/better technology and increases the
basics for site containment. The rule does concentrate on the implementation of larger sites,
where the impacts tend to be amplified.
This poster details some of the methodologies, with examples, that are proposed in the new rules
for sites of 10 acres or more. These factors include consideration for drainage areas, the use of
interior site controls (the point of compliance is no longer at the site boundary in some cases),
requirement to discharge sedimentation ponds from the surface, use of active runoff treatment,
and the implementation of a water quality numeric standard.
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Potential Impact of Human Transportation on Amphibian and Reptile Populations
Christina Soman, Jikai Xu, and Meiyin Wu
Department of Biology & Molecular Biology, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ, 07043,
(T) (973) 655-7800, wum@mail.montclair.edu
In spring, amphibians and reptiles emerge from their wintering locations in the woods and
migrate to nearby ponds or pools in order to breed. Their migration pathways are often
intersected by roadways commonly referred to as crossways. High mortalities caused by
transportation are often identified at the crossways during the migration season. This project
aims to study wildlife mortality caused by human transportation. 24 pitfall traps (5 gallons in
size) were installed at approximately 15 feet from the roadway. Traps were placed at 25 ft
intervals along a silt fence parallel with the roadway. Organisms found in the traps were recorded
twice a day at 12 hour intervals. Daily temperature and precipitation data were obtained from the
New Jersey Weather and Climate Network. Between 3/14 and 5/6/2010, 668 organisms across
12 species were recorded including American toad (Bufo americanis), bull frog (Rana
catesbeiana), chorus frog (Pseudacris triseriata), Fowler‘s toad (Bufo fowleri), green frog (Rana
clamintans), northern grey tree frog (Hyla versicolor), spring peeper (Pseudacris crucifer), wood
frog (Rana sylvatica), red spotted newt (Notophthalmus viridescen), spotted salamander
(Ambystoma maculatum), snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina), and eastern garter snake
(Thamnophis sirtalis). The most dominant species was American toad at 70%. Green frog, redspotted newt and spring peeper were also abundant. Previous studies documented 19 to 25%
amphibian and reptile mortality caused by human transportation during the migration season;
during the eight-week study period, human transportation had a potential to kill up to 160
amphibians and reptiles within a 600 ft segment of a two-land roadway in a New Jersey suburban
area.
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Susana Addo Ntim is a PhD candidate at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. She received
her bachelor‘s degree in Chemistry from the Kwame Nkrumah University of science and
technology (KNUST) in 2002. While at KNUST, she received the ‗Bentle prize for promising
woman scientist‘ awarded by the Ghana science association to the best female undergraduate
student in the natural sciences in the nation's universities. In 2006, she received her MS in
marine estuarine environmental science from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, in
Princess Anne Maryland. While there, she was elected to join the Phi Kappa Phi honor society,
one of the oldest and most prestigious honor societies in the United States. Since January 2007,
she has been enrolled in the PhD Environmental science program at the New Jersey Institute of
Technology in Newark New Jersey. She has been a recipient of the Schlumberger foundation‘s
faculty for the future fellowship since August 2009. She is presently working on the generation
of clean water using carbon nanotube based nanocomposites.
Marcia L. Anderson, CTE, ASLA holds a BS in Biology with honors from Monmouth Univ.; a
second BS in Environmental Planning and Design / Landscape Architecture from Rutgers Univ.
– Cook Rank #1 in Class, 1994, High Honors & George H. Cook Scholar, then in 2000 became
a Certified Tree Expert – (Cert. # 407) for the NJ Dept of Forestry; received a MA in Instr. &
Cir. Earth Science - Suma cum Laude in 2003 from Kean Univ. and is currently working on a
PhD in Environmental Management from Montclair State Univ., anticipated 2011. She has been
an adjunct professor at Kean Univ. teaching Geology, Geography, Oceanography and Earth
Science for the past 12 years, and has also taught at MSU and William Patterson U. She recently
worked as an Environmental Education Program Specialist for the Central Caribbean Marine
Institute, BWI, 2008-9 and created all educational materials and lectures for both the Ecoweekend and Ocean Literacy Programs in cooperation with the Cayman Islands Ministry of
Education for integration into middle and high school curriculum. She is currently employed by
the US Environmental Protection Agency as a Project Officer, FIFRA Officer and
Environmental Scientist in the Pesticides Program.
Tricia L. Aspinwall is a Planner /Project Manager with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New
York District. At the Corps she works on a wide variety of projects including watershed studies
and navigation projects. Ms. Aspinwall is the planner for the WRDA component of the Lower
Passaic River Restoration Project and her spare time enjoys rowing on the beautiful Passaic with
the Passaic River Rowing Association. She has also volunteered with the Passaic River Paddle
Relay for the past four years. Before coming to the Corps, she had several years of experience as
a planner/project manager for both local governments and nonprofit focusing primarily on open
space, farmland preservation and recreation planning and acquisition projects. Ms. Aspinwall
received a Masters Degree in Environmental Management from Montclair State University in
May 2007.
Michael A. Barbara, PE - Michael Barbara is an independent consultant with over 35 years of
experience providing strategic environmental consulting services for a wide spectrum of clients
across all business and industry sectors. Since 1980, Mr. Barbara has had a specialized practice
in CERCLA compliance and has worked on over 150 Superfund sites. He has served as
technical consultant to dozens of PRP Committees, with an emphasis on regulatory negotiations
and expert representation. His regulatory agency experience encompasses USEPA Regions I, II,
III, V, and VII, and has made many presentations to state agencies in New York, New Jersey,
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Connecticut, Ohio, Michigan, Delaware and Pennsylvania. Mr. Barbara has had experience in
all aspects of Superfund Site management including ROD modification, compliance with federal
and state Orders, remedy implementation, mixed funding, expert representation on consistency
with the NCP, and application of environmental insurance. Mr. Barbara‘s project management
experience ranges from on-site supervision of multi-million dollar remediation projects,
wastewater treatment plant design and operation, solid waste management, and solid and
hazardous waste permitting. He has managed the preparation of over 20 RCRA Part B permits
for commercial TSDFs, federal facilities, and industrial sites. He has also provided training
courses in hazardous waste management and CERCLA compliance, and is a frequent speaker on
the topics of remedy modification and regulatory negotiation.
Lisa Baron is a Project Manager with the US Army Corps of Engineers-NY District, Harbor
Programs Branch. She has 19 years of experience which includes ecosystem restoration
initiatives, dredged material management, environmental dredging, remedial investigations and
ecological risk assessment. Lisa is the Project Manager for the Hudson-Raritan Estuary
Ecosystem Restoration Study, which includes the Comprehensive Restoration Plan for the
NY/NJ Harbor. This Plan was recently adopted by the NY/NJ Harbor Estuary Program as the
future path forward for restoration in the Hudson-Raritan Estuary. She also manages the
restoration planning on the Lower Passaic River and the Joseph G. Minish Passaic River
Waterfront Park construction project. Currently she is serving as the Deputy Chief of
Construction Division as an Associate with the North Atlantic Division‘s Executive Leadership
Development Program. Prior to her employment with the USACE, Lisa was a Project Manager
with the NJ Department of Transportation‘s Office of Maritime Resources (OMR) and the
Division of Environmental Resources. After joining OMR in 1999, she had the opportunity to
initiate the multi-agency partnership and serve as local sponsor for the Lower Passaic River
Restoration Study to comprehensively remediate and restore the Lower Passaic River. Lisa also
served as Co-Chair of the Management Committee for the Comprehensive Port Improvement
Plan and supported contaminated sediment management projects within the NY/NJ Harbor and
the Delaware River. In addition, Lisa has worked in the private sector (McLaren/Hart Inc) and
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a Department of Energy Facility.
Dr. Kirk R. Barrett has served as the first Director of the Passaic River Institute at Montclair
State University since 2004. Prior to that, Dr. Barrett served for five years as the research
director of the Meadowlands Environmental Research Institute of Rutgers University. He holds a
doctoral degree in environmental engineering from Northwestern University and is a registered
Professional Engineer and certified Professional Wetland Scientist. He has over 20 years
experience in field of water resources, specializing in surface/wetland hydrology, hydraulics and
water quality processes. His work has been funded by major federal research agencies (US
Department of Agriculture, US Environmental Protection Agency, National Science Foundation)
as well as state agencies (Port Authority of NY and NJ, NJ Department of Environmental
Protection) and private foundations (Victoria Foundation, Landsberger Foundation). His
findings have been published in scientific journals such as Journal of Soil and Water
Conservation, Water International, and Ecological Engineering. He has been an invited speaker
many times, including at Princeton and Columbia Universities. He has (co-)chaired several state
and regional professional scientific conferences, such as the Passaic River Symposia and the
Mid-Atlantic Conference of the American Water Resources Association in 2006. He was
recently named to the Standing Committee on Water Quality and Quantity, which is part of the
77
NJDEP's Science Advisory Board. He serves on the New Jersey Water Monitoring Coordinating
Council and is a former member of the Board of Trustees of the Association of New Jersey
Environmental Commissions. He formerly served as Vice-Chairman of the Environmental
Commission of Essex County and was named ―Man of the Year‖ for 2003 by the South Orange
(NJ) Lions Club for efforts to rehabilitate the Rahway River corridor.
Stephen K. (Steve) Davis, P.G., is Midwest Region Manager & Director, of Matrix New
World‘s Natural Resource Restoration Practice. He holds a B.S and M.A. and is trained as a
forest natural resource manager, geologist and hazardous materials manager with more than 30
years of experience. He specializes in the integration of the more traditional environmental
programs into innovative approaches for resolving natural resource injury claims. He has
extensive experience in environmental regulatory applications, has been involved in
environmental policy and regulation development at both federal and state levels and has
provided expert witness support for several environmental litigation matters. Steve has
developed state Natural Resource Damage (NRD) programs and acted as Trustee in both Illinois
and Maine and has provided guidance to numerous state and federal NRD programs around the
United States. Steve has provided environmental support to clients in Arizona, Illinois, Maine,
Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Georgia and also in Venezuela. He has
performed detailed assessments for the highest and best use of property, evaluated client NRD
exposure, developed overall strategy and participated in negotiations with state and federal
trustees regarding NRD and other environmental matters. He has developed creative site closure
plans utilizing NRD tools at facilities regulated under RCRA, and has been involved in several
groundwater NRD cases. Steve has been focused recently on further development of the
―Prospective Restoration‖ concept, providing clients and trustees with another tool for
expediting restoration and settlement on NRD claims.
Clay Emerson is a Water Resource Engineer at Princeton Hydro and works on various water
resource-related issues, with a specific focus on stormwater management. He has a BS in Civil
Engineering from Rowan University, a MS in Environmental Engineering from Drexel
University and a Ph.D. from Villanova University. He has researched a variety of stormwater
management topics and presented and published in numerous water resource forums.
Amy V. Ferdinand is a graduate student at Montclair State University (MSU) pursuing a PhD
degree in Environmental Management. Her area of research is the environmental, health, and
socio-economic impacts of Brownfields on urban redevelopment. Amy received her
undergraduate degree from Howard University and a Masters from Central Michigan University.
She is currently the Director of Environmental, Health & Safety at MSU; active in several
sustainable campus development projects. She serves on the Passaic County Brownfields
Commission, the New Jersey State Industrial Safety Committee and is a member of the United
States Green Building Council, New Jersey Chapter. She has an extensive record of
achievement in the administration of environmental, safety, and health programs and has
successfully managed environmental projects, including over 30 years of direct experience in
environmental health and safety management in corporate, government and higher education.
Abdulai Fofanah is a Principal Engineer with over nine years of hydrologic and hydraulic
modeling experience with The Louis Berger Group, Inc. in Morristown, NJ. Mr. Fofanah
78
received his B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Sierra Leone in 1996 and his M.S.
in Water Resources Engineering from the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in 2000. He is a
Registered Professional Engineer in the States of New York, Connecticut and Delaware. In 2009,
the American Academy of Water Resources Engineers (AAWRE) awarded the Certificate of
Special Knowledge to Mr. Fofanah, which authorized him to use the title of Diplomate, Water
Resources Engineer (D.WRE). Mr. Fofanah is also a Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM). His
primary areas of expertise are in hydrologic and hydraulic modeling; stream restoration design;
wetland design; water budget modeling; retention and detention pond design; watershed
modeling; roadway drainage design; numerical/analytical and wave/coastal processes modeling;
hydropower headwater analysis; and, preparation of Flood Hazard Area Permit applications.
Josh Galster is an assistant professor of surficial hydrology in the Earth and Environmental
Studies Department at Montclair State University. H researches the connections between rivers
and their watersheds, and his current projects include the effects of land use change on baseflow
and flood frequency, the source of sediment in New Jersey streams, the rate of discharge increase
moving downstream in watersheds, the effect of invasive species on baseflow, and classifying
land use from grayscale aerial photographs. He has received funding from the National Institutes
for Water Research, the Passaic River Institute, the New Jersey Water Resources Research
Institute, and the Geological Society of America. A full list of research projects and classes
taught can be found at www.montclair.edu/~galsterj
Dr. Edward A. Garvey is a surface water and sediment geochemist with the Louis Berger
Group, Inc. He has more than 25 years of experience in riverine, estuarine, and lacustrine studies
of contaminant fate and transport. He specializes in persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as
PCBs, PAHs and dioxins and in heavy metals, such as mercury and lead. His areas of expertise
include geochemical modeling, environmental chemistry, dredging-related contaminant
transport, geochemistry, geostatistical analysis, and hydrogeology. His experience includes
remedial investigations, environmental fate and transport modeling , study of dredging-related
sediment resuspension, environmental data analyses, hazardous waste site assessments, water
quality evaluations, human exposure modeling, and sampling program design. Since 1991, his
work has centered on the fate, transport, and ecological uptake of persistent organic pollutants in
support of the EPA‘s investigations of PCBs in the Hudson River and dioxins in the Passaic
River. As a well-respected leader in contaminant fate and transport analyses, he has co-authored
over fifty presentations and journal articles on the subject.
Dr. Nickitas Georgas is a Senior Research Engineer at The Center for Maritime Systems (CMS)
at Stevens Institute of Technology. His main expertise is on numerical modeling and forecasting,
hydrodynamics, and water quality of inland and coastal waters. He has participated in a variety
of coastal engineering studies around the eastern seaboard of the United States, involving
feasibility, impact evaluation, use-attainability, TMDL/WLA/LA, BMP, and dredging
assessments, by designing and coupling hydrodynamic, sediment transport, and water quality
models to support engineering projections. As a consultant for HydroQual, Inc. he set up
hydrodynamic and water quality models for the NYCDEP Use and Standards Attainment Project
(USA, including the System Wide Eutrophication Model) and the NY/NJ HEP Contaminant
Assessment and Reduction Project (CARP). In his past four years at Stevens, he has been
79
responsible for the code/model development and daily hydrodynamic/wave/CDOM forecasts of
the New York Harbor Observation and Prediction System (NYHOPS:
www.stevens.edu/maritimeforecast) that include the Stevens Storm Surge Warning System
forecasts (SSWS: www.stevens.edu/SSWS).
John Hull, PE, BCEE the founder and President of AquaBlok, Ltd., has more than 30 years of
experience with a wide variety of engineering and environmental issues, including participation
on policy and regulation development. He has participated in dredge soil management and
contaminated sediment issues, water resources and related ecological issues for over 25 years,
working with state and federal regulatory agencies and the U.S. ACOE. John is a registered
Professional Engineer in 13 states and is recognized as a Board Certified Environmental
Engineer in solid waste management by the American Academy of Environmental Engineers. In
addition to leading AquaBlok, John previously founded Hull & Associates, Inc., an
environmental engineering and consulting firm, and was president from 1980-2004. He serves on
the Petroleum Underground Storage Tank Release Compensation Board (PUSTRCB) for the
State of Ohio, a mandatory insurance pool. John also serves on the Board of Directors for a
503(C), Partners for Clean Streams; the University of Findlay's Center for Environment
Excellence National Advisory Board; the University of Toledo's Department of Earth, Ecological
and Environmental Sciences Advisory Group; and the Lake Erie Commission Ohio Balanced
Growth Initiative's Technical Advisory Committee. He is also a member of WEDA and SMWG.
Mike Johns, PhD is Managing Partner at Windward Environmental LLC
(www.windwardenv.com), an environmental science and engineering services firm based in
Seattle, Washington. Dr. Johns is an aquatic scientist who specializes in aquatic ecological risk
assessments (ERAs), human health risk assessments, and natural resource damage assessments,
particularly those associated with contaminated sediment. Experience gained during his 30 years
of professional work at sites throughout the United States provides Dr. Johns with a broad
knowledge base on issues pertaining to the effects of toxic pollutants on aquatic organisms. In
addition to serving as a project manager and program manager on a number of large, multi-task,
multi-disciplinary environmental investigations, he has served in an advisory and advocacy
capacity for a number of clients in support of regulatory review and reform, review and comment
on pending legislation, liability management, and negotiations with state and federal
environmental regulatory agencies, as well as serving as a testifying expert in litigation in both
state and federal courts. Dr. Johns is Principal in Charge for the Cooperating Parties Group‘s
Lower Passaic River Study Area Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study ERA.
Faith K. Justus received her Master‘s degree in Environmental Studies from Montclair State
University. She received an outstanding graduate student recognition award (2010) in
acknowledgment of her hard work. She served as a graduate assistant during her studies. Current
interest in land use and change quantification studies affecting watersheds. She is also interested
in spatial analysis and applications in unraveling contemporary issues affecting communities.
She looks forward to start her doctoral studies in environmental management at Montclair State
University in fall. Faith is currently on an internship with Passaic County Planning department,
working on the WMA4 Rain Barrel Project Initiative.
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Jason C. Kinnell is a Principal Economist and Founding Partner of Veritas Economic
Consulting (Veritas), a firm specializing in the design and development of custom models to
evaluate complex market and non-market valuation challenges. Mr. Kinnell has more than 15
years of experience applying economic analysis in exposure assessments, restoration evaluation
and planning, regulatory compliance, regulatory impact analysis, policy analysis, and natural
resource damage assessments. His specific areas of expertise and project experience include 1)
Estimating the exposure frequencies and potential natural resource damages associated with
hazardous substance releases at numerous sites throughout the U.S.; 2) Estimating the benefits of
alternative restoration options as part of natural resource damage assessments and regulatory
compliance, 3) Designing, administering, and evaluating the results of complex surveys,
including the 2000 New Jersey Outdoor Recreation Survey and the 2000–01 Passaic River
Creel/Angler Survey. The results of Mr. Kinnell‘s research have been used by and/or presented
and submitted to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), New Jersey
Office of Maritime Resources (NJOMR), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection
(PADEP), Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM), Texas
Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), California Regional Water Quality Control
Board, Florida Department of Environmental Projection (FADEP), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Michigan
Department of Natural Resources (MDNR), Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, and the
Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). Mr. Kinnell is a co-author of A Common Tragedy:
History of an Urban River and has numerous peer-reviewed articles in professional journals
including Land Economics, Risk Analysis, Human and Ecological Risk Assessment, Journal of
Toxicology and Environmental Health, and the Journal of Water Resource Planning and
Management. Mr. Kinnell earned his M.S. in Economics from The Pennsylvania State
University and his B.A. in Economics from Hampden-Sydney College.
Michael A. Kruge is Professor of Earth and Environmental Studies at Montclair State
University in New Jersey. He was formerly Associate Dean of the College of Science and
Mathematics at MSU, Professor and Chair in the Department of Geology at Southern Illinois
University, Carbondale, and a Geochemist for Standard Oil (Ohio)/British Petroleum. He holds
a Ph.D. in Geology from the University of California, Berkeley (1985). His research interests
include: Environmental geochemistry and forensics of organic contaminants in sediments.
Marine, estuarine and lacustrine biogeochemistry. Geochemistry of peat. Fossil organic matter
as indicator of environmental change. Applications of analytical pyrolysis-gas
chromatography/mass spectrometry. Biological marker compounds and polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons in, petroleum, petroleum source rocks, oil shales, coal and sediments. Nature of
organic sulfur in fossil fuels, a precursor of acid rain. He is the author of about fifty peerreviewed scientific publications.
Stephen G. Marshall received B.A. (Physics) and J.D. degrees from the Newark campus of
Rutgers University. He worked on the legal staff of the N.J. Board of Public Utilities during the
period when that agency was consolidated within the N.J. Department of Energy, and later
served as a state Administrative Law Judge. He is currently in private practice, specializing in
commercial law. He is writing a book about the history of the Port of New York and New
Jersey, which is funded in part by grants from the New Jersey Historical Commission.
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Peg McBrien, P.E., PWS is a Manager of Ecological Engineering with The Louis Berger Group,
Inc., of, Morristown, NJ. Ms. McBrien has over 23 years of experience in wetlands, streams,
water quality and watershed management and construction. She has managed restoration studies,
designs and construction for over 2,000 acres of aquatic ecosystems. For these projects, Ms.
McBrien managed multi-disciplinary staff and contractors to complete topographic and
bathymetric surveying; soil borings and geotechnical studies; sediment and water contamination
investigations; habitat surveys; vegetation mapping; cultural resource assessments;
environmental permit applications; hydraulic and hydrodynamic modeling; civil design plans and
specifications; construction cost estimates; technical reports; and construction oversight. As a
former Corps employee, Ms. McBrien is thoroughly familiar with environmental regulations,
guidelines, and procedures. She has extensive federal and state regulatory experience including
delineating wetland boundaries, assessing wetland functions and values, restoring and creating
streams and wetlands, obtaining state and federal permits, writing comprehensive environmental
impact assessments, assessing and enforcing compliance with NPDES permits, and designing
stormwater and wastewater treatment wetlands. She has restored and created wetlands in
Indiana, New Jersey, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Peru, and Egypt. Ms. McBrien also
worked with the New York District of the Army Corps of Engineers to on the Lower Passaic
River Restoration Project. She managed vegetation studies, including sampling, wetland
delineations and bio-benchmarking, at selected sites along the 17-mile Lower Passaic River,
tributaries of the river and reference sites during fall 2007 and spring 2008. Ms. McBrien also
managed the development of a Plant Resource Document, which provides a comprehensive list
of native plant species, recommended plantings zones, planting windows, and habitat
recommendations for the restoration of wetland and upland plant communities of the Passaic
river. Both of these documents will aid in future restoration efforts for the Lower Passaic River
and are available at http://www.ourpassaic.org/.
John T. Meakim – Principal – Engineers Plus - Engineered Water Management. Education:
Naval ROTC Scholarship and B.S. Chemical Engineering – Villanova University. Experience:
Worked in progressively challenging positions from a Staff Engineer for boiler and cooling
water systems to V.P. of Industry Management and Marketing at Betz Laboratories and as
Director of National Accounts for Baker Petrolite Industrial. As Vice President and General
Manager of Baker Hughes Industrial Services, responsibilities included: Designing, Building,
Owning, Operating and Maintaining of Industrial and Municipal Water and Wastewater
Facilities. In 2002 assumed leadership as President and CEO of Fresh Creek Technologies, an
environmental equipment company. In 2006 joined Engineers Plus, Richmond, Virginia as
Principal – Engineered Water Management, handling resolution of traditional water treatment
problems. Present focus is on innovative approaches to the improvement of water quality
associated with Wastewater Plant discharges and Wet Weather events, both CSO and
Stormwater discharges. Publications include presentations at WEFTEC, StormCon, International
Water Conference and Regional Technical Meetings; NJWEA, MWEA, etc... Presenter at the
―Creating Innovative Stormwater Control‖ Seminar, Richmond, Virginia – July, 2009. MemberChesapeake Bay Foundation
Keithe Merl is an Associate at Princeton Hydro and is the Director of Geotechnical services
while managing the Southern New Jersey operations. Mr. Merl's experience includes soil and
geologic materials investigation, testing, and interpretation in the implementation of stormwater
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facilities, hydraulic structures, dams, levees, retaining structures, ground improvements,
foundations (deep, shallow, specialized), and habitable structures. This includes projects that
range from residential, commercial, industrial, and heavily loaded structures.
Mr. Merl graduated from Drexel University with a degree in Civil Engineering with a
concentration in Engineering Geology and geologic hazards. He is licensed as an Engineer in six
(6) States, including New Jersey, and is recognized nationally as a Certified Professional in Soil
Erosion and Sediment Control (CPESC). Mr. Merl is and has been active in the New Jersey
Chapter of the AWRA in the Groundwater subcomittee, has provided guidance to the State of
New Jersey in the implementation and modification of Stormwater Regulations, has provided
expert witness testimony with regards to the implementation of stormwater facilities, and has
presented at national, international, and local events.
Ray Nichols is the Outreach and Education Coordinator for the NJ Department of
Environmental Protection – Division of Watershed Management. In this position he has directed
the NJ Project WET (Water Education for Teachers) Program for six years. He also oversees the
Training Program for the DEP AmeriCorps Watershed Ambassadors Program and serves on the
Interagency Work Group affiliated with the NJ Commission on Environmental Education. th an
AB in Environmental Studies/Human Ecology from Antioch University and a MS degree in
Resource Ecology from the University of Michigan, he has had a lifelong interest in helping
people understand how their actions and behavior affect the natural world, and vice versa.
Thomas O’Connor has been an environmental engineer with the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), Office of Research and Development (ORD), National Risk Management
Research Laboratory, Water Supply and Water Resources Division, Urban Watershed
Management Branch (in Edison, New Jersey) for over 16 years. He has over 19 years
environmental experience. He has conducted research for watershed management and wetweather flow (WWF), specifically researching WWF control/ treatment technologies and
strategies, watershed based strategies, storage and collection system design, sampling and
analysis of best management practices (BMPs), receiving water impacts, characterization of
pollutants, stormwater infiltration, stormwater collection and use, cost benefit analysis,
retrofitting existing treatment works and systems, and green roofs. Thomas graduated with an
M.S. in Environmental Engineering from Manhattan College in 1993 and a B.S. in Physics 1986.
He is a member of several professional organizations and committees. He has written numerous
journal articles and three book chapters.
Hormoz Pawash Hormoz Pazwash received his B.S., C.E. with the highest honor among the
graduating class of 1963 from Tehran University and his M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of
Illinois, in Urbana, Champaign in 1966 and 1970, respectively. He is currently a project
manager and director of hydrology/hydraulics at Boswell Engineering in South Hackensack,
New Jersey, a position he has held since 1987. He is also an Adjunct Professor at Stevens
Institute of Technology where he has taught a number of senior and graduate level courses in the
fields of water resources and stormwater management. Dr. Pazwash was formerly an Associate
Professor of Civil Engineering at Northeastern University, a Visiting Professor at the University
of Akron, and Chairman of the Department of Civil Engineering at Tehran University. Dr.
Pazwash's experience encompasses various aspects of hydraulic engineering, water supply, water
resources, hydrology and groundwater. Project involvement has included evaluation of regional
water resources; design of pipelines, channels, and culverts; hydrologic and hydraulic analyses of
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rivers and streams; flood control projects; reservoir and dam safety studies; design of urban and
highway drainage systems; storm water management; and study and design of pond
improvements. Dr. Pazwash has been the recipient of various academic awards, including a
Fellowship - University of Tehran and a Fulbright Scholar - University of California at Berkeley.
He is listed in 1992-1993, Premier Edition of Marquis Who's Who in Science and Engineering
and the International Who's Who of Professionals. Dr. Pazwash holds P.E. licenses in New
Jersey, New York and Maine. He is a life member and Fellow of ASCE, a Diplomat of the
AAWRE (D.WRE) and Flood Plain Manager. He is also a member of AWWA, and is currently
Stormwater Management Chair of the New Jersey Section of AWRA. He is the author of over
fifty technical papers and five books, including a book titled "Urban Stormwater Management
for Practitioners", currently under publication.
Pat Rector works for Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey in the newly created position,
County Agent III, a partnership developed with the NJDEP to provide for local knowledgeable
expertise to assist with water resource issues at the county/municipal level. There are 5 county
pairings in the State. Pat is working in Morris/Somerset County since September 2009. Pat was
previously with the NJDEP. Pat worked with Regional Stormwater Management Plans. She
provided expertise and support for the Watershed Management Areas 3, 4, and 6 (Passaic Basin)
as an Area Manager. She assisted in the utilization of STEP-L model for the tracking and
documentation of pollutant reductions derived from funding predominately from the 319(h)
federal funding grants. Pat was an adjunct professor, teaching environmental science at William
Paterson University, from 2005 through 2009. Pat has also worked at Lamont-Doherty Earth
Observatory on climate change and lead based paint projects. Pat is currently involved in:
Aquatic Invasive Species programs ; BMP implementation (Peters Brook, Troy Brook, Black
River,); Department of Public Works Stormwater Sustainability (Peters Brook); along with Rain
Barrel and Rain Garden Trainings in Morris and Somerset Counties, and co-editing the Green
Knight newsletter.
Robert Romagnoli, P.E. is Sr. Vice President with Arcadis US in Syracuse, New York. Mr.
Romagnoli has more than 22 years of experience in the environmental consulting industry and
has spent considerable time focusing on the evaluation and restoration of aquatic systems.
Specifically, his experience encompasses the following areas: RI/FS development;
dredging/capping design; sediment transport; environmental process management; and
wastewater/groundwater treatment design. He received his B.S. in Civil Engineering from
Bucknell University, and an MBA from Cornell University.
Paul Rossi BrightFields‘ Team for the Christina River Basin PCB Mass Loading Project
included: Technical Director Stephen Johnson, P.G., who received his Ph.D., from Colorado
School of Mines, and specializes in geochemistry, chemical fate and transport modeling, natural
attenuation evaluation, and hydrogeologic remedial system design; Program Manager Jenna
Harwanko, a graduate of the University of Delaware, who manages site investigations and
remedial actions for private, commercial, and government clients; Environmental Analyst JohnPaul Rossi, also a University of Delaware graduate specializing in site remedial investigation and
environmental risk assessment, and Mark Lannan, P.G. and a BrightFields‘ Principal, a graduate
of West Virginia University who specializes in geological and analytical data interpretation and
the creation of clear and elegant conceptual site models.
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During the preparation of the PCB study, BrightFields collaborated closely with our clients at the
Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), specifically
Environmental Engineer Richard Greene, Ph.D. in DNREC‘s Watershed Assessment Branch and
Hydrologist Todd Keyser in DNREC‘s Site Investigation and Restoration Branch.
BrightFields, Inc. provides environmental investigation, audit and remediation services. The
company is headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware with offices in Milford, Delaware and
Baltimore, Maryland. BrightFields is a woman-owned business and is certified as a WBE/DBE
in Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Maryland and by the Women‘s Business Enterprise National
Council (WBENC). BrightFields‘ Wilmington office is built on an old landfill on the 7th Street
Peninsula. The environmental remedy was incorporated into the redevelopment work, and gave
new meaning to our company slogan, ―Turning brownfields into BrightFields.‖
Paul Schorr is employed by NJDEP as a Research Scientist. He has worked in the field of
water resources initially at Rutgers University, Water Resources Research Institute in 1967
where he modeled Instream Aeration on the Passaic River with an analog computer. Since then
he has worked for 1 year with the Planning Branch of USEPA, Region 2 in NYC, 4 years for
consulting architects and engineers, and 34 years on and off at NJDEP since it's inception in
1969/1970. He has a Masters in Civil and Urban Engineering from the University of
Pennsylvania and a Bachelors in Chemical Engineering from Rutgers College. He has been
licensed as a Professional Engineer and Planner in New Jersey since 1974.
Ravi Srirangam has 4 years of relevant experience as an environmental engineer and has
worked on several pilot and full scale remediation projects. His main areas of expertise include:
Remediation and destruction of PCBs in contaminated soils and sediments by physical and
biological treatments; Bioavailability and risk assessment of chlorinated organics in
contaminated soils/sediments; Active capping for remediation of POPs and metals in soils and
sediments; and Wastewater treatment technologies.A 2007 graduate of the University of Illinois
at Chicago, Ravi holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering. He also earned B.S. and M.Sc.
degrees in Chemical Engineering from BITS (India). In addition to leading the EHC-O product
line for treating petroleum hydrcarbons, Srirangam provides on-site support and design for
remedial efforts focused on soil,sediment and groundwater environments as part of the Adventus
Group.
Daniel J. Van Abs, PhD, PP/AICP. Senior Director for Planning & Science. NJ Highlands
Council. Dan Van Abs is Senior Director for Planning & Science with the New Jersey
Highlands Council, managing staff efforts regarding implementation of the Highlands Regional
Master Plan. Dr. Van Abs has 28 years of professional experience in the water resources and
watershed management field. He previously worked as Director of Watershed Protection, NJ
Water Supply Authority for over eight years; with the NJ Department of Environmental
Protection for 12 years, six as manager for statewide water resources planning; and as Technical
Director of the Passaic River Coalition for four years. He holds a Ph.D. in Environmental
Science from SUNY-College of Environmental Science and Forestry. He is a licensed
Professional Planner in New Jersey, a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners,
and 2nd Vice Chair of the New Jersey Clean Water Council.
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Dr. Hans Winterwerp is expert on morphodynamics and sediment transport and Senior
Specialist on cohesive sediment transport. He is participating in and responsible for basic
research and consultancy on sediment transport and morphological development in estuarine and
coastal environments. He has executed many hydrodynamic, hydro-thermal and hydromorphological studies all over the world as project leader and as expert in multi-disciplinary
project teams, using the various mathematical models developed by WL | Delft Hydraulics.
Amongst these are sediment transport studies for the navigational channels of Rotterdam, The
Netherlands; of Antwerp in the Scheldt estuary, Belgium/Netherlands; of Cochin, India; for Neva
Bay, St. Petersburg, Russia; for the Segara Anakan Lagoon, Java, Indonesia; for the Yangtze
estuary and the Yellow River, China; for the Humber estuary, UK; for the Loire estuary, France;
and for the Atchafalaya estuary and Passaic River, USA. Furthermore, he has worked on the
mud-mangrove coasts of Thailand, Guynana and Suriname. For many years, a major part of the
work of Dr. Winterwerp is dedicated to basic research into the behavior and properties of
cohesive sediments and the application of the results to estuarine studies. A part of this research
is carried out during his part-time affiliation as associate professor with Delft University of
Technology. He is the author / co-author of more than 120 publications in Scientific Journals and
Reference Books and contributed to many International Conferences – these publications have
been cited many hundred times, and two publications have received international awards. Dr
Winterwerp is editor of two international journals and reviewer for 10 other journals. Dr.
Winterwerp supervised 10 PhD-projects and numerous MSc-projects.
Alice Yeh is a Remedial Project Manager for EPA‘s Superfund program, working on the Lower
Passaic River Restoration Project. She has been with EPA for 16 years, previously working in
the Water program on Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) and the Lake Ontario/Niagara
River Toxic Management Plans. She has a Master of Public Policy from the Kennedy School of
Government and a Bachelor in Environmental Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology.
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