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Welsbach and General Gas Mantle

In August of 2021, the EPA proposed an interim clean-up plan as a temporary measure to combat the prolonged contamination of the site. The proposal states that the EPA will rely mainly on radioactive decay and simultaneously continue to remove contaminated soil that is at the source of groundwater contamination. In order to track the effectiveness of natural radioactive decay, samples from surrounding water sources will be collected and tracked. The plan will be reevaluated by the EPA after sufficient data has been received.

Martin Aaron Inc.

In 2005, remedial action concerning the site was decided upon by the EPA. The remedy consisted of removing contaminated soil and transporting it to a disposal facility off-site. The responsible parties capped the remaining contaminated soil and placed restrictions on use of the site until clean-up began in 2016. In 2018, disposal of the soil was completed and the site was capped in 2019.

Illegal dumping

Since approximately early 2019, a massive dirt heap in the Bergen Square neighborhood has grown to be multiple stories high. The pile is found to be contaminated with lead, mercury, and other toxins, thereby contributing to groundwater contamination and air pollution. The current property owners, Weyhill Realty Holdings, as well as the previous owners, S. Yaffa and Sons, Inc., were taken to court by the state in 2021. Community members and local government raised growing concerns over the status of this illegal dumping ground on the corner of 7th and Chestnut streets as the debris encroached on neighboring properties. After years of public outcry, clean-up efforts have begun and are set to be completed in February of 2024.

This issue is one of many instances of illegal dumping in Camden City. About $4 million each year is spent on cleaning up illegal dumping in the city alone. In March of 2022, a federally funded $500,000 project was announced by Congressman Donald Norcross, which consists of implementing a city-wide camera network to monitor and regulate illegal dumping areas and properly prosecute offenders.

Former Harrison Avenue Landfill

Within the waterfront Cramer Hill neighborhood of Camden City at the intersection of Cooper River and the Delaware River, a landfill site operated from the years 1952 to 1971. This landfill spanned 86 acres; debris and garbage consistently drifted into the riverbank while in operation, thus contaminating the waterfront and wildlife of the Delaware River. The landfill was never officially closed, which made it a location ripe for illegal dumping and unauthorized disposal of trash and toxins. In 2006, the Salvation Army allocated $59 million from the Ray and Joan Kroc estate to clean up and later construct a Salvation Army Kroc Center on 24 acres of this land which, as of the opening in 2014, serves as a community center for residents of Camden City. After 2014, an additional $74 million was granted towards the remediation of the former landfill: $22 million came from the HDSRF, $4 million in public funds, and the remaining $48 million was granted in settlement of natural resource damage from contributing polluters.

Utilizing these funds, the NJDEP Office of Natural Resource Restoration (ONRR) embarked on a collaborative project to transform the former landfill into Cramer Hill Waterfront Park which was officially opened for public use in November of 2021. The park spans 62 acres in which existing freshwater wetlands were restored and protected and several amenities were provided to the park. The NJDEP ONRR states, “Other features one may enjoy within the park include a grassed amphitheater, an entry plaza, exercise stations, a fishing plaza extending into the pond, 3 miles of hiking/biking paths and trails, historic and educational signage, a picnic area, a playground, the sensory garden, multiple shoreline observation areas, and a summit vista with panoramic views of downtown Camden, the Camden Waterfront, the Delaware River, Petty’s Island, the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, and the Philadelphia skyline.”

Waterfront South

Beginning in the fall of 2002, The Waterfront South Air Toxics Pilot Project was initiated when a DEP Workgroup made plans to study the Air Toxics of Camden City, specifically the Waterfront South neighborhood. The study was funded by a Community assessment, and a grant was provided from the USEPA to the DEP. The driving goal of the project was to develop tools that can quickly and accurately assess air quality. The project focused not only on air quality tools, but also tools that can assess air toxics such as lead, arsenic, and cadmium which can come from various industrial manufacturing processes in the area.