Public health

Report: Contamination in Ringwood could threaten the Wanaque Reservoir

A brief overview of the Ringwood Mines Superfund site as of early 2017. The formerly Ford-owned site in Passaic County, New Jersey is polluted with paint sludge and industrial waste. David Zimmer/NorthJersey.com (Photo: northjersey.com file photo)

High levels of a dangerous chemical at the Ringwood Superfund site are a potential threat to the nearby Wanaque Reservoir, the major source of drinking water for the region, according to a new report for the state commission that oversees the water supply. The pollution needs to be treated to ensure it doesn’t migrate to the reservoir — just a mile away — and contaminate the drinking water that serves as many as 3.5 million people, the report said.

The chemical — known as 1,4-dioxane and considered a probable carcinogen — has not been detected in the reservoir. But high levels have been found over the past 18 months in groundwater and brooks that feed into the massive reservoir downstream of an area where Ford Motor Co. dumped an ocean of toxic paint sludge 50 years ago. The report, written for the reservoir’s operator, the North Jersey District Water Supply Commission, recommends that a system be built soon to pump contaminated groundwater to […]

Recent Posts

Saltwater intrusion will taint 77% of coastal aquifers by century’s end, modeling study finds

Watersheds on the U.S. Eastern Seaboard will be among the areas most affected by underground…

1 week ago

A ‘Devil’ Seaweed Is Spreading Inside Hawaiʻi’s Most Protected Place

An invasive algae has wrecked huge sections of reef in Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. Scientists…

1 week ago

A meadow in the Tahoe National Forest was drying up with sagebrush. Now it’s a lush wetland.

Sardine Meadow is a key link in conservation efforts for the Sierra Nevada, north of…

2 weeks ago

Conservation & Sustainability: fertilizer nitrates

UC Davis researchers insert a device that continuously collects water samples underground, providing real-time data…

3 weeks ago

Drought Mitigation: Should We Be Farming in the Desert?

Irrigated farmland in the desert of the Imperial Valley. (Photo credit: Steve Proehl, Getty Images)…

3 weeks ago

Scathing report released detailing Navy’s handling of Red Hill fuel spill

The Inspector General of the Department of Defense released some scathing reports Thursday over the…

1 month ago