The Passaic River has been named one of America’s Most Endangered Rivers of 2025, with a national conservation group citing toxic industrial pollution along the river’s lower stretch as a long-standing threat to the public and the environment.
American Rivers, which compiles the list annually, ranked the Passaic fourth nationwide, behind the Mississippi River, Tijuana River and rivers of Appalachia. The group called for continued federal oversight and full financial accountability from Passaic River polluters as cleanup work enters its fourth decade.
The Passaic flows about 80 miles from the Highlands of Morris County to Newark Bay, passing through wetlands, suburbs and industrial centers in Paterson, Kearny and Newark. The designation covers the entire river, but American Rivers and its partners emphasized the conditions in the lower Passaic. That 17-mile tidal section from Dundee Dam in Clifton to the bay is where contamination is concentrated and community impacts are most severe.
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“For far too long, the Passaic River has remained one of the most contaminated waterways in our nation,” U.S. Sen. Cory Booker said in a statement. “It is critical that the Environmental Protection Agency prioritizes the cleanup work that has been dragging on for decades and hold responsible parties, such as Occidental Chemical Corporation, accountable until the river is completely clean and restored.”
The federal agency designated the lower Passaic as a highly polluted Superfund site in 1984 after the discovery of extensive contamination from riverside manufacturing. Waste, including dioxins from Agent Orange production, DDT, PCBs and mercury, was deposited directly into the river by a range of industries beginning in the 1800s. Today, stormwater and combined sewer overflow systems continue to release untreated waste into the river during heavy rains.
Rowers on the Passaic River in Lyndhurst, N.J. on Thursday July 28, 2022.
Fishing and crabbing have been banned since the Superfund listing, and public access remains limited, particularly in working-class and immigrant neighborhoods along the flood-prone shoreline. Many of those areas were reshaped by poor land-use decisions that left residents exposed to flooding.
“The Passaic River has long been treated as a dumping ground, and our Ironbound community — an Environmental Justice Community designated by the EPA and DEP — bears the burden of this pollution daily,” said Tanisha Garner, president of the Ironbound Super Neighborhood Council.
Two cleanup projects have already been completed on the river. In 2016, the EPA finalized plans for a third phase with a full bank-to-bank remediation of the lower 8 miles, from Newark to Belleville. Additional investigations are underway for the remaining reach between Belleville and the dam in Clifton. The full 17-mile cleanup is expected to cost as much as $1.8 billion.
Kayakers and canoes on the Passaic River in the Great Swamp Watershed Morris County, NJ on Wednesday July 6, 2022.
“There’s a future out there in which the residents of New Jersey don’t hear the Passaic River mentioned and automatically think ‘dumping ground,’” said Adam Schellhammer, mid-Atlantic regional director for American Rivers. “Restoration has begun, but full funding and commitments for the remainder of the cleanup would go a long way toward helping this river and the communities along its banks.”
Despite the pollution, the Passaic River remains a vital resource. The watershed supports more than 2 million people with drinking water and contains 10 reservoirs and three water treatment facilities. Parks and natural areas along the river are used by more than 2.5 million residents across North Jersey, the American Rivers report says. Before European settlement, the river supported Native American people, who relied on it for transportation and fishing.
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“This river supports over $15 billion in annual economic value across commerce, water systems, real estate, recreation and more,” said Isiah Cruz, founder and CEO of environmental technology company Ama Earth Group. “Everyone in New Jersey and the surrounding metro areas stands to benefit from restoring its health and honoring its ecological and historical significance to the region.”
American Rivers is calling on the EPA’s Region 2 office to maintain full staffing and proactive oversight of the Superfund process to ensure cleanup deadlines are met and responsible parties remain engaged. The group also recognized the efforts of local partners, such as the Ironbound Community Corporation, NY/NJ Baykeeper, the Trust for Public Land, the Great Swamp Watershed Association and the Passaic River Community Advisory Group.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Passaic River in NJ one of America’s Most Endangered Rivers
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