10.0 Current Status of the Roebling Steel Mill Superfund Site

10.0 Current Status of the Roebling Steel Mill Superfund Site

May 2010 – Community Update

Document: Included in Additional Links

Dredging of Crafts Creek and Delaware River Back Channel sediments is currently underway.  There is a temporary staging area near Crafts Creek for dewatering and a water collection system for the removal of excess water from dredged sediments.  The area also includes a decontamination pad, allowing vehicles to decontaminate before leaving the staging area.  The Slag Area, has been subgraded, and currently is receiving dredged materials from Crafts Creek and the Delaware River Back Channel.  93,000 cubic yards of sediments are being dredged from Crafts Creek and the Back Channel using mechanical dredging equipment, such as long stick excavator for near shore sediments and a barge for off-shore sediments.  The excavated sediments are then being transported by barge to the dewatering staging area.  The dewatered sediments are being transported in water-tight trucks using Route 130 and Hornberger Avenue.  Air monitoring and turbidity controls are in place to monitor activities on Site.  After placement of Sediments onto the Slag Area is complete, a two-foot soil cap consisting of 18-inches of common fill and 6-inches topsoil and vegetation will be placed atop to support vegetation.  A permeable liner will be placed beneath the cap to act as a visible marker to minimize direct contact should the overlying cap be breeched.  The area will then be utilized for passive recreation.  A map depicting future land use is depicted below:

10.1  Community Interviews

A few e-mails were sent to Case Management Tamara Rossi with direct questions relating to the Roebling Steel Mill Site.  To date a response from Ms. Rossi has not been obtained.  All documentation used to fulfill this project was found at the Florence Township Library, located in Roebling, New Jersey.  Residents were questioned from the town of Roebling, and questions were asked by myself, Trisha Muni.  Being a resident of Florence Township for twenty three years I also used myself as a reference in dealing with this Superfund Site.  When asking residents questions about the details of the Roebling Steel Mill, I got a concept of overall understanding and involvement to be low.  Residents felt ill informed and uninvolved in the process that was unfolding in their town.  I had known the Steel Mill was a Site of contamination, but the whole picture was not clear to me until I started working on this project.  While I make my blog for this course, I will also perfect it and condense it for community access.  I feel it is my duty to inform my fellow townspeople of the tasks that are ongoing on the 200-acre Roebling Steel Mill Site.  This Steel Mill was a source of pride for this town, and now it is but a vacant land, roped off by a chain link fence.  The town of Roebling is seeing a glimpse of hope through the building of the Lightrail throughout Roebling and Florence Township, and is hoping to see more changes in the future as OU-3 and OU-5 operations near completion.  EPA is working with Roebling to remediate the Site and bring back this sense of pride to Florence Township, this steps are unfolding and we are beginning to see the outcome of EPAs hard work.  Soon this abandoned Site will once again be in use, while protecting human health and the environment amongst it.