By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
A bond ordinance for $4.2 million that would pay for the cleanup of a portion of the Dyson Tract on Princeton Pike, opposite Fackler Road, was introduced by Township Council on Tuesday night.
The bond ordinance anticipates the receipt of a $3.1 million grant from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Hazardous Discharge Site Remediation Fund and a $1.1 million low-interest loan from the New Jersey Environmental Infrastructure Trust.
A public hearing and final action on the bond ordinance is set for Township Council’s April 22 meeting.
Councilman Rick Miller credited Councilman Bob Bostock for finding out about the DEP grant program. This is money that is going to be well spent, he said, adding that the land could be used for athletic fields after it is cleaned up.
Councilman Bostock told the council that when he attended a DEP seminar and learned of the grant program, “it seemed almost too good to be true.” The DEP was soliciting grant applications, he said.
At issue is about a 10-acre portion of the 184-acre Dyson Tract on Princeton Pike. The land is adjacent to 250 acres of preserved open space. Township officials have been aware of the contamination since they commissioned Environ Corp. to study the land in 2006.
The contaminated land contains dredge spoils from the Colonial Lake dredging projects. The man-made 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.
The township could leave the contaminants in place and cover the land with topsoil, or remove the contaminated land. If the contaminated land 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.
Assuming that the township’s applications are approved, the optimal time for undertaking the cleanup project is between Aug. 15 and Oct. 15, according to township officials. This is the only time during the year that the DEP would allow the work to be done because of wildlife and habitat concerns.

