The site where NJCU plans to build its new West Campus is currently undergoing a process of remediation, where contaminated soil is removed.
In 2012, the corporation Honeywell International Inc. completed the first cleanup of this site, after the land was discovered to contain hexavalent chromium. Heavy levels of the chemical hexavalent chromium have been linked to lung cancer.
The current cleanup is to remove any other remaining chemical contaminants. Associate Vice President for Facilities and Construction Management Andrew Christ assures students and faculty that the current remediation involves non-hazardous materials.
“Chromium remediation was completed in 2012, so it hasn’t been an impact on this current project,” said Christ, who is also co-chair of the Campus Infrastructure Working Group.
According to both Associate Director of the Division of Administration and Finance Deborah Morales and Christ, NJCU is taking responsibility to clean up other possible contaminants.
History
The first cleanup stemmed from a 2008 lawsuit wherein Honeywell agreed to remediate 100 acres of chromium-contaminated land along Route 440 and the Hackensack River. Mutual Chemical Company, which was later taken over by Honeywell, ran a chromate chemical company along Jersey City’s Westside.
In addition to the products made there, the environmental advocacy group Hackensack Riverkeeper found that the Mutual Chemical Company also produced over one million tons of toxic waste. Besides taking over the site, Honeywell also inherited Mutual Chemical Company’s environmental problems, which included the chromium output.
Current Work
The current remediation is under the supervision of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and a licensed site remediation professional. NJCU Facilities and Construction Management stress that they are monitoring the situation.
“NJCU has taken every precaution to ensure the safety of our students, faculty and staff [during the remediation],” said Christ.
The cleanup will take both time and money. The state provided low-interest loans to assist with the current remediation, which amounted to $16 million dollars.
“The loan was approximately 1 percent interest rate,” said Aska.
As for the date of completion, it is set for next year, but is currently running ahead of schedule.
“West Campus remediation is scheduled to be complete no later than March 2014,” said Morales.