As federal trustees for natural resources, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are conducting studies to assess injuries related to the release of hazardous substances from or near the Diamond Alkali Superfund site. Centered in Newark, New Jersey, the site includes the Lower Passaic River, Newark Bay, and other adjacent areas.

The federal trustees are providing the following draft study plan for public review and comment:

• Study Plan for Evaluating Upper-Trophic Fish Injury in the Lower Passaic River, available for public comment January 15, 2021, through February 15, 2021. 

This report follows the trustees’ release of two separate study plans on injuries to birds and fish in 2020.

The goal of natural resource damage assessment and restoration is to replace, restore or acquire the equivalent of the resources and recreational opportunities affected by contamination – at no cost to taxpayers. This process is distinct from cleanup activities overseen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 

The anticipated studies are intended to provide results that will assist the trustees in assessing the scope and scale of injuries, and in turn help consider the type and quantity of restoration.

Comments should be submitted in writing (email is preferred) to Greg Baker, Diamond Alkali NRDA Technical Manager, at greg.baker@noaa.gov. Please include “DANRD Fish Study” in the email subject line.

Written comments may also be mailed to:

Greg Baker
c/o Industrial Economics
2067 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02474