LAWRENCE: Township moves ahead with Dyson cleanup plan

By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
    Lawrence Township officials held a sparsely attended public hearing last week on an application for a combination loan and grant to clean up a portion of the township-owned Dyson Tract, which is contaminated with pesticides and other toxins.
    Municipal Engineer James Parvesse briefly explained the background and outlined the cleanup options for the contaminated land. The public hearing was held prior to Township Council’s regular meeting March 18.
    Township Council has applied for a 75 percent grant from the state Department of Environmental Protection’s Hazardous Discharge Site Remediation Fund and for a 25 percent combination loan and grant from the New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust. It could cost as much as $5.5 million to clean up the site, township officials said.
    At issue is about a 10-acre portion of the 184-acre tract, located on Princeton Pike opposite Fackler Road. The land is adjacent to 250 acres of preserved open space, Mr. Parvesse said.
    Township officials have been aware of the contamination since the township commissioned Environ Corp. to study the land in 2006. The contaminated land contains dredge spoils from the Colonial Lake dredging projects. The lake, which is opposite the Lawrence Shopping Center on Brunswick Pike, was dredged in 1999 and 2004.
    Environ Corp.’s 2006 study found the dredge spoils contained volatile organic compounds (VOC), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) and pesticides. The spoils also contain excessive levels of other contaminants, known as polynuclear hydrocarbons, which are carcinogenic.
    Mr. Parvesse said the township could leave the contaminants in place and cover the land with topsoil, or remove the contaminated soil. If the contaminated soil is removed, it would eliminate long-term maintenance and also prevent the contaminants from migrating into the groundwater, wetlands or surface water such as the nearby Delaware and Raritan Canal, he said.
    Assuming the township’s applications are approved, Mr. Parvesse said, the optimal time for undertaking the cleanup project is between Aug. 15 and Oct. 15. This is the only time during the year that the DEP would allow the work to be done because of wildlife and habitat concerns, he said.
    Once the project has been completed, the land would be dedicated for recreation and open space, Mr. Parvesse said — a move that was endorsed by Councilmen Bob Bostock and Greg Puliti.
    Mr. Bostock said the Lawrence Hopewell Trail would like to extend a portion of the 20-mile loop bicycle and pedestrian path through the Dyson Tract, and Mr. Puliti added that the Recreation Advisory Committee is counting on using it for active recreation.