PITMAN, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — A notorious Superfund site in Gloucester County, New Jersey has been cleaned up and removed from the federal list of hazardous material sites.
The Lipari Landfill leaked toxic chemicals into Alcyon Lake for decades, and the fight to clean it up began in 1983. Through generations of passionate activism, hard work, and $300 million, the site has been officially removed from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Superfund National Priorities List.
Resident Doug Stuart and many other activists raised a stink to clean up the mess.
“It’s a real testament to these people,” he said. “Many of you, you’re nameless. Nobody even knows about them, but some of you are sitting here today. … You should be proud because you made a difference.”
Congressman Donald Norcross used to work at this site, and, at a press conference in Pitman on Tuesday, he thanked the men and women who wouldn’t take no for an answer.
“Back in the early ’80s, I was a young apprentice, where I was sent over to hook up some pumps when this project first began. They handed me a white suit and I looked at them and said, ‘What is this for?’ ‘Don’t worry about it, just put it on,’” he recalled.
The Lipari Landfill was once one of the country’s most contaminated sites, full of household waste, chemical waste and industrial materials. Contaminants seeped into nearby water systems, the EPA said, closing Alcyon Lake.
Removal from the Superfund National Priorities List means a site no longer poses a health risk. So now, Alcyon Lake is safe and open for recreational use once again — an advantage to the local economy and communities.
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette said this is a great example of people holding their government accountable.
“Every single natural resource in the state belongs directly to the people, and it is just our job to take good care of it for you,” he said. “Thank you for standing up and demanding we do that.”
LaTourette said protecting the land, air and water has been a bipartisan commitment in New Jersey, and he’s excited to keep working to ensure prosperity for generations to come.
Meanwhile, New Jersey still has more than 100 sites on the Superfund National Priorities List — more than any other state. Officials said the work to remediate must continue.