Stevens Institute of Technology Castle Point on Hudson Institute of Technology Hohoken, NJ 07030 201.216.8233 Fax: 201216.5352

Department of Civil, Environmental and Ocean Engineering

May 27,1998

Maria Baratta NJ DEP Information Resource Center P.O. Box 409 Trenton, NJ 088625-0409

Dear Maria:

Enclosed is a copy of Part I and Part II of the Environmental Resource Inventory for Jersey City. You may copy it for your needs.

Sincerely,

b * Gv- David A. Vaccari, Ph.D., P.E. Associate Professor Ph: 20 l/2 16-5570; Fax: 20 l/2 16-5352; Email: [email protected] URL: http://attila.stevens-tech.edu/-dvaccari/

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Document2 May 27,1998 1 t

. PART1 - PEIYSICAL. sYsm

David A. Vaccari, Ph.D. Eirosystems, Co.

- January, 1988

i PREFACE .

In the courde of developing this report, the author experienced the pleasure of discovery - the . discovery of a City, and discovery of the interesting facts describing that. City. Although it may seem that this report often details the environmental problems in Jersey City, it should be viewed as a frank portrait, showing both its proud features and its blemishes. Certainly, the author has found the positives to outweigh the negatives. It is hoped that readers who are %already familiar with Jersey City will find this report will bring their perceptions into focus with specific data. Then, perhaps, the steps towards improvement-will also become easier to see.

Acknowledgment is due to Betty Kearns and Paul Blumenthal of the Jersey City Department of Housing and Urban Development for motivating this report and for providing the data which went into it. They are a good example of the kind of people Jersey City needs to improve its quality of life. The author of this report is Principle Consultant for Envirosystems, Co., and is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ. INTRODUC%ION o*eo8*e*em*e*eee**eoee*eeeeoe****oo*e*e****e4*eeeoee'*oo* 1 Metbds and Sources 0f~Information l *o**oeee~oeeeeo8eeeoooo~ofoo*e 2. Conclusions and Recommendations l oee*e*ooe*ooeeeo*eeo*e*oeo***88 2 OVEZRVIEWOFJEERSEYCITY l eo*ooe*oooeeoeoeoeeeoeo*eeoeooeeeooooooe*~e 4 Demographics ooeoeoooeoeeoeoeeee*eoo*eee4eeoe**eeeeo*eeoe8eee888*4 Location eeemeeooeoooooeo*oeeo0eeeOoe*aeoeeoo*eoo*ee*eeeoeoooooo*4 Physical Description and Land Use of Jersey City l eeeoooeo*ooooo* 5 CLIMATE OF JERSEY CITY l oeooeeeoee*e*ooeeoee**ee4eeeoeo**ee***oeoeooe 8 GEOLOGY OF JERSEY CITY l o*eeooo*eo*aeeeee*oo**eooee*eeeoe8eeoeeoeo~eo 12 Natural History i l e~e*eoe~eoe*em*o~oeoee~eo~eeeeoeoeoeoeoee~o0OO 12 Soil oeoeo**ee**eooe*eoo*ooeeeeooe*eeeo*eoe**eeeoeoe*eeoeeoe*o*o*14 Marine sediments l o4ooee**eeo*e*eeeeooeeeoeo*eoe*eeeeoo4*ooooooo* 20 THEWTERS OFJERSEYCITY l e*oe*oeee*oeooeooee***e*eeeeooeoe4ooeeeoe 24 Water as a Resource l o*ooeeoe*oe*ee*ooeeee*eeooe*oooeoeo4*eeoo*o24 Surface Water 4*o4*ee**eeeeeoeoee*ee*ee*eeaeeoee*oeeeeoaeoeeeoeo 24 Hydrology eoe*eeeeee*e*oo*e*eeeee*oeeeeeee*oeeoee*e*eeee**ee 24 Quality e*o**oeeeee*eeo*oemeoo**eooeeee*eee*eeeeeeeoee*e*o~~ 27 Physical Pollution l oee**eeoe*oooeeee4eo*eeoeoe*4ee8*oe 29 Salinity l e*oo*ee*eoeeeooeeeeeee*oeeooee*e*e****eoa*eeo 31 Dissolved Oxygen and Biochemical Oxygen Demand 0000084e 32 Bacteriological l ooeeooeooeeeoeeoeeeeeoeoeo0e0*eoeeooe35 Nutrients l eeooe*eee**eoeo*ee*eao*e*ee*ooo**eeeeoeemo* 35 Toxics l ee*eeo*ooeoeeeee*e*eee*e***o*eeoeoooo*e*o*oeeoo 36 . Groundwater e*eee**ee**eo**e*eeee*eee*eeeeeeee**oeeeeooeooeeeeeoo6 37 Hydrology oe*oeeo**eeeeeeeeeeeee*e*oee*4eee**eoeeoo*e**eeoe* 37. Quality eoeeeee****oeeeee***eeo**e**eoeo*eeeoeeooeoooeoo*o*o 38 AIR QUALITY e~*eeee*eeeeeeeeee~ee*ee*eeeeee~eoeee*ee~*o*eeooee*eo~oe 39 Jersey City Air Quality l eee**o**oeeeeee*e*eoee*eoeoooeoee*ee*eo 42 Carbon Monoxide l ee*eee*eeeee**eeoooe*eee*ee***eee*e**ooeoo* 42 Ozone, Photochemical oxidants, and Hydrocarbons l eee**o**o*e 45 Particulates 4e4ooe*e**o*eeee*o*o*e*eee*ee*e**eooee*oee0*00 46 Nitrogen Oxides l eeeeeee*eeeeee*eeooee~oee~oe~**eeoo~eee**** 47 Sulfur Dioxide l oeeeeeeo*e**eeoeeee*ee*eoaoee*ooeoeoo*eoeee 47 Acid ,Precipitation 8*e*ee**eoe6o*eeoe*eeo*e*eeeoee~*oeo*e0e 48 Heavy metals l e*ee**eeeoeee*eee**oooeeeoeee*e4ooooeooeeeoee 49 NOISE oo*ooo**ee~*e~~*eeeooe*ee*eooeee**e**e~o*ooOe*eooe~ee~oe~oee** 50 APPEmIX I - REFERENCES l e*e**e*eeeeeoe*eoee*eeoeeeeeeo*e**oeo*oeoeo 54. AEwmDIX II - LIST OF TABLES l *eeoee4eoe*eooo***ee*e**4oooo*eo*ooee 58 APPE3JDIX III - LIST OF MAPSl *e*e**ee*e**e***oeeeeoeeoeaee*oooeooo*o 60 APPENDIXIV-MAPS l e*e*eeeoeoeeeeeee*eeoe**e l *ee*e*eeoeeee*ooooooo 61 David A. Vaccari, Ph.D. Envirosystems, Co.

January, 1988

The purpose of this inventory of natural resources in Jersey City, is to develop a catalog which can be used in planning development efforts to ensure compatibility with preservation and restoration goals. These data cm be used for Master Plans and other land use decisions.

, Municipal authorities will find the information contained herein useful for .reviewing site plans, although it does not have site- specific information. It can also be used for special purposes such as Green Acres proposals.

Developers will find the information useful for obtaining a regional perspective for their project, and for identifying considerations which may need to be addressed in their proposal.

The public will also find the report informative, as it puts in jl JEEISEY CITY ERI -mcN p-2

one place a wealth of information on the natural history of Jersey City and the quality of its environment. Previously, this information could only be obtained by sifting through numerous scattered reports.

N&lx3ds armd Sources of Information This work represents a compilation of existing data obtained from a variety of reports, each of which for the most part concern a . particular site in or near Jersey City. These reports represent Environmental Assessments or other planning studies performed for a 1 development project. ’As the most intensive activity is located in industrial areas, mostly along ‘the Hudson waterfront, these areas are best represented. Relatively little specific infont&ion is available concerning residential sections of the City. A complete.list of the references used is contained in the appendix, and are cited where used in the text.

This report, the first of two parts, concerns itself exclusively with non-biological resources. Part II of this work deals with this remaining aspect of” Jersey City’s environment.

Conclusions and Recomendations In developing this report, the areas where more information is needed became, apparent. &tailed surveys of soil and. groundwater in the residential and business sections are not available. Some information on this may be available from studies done for construction, such as for office buildings.

To a, large degree, this report has become an inventory of environmental quality. In this it is incomplete. ‘For example, the true extent of the chromium contamination problem is still in the process of discovery at this writing. Water quality data on the few surface water features within the City are not available.

The development of this report revealed the following as some of - the major items which should be given priority in preservation or restoration efforts: . open space and public access to the waterfront and scenic views: .This is a readily apparent problem in such a heavily developed city as Jersey City. At this juncture a. number of &p&xtuniti& exist to improve, this situation. Tracts of unused or inaccessible land exist which could fill-this need. Examples include reservoir no. 2 in the Heights section and Lincoln Park West. Some abandoned industrial sites may be used. This is already being done in Liberty Park.

f. 1 Soil quality: This relates to the open space problem since the

presence of chromium contaminated soil at some sites limits their l usefulness. At this writing a remedial investigation, which would identify the extent of the problem, has not been made public.

Surface water quality: Although the waters surrounding the City are not classified as being for contact recreation, it is inevitable that some members of the public will contact it. As a result, the waters constitute a health risk to the public. Although Jersey City contributes to the situation due to its combined sewers, this is a regional problem. It must be recognized that it would be very expensive to eliminate this source of pollution.

Air quality: Air quality violations for Jersey City or its area have been found for ozone, carbon monoxide, and total suspended / particulates. The last of these has been reduced below standards in recent years. The first two are largely due to vehicular pollution. Carbon monoxide is emitted directly by vehicles, and is a serious’ problem near major intersections and highways. Ozone is produced in the atmosphere from exhaust constituents. It is a regional problem which will only respond to-regional solutions.

Noise: Violations of noise standards have been measured on Jersey City streets. .This is related to the type and volume of traffic on City streets; industrial activity is less significant. PA[LE 4

. .

avEiffv1[Ew OF JERSEY CITY

The population of Jersey City was measured in the 1980 census to . be 223,532 [ll, This is a 14% decline from 1970. The population for the year 2000 has been projected to be 271,500 [2]. The size of the City is 16 square miles, thus the population density is 1,42O/sq mi.

Location Jersey City is in northeastern New Jersey. The state is divided into four physiographic provinces arranged in bands which run from northeast to southwest. The City is at the eastern edge of the Piedmont, or foothill, province. It shares a peninsula known as with the City ofZ!ayoMe, which occupies the tip of the peninsula to the south (see Map 1). The peninsula separates Newark Bay and the Hackensack River from Upper New York Harbor (Hudson River). Hoboken, union City, and Secaucus border on the north and east. On the west, the Hackensack River separates Jersey City from Kearny, and Newark Bay separates Jersey City from the City of Newark. The lower Hackensack Valley forms a large salt marsh called the Hackensack Meadowlands. Part of the Meadowlands is in Jersey City. The New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn lie to the east, across the Hudson River and Upper New York Harbor.

The City is at the heart of the Hudson-Raritan Estuary, which consists of New York Harbor, Newark Bay, and Raritan Bay. The major rivers entering the estuary are the Hudson River, the mckensack River, the Passaic River, and the Raritan River, and the bays are interconnected by the Kill Van Kull, the Arthur Kill, the East River, and the North, or Harlem River. JERsEYc1TYEzu-ovERvIEw .

Jersey City lies astride major rail and highway transportation arteries connecting Manhattan with points in New Jersey and to the south and west. The Holland Tunnel is one of three automobile routes connecting Manhattan with New Jersey. The New Jersey Turnpike’s Western Spur and U.S. Route l&9 route through traffic from the tunnel to points mst. The major north-south routes within the City are Route 440, which follows along the Hackensaek River, and John F. Kennedy Boulevard, which forms the axis of the City, traveling its entire length froti Union City to Bayonne.

The Port Authority Trans.Hudson (PATH) connects Jersey City to Uptown and Downtown Manhattan, Hoboken, and to Newark’s Penn Station passenger railroad terminal. This line is used extensively by commuters traveling from Jersey City, Newark and Hoboken to New York. Plans exist to institute passenger ferries to New York from points in - Hoboken and Jersey City. The, Transportation Center, located where the PATH station crosses JFK Blvd., is the City’s main PATH and bus terminal, and is a center of reference for the City.

Physical tkscription and Land Use of Jersey city The dominant feature of Jersey City is the ridge which runs north-south through the center of the City. The ridge is part of the Palisades formation which forms dramatic cliffs along the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. The ridge is highest in the north, and the cliffs grade into slopes of decreasing steepness south of Journal Square (see Map 3). The ridge i&flanked on both sides by lowland sections, below 20 feet above mean sea level (MSL). Part of the, low sections consist of filled-in areas reclaimed from the rivers.

The Palisades tend to be steeper on their eastern flank. The eastern edge north of Journal Square is a cliff, which constitutes the only bedrock outcropping in Jersey City (see Map 4). Two areas represent the next steepest sections of the City, with slopes ranging - from three to nine percent. one of these is the western side of the Palisades ridge, paralleling the length of Tonele Avenue. The other is the part of the eastern edge where the cliffs grade into the gentler slopes south of Journal Square. Tfie rest of the flanks of the ridge have slopes which range from one to three percent. I

The high elevations north of Journal Square and to the west of the Palisades cliffs form the section known as Jersey City Heights. This area is entirely residential and commercial (see Map 5). Hoboken lies to the east, below the palisades. 'The.highest points in the City are at its northern border with union City, at approximately 170 feet above sea leSe1. Several areas along the top of the Palisades provide exceptional views of the Manhattan skyline. The low areas to the west of the Heights along the Hackensack River are part of the Hackensack Meadowlands. This area is industrially zoned.

South of the Heights the ridge is split by several manmade

cuts l One is for the highway connecting the Holland tunnel to Routes l&9* This continues as an elevated highway known as the - * The Pulaski Skyway is a dominant feature spanning two-and- one-half miles over the Hackensack River, South Kearny, the Passaic River, and into Newark. Another cut contains the right-of-way for * the PATH train. Further to the south, crossing Kennedy Boulevard by Ege Avenue, is another railroad cut which is no longer utilized.

The Journal Square area has considerable commercial development, including governmental offices. It is surrounded by residential . areas, including the Marion section to the west. Lincoln Park, the City's second largest park, also lies to the west, extending to the Hackensack River.

To the east of the Journal Square section the elevation drops to ten to twenty feet above sea level in the Downtown section of Jersey City. This area contains residential, commercial, and industrial. zones, and includes the Jersey City Town Hall and.the entrance to the Holland Tunnel. The Hudson River coastline has primarily held industrial development, mostly manufacturing and shipping. However, as with the rest of New Jersey's Hudson waterfront, extensive . JERsEYcmYEEu-~m p-7 redevelopment is occurring, consisting primarily of residential and cuwrcial property.

Just south of the mtti section, also below the.Palisades, is the Lafayette section, which is similar in makeup, but is- separated from the waterfront by the New Jersey mrnpike and . The park occupies a former industrial area and is being reclaimed for public use. It is the closest land to and the Statue of Liberty. The waterfront south of Liberty Park is mostly industrial, I although some has been converted to residential-commercial.

Southwest along the ridge from the Journal Square area is the West Bergen section, with elevations to 100 feet. Southwest of this is the Greenville section, which rises to 90 feet before dropping to about 20 to 30 feet at the border with Bayonne. These areas are also residential and commercial, although there is not as much commercial development as at Journal Square or Downtown. The low-lying areas west of West Bergen and Greenville consists of commercial and industrial areas between Route 440 and the Hackensackfiewark Bay waterfront.

Jersey City has sixty parks (see Map 6). Fifty of these are City parks; mostly small vest-pocket parks or ball-fi.elds. The total area of these is 151 acres [l]. Seven of the parks are private, most of which are playgrounds. There are two County parks, including Lincoln Park. until the only State park, Liberty State Park, was created, Lincoln Park was the only sizable park in the City, at 273 total acres. However, mst of its 150 acre western section is undeveloped and has been neglected and dumped in over the years. Liberty State Park will eventually encompass 705 acres. ‘A general standard for recreation space has been stated to be ten acres per thousand persons. There is currently only about half that amount in Jersey City, even if the undeveloped park acreage is included in the calculation. Jersey City is located in the mid-latitudes (42.5 degrees north). The climate is classified as humid continental, with mild winters and warm sum&s [3]. During the colder months the prevailing winds are from the northwest (41. From May through October they are more evenly distributed in direction, with a southwesterly component predominating. Table 1 shows the monthly data for Newark Airport ( 2.5 miles to the east of the City) averaged over a thirty year period. The no-1 precipitation is 41.45 inches per year, and the average wind speed is 10.2 miles per hour (mph). The annual snow fall is 28.6 inches [5]. Extremes of temperature range from -14 degrees F in February, to 105 degrees F in July El 0 Relative humidity is a fairly constant 60% throughout the year. Table 2 provides more detailed weather data for a single year, 1986 171. Table 3 shows the evaporation potential for the area [8]. . . .

Most precipitation is produced by storm systems of non-tropical origin (extratropical cyclones) 18). These usually pass to the ' south of the metropolitan area [4), resulting in an easterly wind pattern. six to nine such storms occur in the winter, and about three to si,x during mid-summer. These are commonly referred to as northeasters,

In addition, during 'the summer rain results from showers or thundershowers with brief but heavy downpours, and from off-shore hurricanes. The ocean tends to moderate the thunderstorms near Jersey City, in comparison with higher elevations to the north - Table 1. Meteorological Data for Newark International Airport for the period from 1941 tkotigh 1970 131.

Normal Normal Wind Wind Temperature Precipitation Mean Speed Direction Month (degrees F) (Inches) (mph) (Cardinal) --- Jan 31.4 i 2.91 11.2 NE Feb 32.6 2.95 11.6 NW Mar 40.6 Apr 51.7 May 61.9 3.60 10.0 SW JUn 71.4 2.99 9.3 SW Jul 76.4 4.27 8.6 SW Aug 74.6 4.27 8.7 SW SeP 67.8 3.44 9.0 SW act 57.5 * 2.82 9.3 SW Nov 46.2 3.61 10.1 SW Df?C 34.5 3.46 10.7 SW

Year ,53.9 41.45 10.2 SW

;------m-----a------and west. However, proximity to the offshore low pressure storms compensate for this effect in terms of overall amount of precipitation. Snowfall makes up about one-tenth of the total precipitation, and is limited to the period -fromNovember first through April 15th.

. Tropical storms may occur in any month of the year. Most are of the more mild semi-tropical variety, with winds reaching gale force (38-40 mph), and occasionally reaching hurricane force (75 mph). Four to five tropical stonhs visit the area each year, of which one, on the

Table 2, Meteorological data for Northern New Jersey - 1986; East Orange, Elizabeth, and Chester [7].

Temperature . wind Rel. Humidity Solar Radiation - . Mean Min Max Speed Dir Mean Min Max Mean Max (degrees F.)* bphl MegI (percent) (Langleyshin) -- -w Jan 31 3 *61 7.6 234 81 75 93 0.1 0.8 Feb 30 13 48 6.3 198 84 78 92 0.1 1.1 Mar 43 9 80 7.2 217 83 78 93 0.2 1.2 Apr 51 33 76 6.5 191 - - - 0.3 1.3 MaY 65 39 91 6.2 201 53 33 91 0.4 1.3 Jun 69 45. 90 6.7 226 61 26 100' 0.5 1.3

ml 73 54 95 53l 208 96 30 100 0.5 1.3

Aug 70 46 86 62l 206 67 31 99 . 0.5 1.3 SeP 65 44 86 73 37 98 Ott 55 34 79 4.6 203 67 30 96 - - Nov 43 19 69 5.3 224 68 31 98 - - Dee 37 15 54 6.6 216 65 31 99 0.1 0.4

Year 53 3 95 6.2 211 70 26 100. - 1.3 _ JEZSEYCXTYERI-CLIMATE Pm 11 -._. . . _

--T------m------Table 3. Evaporation potential [8).

Month Average Monthly Evaporation (mm of water)

January 0 February 0 March 12 i April 43 MaY 90 June 129 July 152 August 136 September 94 October 55 November 20 December 2

Me--a------h------m------w---- -

average I is a hurricane. Tornadoes are rare in the area. Thundershowers may occur in any month, but are most frequent in July and August when they occur on almost ten days in each month, on the

. average l

Visibility at Newark Airport is over five nautical miles over 85% of the time [6]. The frequency of ground fog averages ’ 1.‘5& over the year; the average rises to 2.1% during September and October. Heavy fog occurs on the average 18 days out of the year. PMZ 12

Natural History The bedrock of most of Jersey City, and of the Piedmont region in general, was formed f&m a large valley known as the Newark Basin, which extended from the first Watchung Mountain on the west to the Hudson River on the east (11. The basin filled with sediment during the Triassic Period (180 to 225 million years ago). These sediments were ultimately consolidated into sedimentary rocks known as the Newark Group. &les of this group which underlie Jersey City include the Brunswick formation and the Stockton- formation (see- Map

7) l The Brunswick formation is composed of 60.00 to 8000 feet of soft red shale with some interbedded sandstone. shale is a fine-grained sedimentary rock com@osed of silt or clay-sized grains. The Brunswick formation is the bedrock in Jersey City along its western border (see

The Stockton formation underlies most of the lowlands immediately to the east of the Palisades. It is composed of a “light- colored arkosic sandstone and conglomerate, with interbedded red sandstone and shale” (91, and is about 2300 to 3100 feet deep. The Stockton formation straddles the Palisades intrusion, and also appears in a narrow strip at its center (see Map 7) .*

Jersey City is at the eastern edge of the Newark Basin. Further to the east is the’Manhattan Prong of the New England upland physiographic province [S]. The boundary be-en these bm provinces is approximately halfway between the New Jersey Turnpike Extension and the mdson River. The lowland areas along the Hudson River in the Downtown area, as well as Ellis and Liberty Islands, are underlain by the Manhattan Schist formation. This was laid down in JEzlsExcsrYEzu-tLzmmY PW 13 the Ordovician Period (440 to 500 million years ago). The schist is a soft, coarse-grain& flaky, metamorphic rock with a high mica content.

The Palisades are a diabase intrusion; essentially a lava flow which forced itself into a layer between the Brunswick and Stockton formations at a time when they were buried deep in the earth. Diabase is chemically similar to basalt, but somewhat coarser in texture. The Palisades were formed 190 million years ago during the Triassic Period [lo]. They ard several thousand feet thick, and stretch from Bayonne at least 50 miles to Haverstraw, New York. The Palisades and surrounding formations were later tilted 20 degrees to the west. Erosion over the eons removed some of the surrounding formations, exposing the diabase and eroding approximately 600 feet of its original thickness.

During the more recent Pleistocene Period (2.5 million years ago to the present) periodic glaciation scoured the area [ll]. The softer bedrock was ftirther eroded, forming valleys, and leaving the more resistant Palisades at higher elevations. The most recent advance of the glaciers, the Wisconsin Glaciation, reached furthest south, about 20,000 years ago. The advancing glaciers pushed a wall of rubble ahead of them, and when the glaciers started to melt back, a row of hills called the terminal moraine was left, marking the line of furthest advance. The Wisconsin glaciers pushed just past Jersey City’s present location, leaving a terminal moraine stretching from Long Island through Staten Island, Perth Amboy, and then north to where it crossed the First Watchung Mountain in Summit.

The terminal moraine trapped the glacial meltwaters behind them, forming the prehistoric Lake Hackensack on the east side of the Palisades, and Lake Hudson on the west. Eventually the moraine was breached in several places by rising meltwaters. One of these is the natural cut in the Palisades which today forms the boundary between Jersey City and Bayonne 1121. In the past this depression was taken advantage of as a for the Morris Canal, and today the New Jersey Turnpike and a rail line use it. Later, another breach formed what is now the Kill Van Kull. These cuts eventually drained the lake, leaving behind a probably fertile valley. At the peak of the Wisconsin Glaciation, about 19,000 years ago,the sea level was at least 300, and possibly as much as 400 feet below today’s level, exposing 50 to 75 miles of the continental slope. The meltwater from the glaciers caused the sea to rise. The rate-was rapid at first, but then itdecreased around 10,000 years ago, and again about 2,600 to 4,000 years ago. The rate since then, which continues today, has been about 0.3 to 0.5 feet ‘per century. This rate is higher than most other parts of the world because it is augmented by a slight subsidence of the entire central Atlantic coastal area. Probably around four or five thousand years ago the sea began to flood the valley left in the ancient lake bed, first forming the Hudson-Raritan Estuary, and finally the brackish salt marsh which is the Meadowlands

today l

In the Gaven Point area the depth to bedrock ranges from zero to 170 feet fl]. A deep” northwest-southeast oriented depression cuts through the bedrock in the northern portion of Liberty State Park El 0 This is an ancient Hudson River bed, which flowed west of its present location.. Glacial deposits are absent from the old riverbed, and organic soils rest directly on the bedrock.

only minor earthquakes have been recorded in the region. Table 4 lists some nearby quakes which may have been felt in Jersey City WI.

Soil Map 8 shows the several types of soil found in Jersey City according to the classification of the Engineering Soil Survey of New Jersey [9,14]. Jersey City, of course, has a history of extensive surface modification due to construction activities such as filling, excavation, paving, etc. Table 5 describes the individual - ~-1s used to describe soil types according to the engineering clas&fication system. JmsEYcITYExr-GxxmY PAc;E 15

-- =- 7 Table 4. Recorded earthquakes in the Jersey City area [lsj.

,DAm’ LOCATION MODIF. MEzquLI INTENSITY

Sept 1, 1895 West of Newark, NJ VI No significant damage; . Few windows broken.

Jan 26, 1921 New Jer&y V Rumbling noises only.

Aug 10, 1884 Near New York City VII Significant damage east * of New York City and north. None to west.

Mar 9, 1893 New York City. No damage V

‘IIcIs- --=------m------p---w-

Several of the soils are composite types. These are described as follows:

Is

This designates a glacial ground moraine underlain by diabase. The ground moraine is non-residual (transported from elsewhere) unstratified material deposited during the Wisconsin glaciation. This soil is highly heterogeneous, consisting of a mix of soils ranging from clay size to gravel, cobbles, and boulders. Cltiy and silt sizes predominate. Local stratification may be found, resulting in frequent pockets of silt. In some areas it n\ay be derived from sandstone, giving it a reddish tone. However, in eastern Hudson County most of it is from diabase, which gives it a yellow-brown to brown color. p-o-- -w -- m ‘Table 5. Definitions, of soil types . F ‘FILLED LAND - Areas in t;irhich the original surface has been covered by varying depths of fill material. The fill was placed, usually, to cover unsatisf&tory soil conditions or to raise the ground surface above the water-level. The fill material is frequently industrial or municipal waste.

GM GmuND MORAINE 1 Material deposited by melting glacier. Usually an irregular sheet of unassorted sizes. Includes scattered boulders in clay or fine sand, giving a texture identified as *%ill*‘e

GS STRATIFIED DRIFT - Glacial material deposited by water and, hence, assorted and stratified. Applied to water-deposited materials of complex or uncertain origin, or those possessing no clearly defined land fem.

GRANITE -- Igneous rock composed primarily of feldspar and quartz. Usually medium to coarse-grained and light in color.

Is DIAENSE - A variety of gabbro: Igneous rock composed primarily of ferromqnesian minerals, with some feldspar. Medium to coarse-grained and dark in color.

TIDAL MARSHES - Marine shore-line development of plant-root growth mixed with silt and/or clay in shallow water areas protected from wave action. Close to high tide water level.

The G&46ig soil is characterized by a broad, generally level surface with numerous hidden irregularities due to the weathering of the diabase. These and the relatively heavy texture indicate imperfect surface and internal drainage conditions. This symbol represents. areas comprising portions of the Hackensack meadowlands. It represents an area where stratified silty clays intermingle with, and are underlain by, organic, swampy deposits. Fill, composed of a variety of materials ranging from industrial waste to granular soil, has been dumped in numerous places in varying depths. 2.. F/GS

This designation is used for most of the lower elevation areas of Jersey City between the Palisades and the Hudson River, and a strip cf the City east of route 440 on the Hackensack side. This soil includes a complex intermingling of the natural stratified drift (GS), partly covered by fill (F). In many areas the fill extends well beyond the natural shoreline and is probably underlain. by silty riverbed sediment. For example, at the Daylin site filling reportedly has moved the shoreline 2500 feet riverward since 1830 [15].

In the past, three chromate manufacturers have produced a waste material containing up to several percent chromium: TWO to three million tons of this material have been used as fill material in numerous sites around Hudson County, many in Jersey City. Some was used in playgrounds, schools, and residential sites. Over one hundred such sites have been identified so far, and many more may exist. This is a major environmental problem for the area, and plans have yet to be made to address it.

More recent and detailed studies of soil have been conducted in a number of locations, mostly in areas slated for some form of development.

In the Meadowlands the depth to bedrock ranges from zero to several hundred feet below the surface. In the Jersey City section of J-ERSEYCITYERI-GDoIx)Gy pJA1QE 18

the Meadowlands, and south along the Jersey City shore of the Hackensack River and Newark Bay, the depth to bedrock is of the order of 100 feet (16,17]. In the deeper areas the bedrock is overlain by five to twenty feet of glacial till, derived from the . parent bedrock, in this case the Brunswick formation [IS]..

Above the bedrock is a thick layer of sediments which accumulated in the freshwater lake formed behind the terminal moraine, before the rising sea broke through. This layer is described as varved silt, sand, rnd clay. The term “varved” means that a fine layered structure exists, formed by seasonal variations in water flow. The layer structure indicates that deposition of sediments lasted at least 2500 to 5000 years. Then the land was lifted up due to the removal of the weight of the glaciers, expsing the sediments to erosion. Subsequently up to three feet of fine sand was deposited on top of the varved silty clays. Finally, inundation by the rising sea resulted in the formation of a tidal marsh which trapped fine sediments and accumulating organic matter. This resulted in the present meadow mat, d layer of compressed soil and vegetation ranging up to 15 feet thick.

AS part of a survey of Lincoln Park West [19], borings were taken to a depth of approximately five feet. TWO to three feet of fill were found to overlie decomposed rubbish. The fill was estimated to be 50 years old, based on tree growth. Near Duncan Avenue the refuse has been reported to be as much as twenty feet deep. In one location gas, apparently formed from decomposition of garbage, was found at a depth of three feet. The eastern section, south of the largest pond, was found to contain w&11-compacted fill material of ash, cinders, and rubble. The southwest section also had traces of ash, coal I and glass, indicating refuse in which the organics have decomposed. Below about five feet there is a fluctuating water table. Sandy soils were found along the southeast edge of the large pond, and clean fill was found on the north side of the lake. Refuse dumping . reportedly continues illegally in the park. JERs?3YcmYERI--Gx3oc;EoILxTy Pm 19 ’. 1 ‘_ ,I Borings made at the Daylin site between Route 440 and the Hackensack River [15], just south of the Jersey City Department of . Public Works facility, show the presence of 5 to 18 feet of fill underlain by 2 to 10 feet of sandy silt. This, in ttim, kas underlain by natural peat, apparently the old meadow mat. The apparent origin of the fill is chromium waste; Several of the soil samples obtained at this site were analyzed for. heavy metals. Table 6 shows results from three borings, taken at various depths up to 16 feet below the surface. . I.

-p-w -v------uu-- ---p-w-- Table 6. Metals concentrations in soil at Daylin site.

Metal Range of Concentrations (mg/kg) Average

Arsenic 5 - 8.3 9.4 Cadmium Not detected - Total Chromium 3,,000 - 35,000 15,083 Hexavalent Chromium h ND - 4,800 1,183 Lead 20 - 220 42 Mercury to.1 - 0.54 0.12 Zinc . ND - 4,800 179

------v ------mu ----a---U-LIPwu---m-m-----p-- ---a- -- 1

A study of sections of Bayonne and Jersey City east of the Palisades [ZO] indicates that this area is expected to have the same soil structure as the Meadowlands. That is, bedrock is covered by layers of glacial till, varved silt and clay, sand, organic silt, and finally, fill materials.

Port Jersey consists of a man-made peninsu1.a jutting into the Hudson River. The peninsula was made by building a rubble perimeter, 15 feet high and 50 feet wide, and pumping sand from the Lower New York Bay.

Caven Point has been shown to consist mostly of man-made fill by J=sEyaTYmI-GI!mcGY PAG;t3 20 . - - , .: comparison with an 1880 map (1). Borings reveal sand fill ranges from 4 to 21 feet thick. Beneath this is a layer.consisting of organic clayey silt, sand with organic clayey silt, and peat up to 21 feet thick. Under this are sand deposits which are' 5 to 32 feet thick. A gray color in the upper portion of the sand indicates that it was deposited under tidal conditions. The brmand r6brcwn color of the lower portion indicates deposition occurred in the latter stages of a glacial lake. The peat and the red-brown sand were not observed in the northern portion of the site. Below the sand are layers of consolidated silt, sand and clay, foll&ed by glacial till, the weathered surface of the Stockton Formation, and the Stockton sandstone. The glacial deposits underlying the area have thicknesses ranging from 25 to 165 feet. Chromium contamination the soil was considered to be at or near background levels. However, one sample contained 460 mg/kg chromium. Elevated chromium concentrations were found in Caven Creek sediments.

Narine sedilbents Samples of sediment were taken from 100 locations distributed throughout Newark Bay as part of a dredging study f12J. Grain size analysis indicated that the sediment is composed of fine grained material. Areas of most rapid sedimentation, such as in.the channel north of Shooter’s Island, Port Newark, and the Passaic River, had mean grain size in the fine to very fine silt range. Tidal currents in the Kill Van Ku11 and the main entrance to Newark Bay are very strong. This causes scouring of the bottom, with the result that only hard deposits and gravel are found there. Table 7 shows the grain size composition found in the Newark Bay samples.

The samples were also found to have significant heavy metal concentrations. Table 8 shows the average analysis of lower Newark Bay samples, and the concentration which leached into water samples in an elutriation test. Also shQwn are sediment concentrations in the area of Newa’rk Bay near the Jersey City shore. These values are estimates made from a contour map of metals concentrations [12). Note the high chromium concentrations. one might be tempted to attribute .

Jm?sEYc!ITYERI-(;EoLx3Gy PAIc;E 21 - -. I ... . I . - ., - i these to runoff from chromium tailings in Jersey City and elsewhere in Hudson county. However, this concluded frum this data. Hot spots of chromium contaminated sediments were fmd in several areas .other than the* Jersey City shore. Concentrations above 400 q/kg were also found at the mouth of the Passaic River and south of Shooter’s Island. Concentrations up to 600 q/kg were found at the center of the bay south of Jersey City, and in the southwestern part of the bay near the entrance to the Arthur Kill.

w- I ---P-I-;------v---- Table 1. Physical Composition of Newark Bay Sediment.

R=Fie Average Sand .2.4%-96.4% 40.5% Silt 2.4%-65.5% 34.5% Clay .0.65%-65.0% 17.3% Rock 0.20%-9.3%* 7.5%

Table 8. Contamination in Newark Bay sediment.

Sediment Surface Elutriate Jersey City shore Contaminant (w/l) (mg/kg, estimated)

Mercury 2.41 0.0026 2-5 Cadmium 6.80 0.0164 5 - 10 Arsenic 13.4 0.0027 Lead 235.7 0.0909 Copper 184.7 0.0662 Zinc 283.2 0.0386 Chromium 205.2 0.0164 200 - 400 Nickel 22.3 0.0773 Organic Carbon 2.0 (wt %) The ammnt of sediment transported from the Hudson River watershed to the lower Hudson River is estimated to be abmt 2,216,OOO cubic yards [83. This is slightly greater than 50% of the amount deposited in the lower Hudson. Thus, this material might not be a major source of sediment for the Upper New York Bay. Waste discharges . and stouter runoff may contribute to sedimentation there. Dredging in Upper New York harbor is conducted approximately every ten years to remove material deposited at an average rate of one inch per year.

The Claremont c&nnel, between Claremont Terminal and Caven Point, has an average depth of 27 feet (61. Sediments have been found to accumulate there at rates varying from 0.15 feet per year in the channel proper, to 0.4 feet per year at the berthing areas. Sediment cores taken from the channel were reported to be 13% sand, 56% silt, and 31% clay.

Sediments from Caven Point were analyzed for grain size distribution and chemical composition [l]. Two sites were predominately silty, pwhile a third, from the marina on Claremont Terminal Channel, was mostly sand. Levels of chromium and zinc above 100 ppm (mg/kg) were found in samples from a site along the north side of Caven Point pier and-from a site by the Black Tom Canal. The highest chromium concentration was 444 ppm, and the highest zinc concentration was 570 ppm.

Soil samples from the Mtiister Tug and Barge Company in Liberty State Park showed elevated levels of arsenic and chromium. The highest levels found were 36.9 mg/kg arsenic and 315.0 q/kg total chromium. Another St&y found the following average contaminant concentrations in sediments taken from-off Liberty State Park [5]:

Chromium 905 mgl Lead 254 mg/l Mercury 8.3 mg/l Oil & Grease 15,136 q/l

Sediments located in the Hudson River at the site of the Newport JlzRsExCITYEEiI -GEoLmY Pm 23 -.._ development (near the Holland Tunnel) wme fcnmd to consist of very soft to soft black organic silty clay. Its depth ranged from 60 feet near the bulkhead to 180 feet at the pierbead line. This layer was underlain by a soft to medium stiff gray organic silty clay, then sand, glacial till, and bedrock.

Sediment contaminants were measured from 1983 to 1986 for three sites in Upper New York Bay, as shown in Table 9 [22]. Site N5 is located one-third of the distance from The Battery in Manhattan to the abandoned Conrail?erminal ferry slips in Jersey City. Site ~6 is at Buoy 27, approximately south of Liberty State Park and Hast of Caven Point. Site M7 is 1900.yards southeast of Robbin's Reef Light, which is off Bayonne south of Claremont Channel.

------v---mm------s--m----v ---w------Table 9. Sediment contamination in Uppr New York Bay, 19834986.

Concentration in mg/kg

Contaminant Site N5 Site N6 Site N7 --- Cadmium 2.85 2.77 1.21 Chromium 106.5 86.33 36.33 Cm?= 117.0 67.0 27.0 &ad 246.8 91.3 37.0 Mercury 0.475 2.820 0.086 Nickel 23.3 22.3 11.3 Zinc 227.5 205.0 127.3 PC8 0.327 0.465 0.043

-s---m~~--~~-----_---c~ ------L----e--LP---v----v------w-p JERSEYCITYERI-lm!rExs Pa 24

Water as a Resource Jersey City obtains its drinking water from the Rockaway River basin and a system of {two storage reservoirs, Boonton and Split Rock HI 0 A gravity-fed dual aqueduct system transports the water to Jersey City. Part supplies a high pressure line for Hoboken and the Jersey City Heights area; the other portion us used to fill two reservoirs located in the Heights, which supplies a lower pressure flow to the rest of Jersey City.

Surface Water The major surface waters in Jersey City are those water bodies which form its boundaries: Penhorn Creek, the Hackensack River, and Newark Bay on the west; Upper New York Harbor and the Hudson River on the east; and the channels and coves associated with them. Within the City boundaries are sev.eral creeks and impoundments: a reservoir in the Heights, two ponds in Lincoln Park West, and a number of smaller creeks and culverts. The rest of the City’s drainage consists of stormwater sewers, which usually contain water only for a period following rainfall or snow thaw events.

Surface Water EQdrology Jersey City’s stormwater sewer system is what is known as a “combined sewer”. This means that the same pipe network is used to carry both sanitary sewage and stormwater runoff. Such systems are designed to transport a limited volurcte of flow to a sewage treatment plant for removal of pollutants. However, the flow limit is ,usually . just enough for the sanitary waste flow rate. men small rainfalls will cause the flow to exceed the limit. The balance, carrying the mixture of sanitary and storm water, is discharged directly to a nearby waterway. .

Map 9 shows the drainage basins in Jersey City [ 34 1. .&sins w1 through w13 drain to the 'west, El through E22 to the east. .&ch. basin discharges through a single hydraulic structure, known as a regulator. The purpose of the regulator is to divert flows below the limit to the sewage treabnt plant, and allow any excesses to overflow into a nearby waterway. There have been reports of malfunctioning regulators allowing direct discharge even during dry weather periods. * The hydrodynamics of the estuary system surrounding Jersey City is dominated by tidal flows governed by the Atlantic Wean via Upper New York Bay and the Arthur Kill [12]. The mean tidal ranges in Newark Bay are shown in Table 10. The highest observed tide at Perth Amboy occurred on September 12, 1960, and was estimated at 10.0 feet above mean low tide. The mean tidal range in Upwr New York Harbor (at the Battery) is 4.6 feet. The spring tide range is 5.4 feet (6). Storm tides have been reported variously to reach just over ten feet hrstorically [6). The 100 year flood level is reportedly 9.3 feet above mean sea level [23], and the 500 year flood is reported to be 14.2 feet above mean low water 18).

-e-B-w------m------w-v------y-v Table 10. Mean tidal ranges in Newark Bay.

Location Mean tidal range (feet)

Bergen Point (Bayonne) 46 Port Newark Terminal 5’1s Kearny Point 5.0

---.---w-w------w-----y ---

The Hackensack River is approximately 50 miles long and drains a - 197 square mile area. The Meadowlands encompasses 6,300 acres of wetlands. The river itself occupies 1,400 acres [24]. In 1922, ' JEnsExcITYERI-vzzwmts PW 26

the river was d-d at New Milford to form the 2.85 billion gallon Oradell Reservoir. Approximately 57% of the Hackensack watershed is above the dam. Approximately 137 cubic feet of water per secund (cfs) ’ is diverted for potable water uses; leaving about 91 cfs to be discharged below the dam. 178 cfs are returned to the Hackensack River in the form of discharges of sewage receiving various levels of treatment. Precipitation enters through storm drains and tributaries contributing an average of 257 cfs. HOwever, the mdajor source of flow in the Hackensack River is tidal discharge, estimated at 10,700 cfs entering the mouth of ‘the river between low and high tide.

Penhorn Creek is less than three miles long and drains four square miles. It has an estimated fresh water flow of 12.2 cfs. Although Penhorn Creek is the tributary of the Hackensack River which is closest to Newark Bay, its water is relatively fresh due to the presence of a tide gate near its mouth [25].

Newark Bay occupies 580 acres. Its depth outside of the Federal channel varies from 1% to 28 feet below mean low water. The Bay . receives freshwater discharges from the Hackensack, Passaic, and Elizabeth Rivers, plus a number of sewage treatment plants and stornzwater sources. This mixes with brackish water entering with the tides from the Arthur Kill and Upper New.York Harbor. The maximum tidal currents have been observed off the entrance to the Port Elizabeth Channel to be 1.1 knots during flood tide, and 1.4 knots during ebb.

The Hudson River flows 315 miles from its source in the Adirondack Mountains. Half of the annual discharge of the Hudson River occurs between March and May of each year [6). The river drains 13,400 square miles and has an average flow rate of 24,200 cubic feet per second [22]. This is approximately 87% of the total freshwater flow into the estuary system. .

Maximum currents in Upper New York Bay range from 0.6 to 1.4 knots on the flood tide, and from 0.7 to 2.3 knots on ebb [6]. Maximum spring currents opposite th9 Claremont Channel are typically 1.6 knots on flood and 2.6 knots on ebb.

The 100 year flood elevation in the area.has been reported to be 9.3 feet above mean sea level f23j. The 500 year flood for the same area is reported at 14.2 feet above mean low water

Ml l Assuming a tidal range of 4.6 feet, this would correspond to 11.9 feet above mean sea level. The Federal Emergency Management Agency uses a ten foot elevation for the 100 year flood delineation level. Significantly’large areas of the City are subject to flooding, according to this standard. For example, City Hall stands on land . which is less than ten feet above MSL. This is aggravated by a reportedly inadequate drainage system, which is only capable of handling twc+twfive year floods [8]. The most severe flooding in Jersey City due to major storms are listed in Table 11.

-7- -v------a---p ---- sm------w--111--- Table 11. Recent flood levels due to major coastal storms 181.

Flood level ( ft above MSL) Type of storm

March 1962 . 1.5 Northeaster September 1960. 8.6 Hurricane November 1953 1.7 Northeaster November 1950 7.5 Northeaster ------

Surface Water Quality The notion of the quality of a water depends upon one’s perspective l This can be seen in the definition of “polluted”: “rendered unfit for use”. Thus the level of pollution in a water depends upon the desired use for the water. Some of the important water uses 1 in order of increasing quality required, are:

navigation pleasure boating JmsEYcITYmI-Jiilmms p-28

fish survival, migration, and propagation harvesting of aquatic life, including shellfish contact recreation (such ati bathing) drinking water supply . potable water

Note that a drinking water supply need not meet standards for potable water before treatment l

The quality of d water is measured in terms of its physical, chemical, and biological characteristics. Examples of eysical pollution include thermal pollution, litter, and debris. Chemical parameters include oxygen content, biodegradable organic matter (designated “biochemical oxygen demand”, or B.O.D.), nutrients such as nitrogen or phosphorous, heavy metals such as cadmium, chromium, lead, or mercury, and specific organic compounds, which may be toxic, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCE3s) or dioxins. Biological parameters include the types and numbers of various organisms, especially particular types which serve as indications of the health of the waterway. This report will concentrate only on the bacteriological quality of the water, and particularly on coliform bacteria, which are indicators of sewage pollution. Other biological factors will be dealt with in Part II of the Environmental Resource Inventory.

The following State of New Jersey water classifications apply to the waters Surrounding‘Jersey City:

W2 - A tidal water in which existing conditions will be upgraded or maintained for limited recreation a&for the survival and migration of aquatic life. The fecal coliform standard for this water is 770 lWN/lOO ml.. AU of the New Jersey portion of\ the Hudson River . and Upper New York Bay bordering Jersey City is classified W-2.

W-3 - A tidal water for which existing conditions will be upgraded - or maintained for navigation, for pleasure craft, and for fish survival. The fecal colifom standard for this water is 1500 MpN//lOO LrEIFtsmcITYERI-- Pm 29

. . .’ - . ’ .: ml, the LO. standard is 3.0 mg/l. All of the New Jersey section of Newark Bay and the lower reaches of the Hackensack River are classified m-3.

The New Jersey/New York metropolitan area has a population of over 15 million people [22]. Approximately three billion gallons per day of wastewater is discharge to the estuary system by 26 major wastewater treatment plants, 100 industrial and municipal point sources, and more than 700 codined sewer overflows. New York’s

wastewater treatment &ants alone contribute 1.7 billion gallons per l day of this tiste. This is roughly 10% of the Hudson River flow. Approximately 85% of New York City’s sewers are combined sewers. That is, they carry sewage and industrial waste as well as rainwater and surface drainage. During significant rainfalls their flow rates exceed treatment plant capacity, resulting in the discharge of the excess directly to the Harbor. AS a result the concentration of many pollutants may increase greatly after rain events.

The estimated “domestic and commercial wastewater flow for Jersey City in 1976 was 30.8 million gallons per day (MGD) [2). Industrial sources contribute another 4.95 MGD, and infiltration and inflow (I/I) adds another 32.0 MGD, for a total average daily wastewater flowrate of 67.74 m. / BY the year 2000 these figures are expected to change to 32.45, 6.75, and 7.7 MGD for domestic/comnaercial, industrial, and I/I:, respectively, for a total of 46.9 MGD. The decrease in I/I is expected to come f ram rehabilitation of tide gates and regulators.

Physical Pollution Debris mzly pose hazards to navigation, the least sensitive ’ waterway use listed above. A problem exists with debris in the . Hudson-Raritan Estuary whose source is abandoned piers damages by fire or neglect. The U.S. Corps of Engineers is currently conducting a program to remove these piers,

Litter derives largely from packaging materials iqroperly disposed of, primarily by members of the public. Many people are JEZSEYCITYEIRI-WA= PaGEi 30 ‘. _’ : unaware that litter dropped on a street may be washed into a drain by the next storm, and subsequently wind up in the waterways, and eventually the ocean. Other sources of litter include: raw sewage discharge from combined sewer overflws, which occurs during rain events; solid waste disposal activities, such as landfilling and barging; and from illegal dmping. Sane litter may wash up on nearby and distant beaches. Besides being aesthetically detrimental, litter may pose dangers to marine animals which sometimes ingest it or beccme entangled in it, or may produce sanitary risks to humans whu ccw in , contact with litter originating in sewage, medical, or other wastes. Map 9 shows the sections of the City which each have their own direct discharges to adjacent waterways during storms.

Thermal pollution is often caused by the use of water for cooling. A common source is steam-powered electrical generating PlmtSe The Hackensack has four such plants, including the Marion Generating Station in Jersey City. Three other plants dre located on the Arthur Kill, A similar plant on the Passaic River has been shut

Temperatures near the Bergen Generating Station have been recorded as high as 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) WI. The temperature in the Hackensack near Laurel Hi.11 was found to vary between 22 and 28 degrees C. (44 to 48 degrees F.) in measurements made periodically from 1972 to 1975.

Temprature measurements made in the vicinity of Liberty State Park over a,period from June 1975 to May 1976. Table I.2 cwres the extreme values obtained from an “inshore” locations to an “offshore” g site [S]. Higher inshore temperatures may be due to solar heating of shallow waters. JESSEY CrrY EXI - l4mTmls PAGE 31

Table 12. Temperature in degrees Celsius near Liberty State Park, June 1975 to May 1976 (from IS]).

Inshore Offshore

Date Mean Min _ MeaIl Min

July 1975 25.9 24.1 22.6 27.8 27.1 26.3 . a Jan 1976 1.5 2.5 2.3 1,8

Salinity Changes in water quality does not always refer to pollution. Natural changes in the constituents of water may occur. For example, the chloride concentration, or the related salinity, of a tidal waterbody may change greatly with distance from the saltwater source due to mixing. The Hackensack River salinity ranges from 1 to 18 parts per thousand (241. At the point in the river near Laurel Hill where the Turnpike crosses, mean salinity ranged from 4.6 ppt to 14.9 ppt.

The mean salinity in Penhorn Creek was usually 0.2 to 0.7 ppt, occasionally increasing to 1.0 ppt.

The salinity in Upper New York Bay ranges from 25 to 28 ppt during times of law freshwater runoff, to 20 to 25 ppt during the high runoff periods of spring and summer. Vertical mixing is fairly good, with bottom levels slightly higher than at the surface. In the Fall, the difference between surface and bottom salinities may be as rmuch as 0 8~ l Saltwater intrusion reaches a maximum in the Fall [6].

Somewhat lower salinities may be found in the area of Liberty State Park [5]. The lowest values observed in’ the period from June 1975 to May 1976 were 7.4 ppt at an inshore site, and 8.7 offshore, both in February. A secondary low salinity period occurred in November-December l The highest values occu-rred in September or January, ranging from 22.1 to 22.7 ppt both inshore and offshore.

1 Dissolved Oqpn and Bbckm.iti Oxygen Demami The concentration of dissblved oxygen (D.O.) is one of the major indicators of the health of a water body. Oxygen is necessary for the survival of desirable species, and odors may be produced by tie xeduction of sulfates when it is absent. Many conventional pollutants, such as sewage, consist of biodegradable organics, or B.O.D. When microorg&isms in the water consume the organics as food, they consume oxygen. If the rate. of oxygen consumption exceeds the rate at which it enters from the atmosphere or from green plants, the D.O. decreases. Thus the D.O. of a water body will be sensitive to the amount of B.O.D. added to it. The saturation D.O. decreases with temperature and salinity as shown in Table 13.

--I)-- --w ------e--e------Table 13. Solubility of oxygen in water, in mg/l (adapted from 1261).

TEMPERATURE SALINITY fppt) (degrees F) 0 9 18

32 14.6 13.8 13.0 50 lL3 10.7 10.1 68 92a 8.7 8.3

The 0.0. can go higher than its saturation value if there is a large . amount of photosynthetic algae present and there is sunlight.

In the Hackensack River, the major D.O. stresses are in its northern reaches, near the Bergen County Utilities Authority Wastewater Treatment Plant, and in the south due to loadings f mm Newark Bay. The D.O. near Laurel Hill averaged 3.3 q/l fro.m 1971 to - 1975 (241. The B.O.D. ir’i this area ranges from 1.0 to 8.0 mg/l (31. At the same time the D.O. in Penhorn Creek was often zero. The JEXSEYCITYEXI-HWERS PAGE 33 . highest level observed in that period was 0.9 q/l. Recent efforts in pollution abatement may have resulted in improvements to these figures. ,

0.0. levels in Newark Bay are similar to those found in the lower Hackensack, i.e. about 3.0 mg/l. A 1976 study of Newa?k Bay found that D.O. levels decreased from spring to summer. The average value was 8.4 mg/l (70% of saturation) in April, and by August this had decreased to 2.5 mg/l (31% of saturation) at the surface and 1.4 mg/l (18% saturation) ‘at the bottom. The residence time of Newark Day, defined as the volume divided by the net volume flux out of the * bay, was calculated to vary between ten and 25 days during the summer of 1980 [27]. The bay was found to recover from a period of raw sewage pollution in approximately 30 days.

Measurements in 1973 found levels as low as 2.8 q/l in the Hudson River off the downtown section of Jersey City (211. Measurements as well as modeling predictions show a trend in the fludson River and Upper New York Hay of increasing 0.0. towards the

south l Other reports show D.O. levels of about 6 mg/l in the channels off Greenville Yards and Port Jersey [6]. Levels are rarely, if ever, below 4 mg/l. However,. low D.O. levels (below 3.0 mg/l) have been observed in the shore end of Claremont Channel during fall andwinter. These were attributed to heavy nutrient loading.

Water quality sampling from June 1975 to May 1976 off Liberty . State Park show that D.O. is highest in February and March, ranging from 10.9 to 14.4 mg/l [S]. Low values may occur from June through September. Values at inshore sites during this period range from 2.3 to 12.0 mg/l, with averages ranging from 2.9 to 7.0. Offshore of the park, values as low as 2.1 were noted. A strong trend towards increasing D.O. was found for. the lower Hudson River and Upper New York Harbor over the period from 1970 to 1986 [22], although there was also a significant decrease from 1985 to 1986. The 0.0. concen- trations measured in 1986 at three stations in the Up@x New York Bay, ranging from near Manhattan’s Battery Park to near Port Jersey, were . c JERSEY CITY Ezu - !@!cims PAGE 34

* . 5.1 to 5.2 nqfl. The B.O.D. for these sites were 2.4 to 4.1 mg/l.. The water quality data for the three sites in Upqx New Yurk Bay as described above for Table 9 are summarized in Table 14.

VP- --W 1 Table 14. New York City Harbor Water Quality Survey for 1986,

averaae of tar,L and bottom samples 1221.

Partiter (units) N5 N6 N7 i - Temperzhure (degrees F) . 70.2 70.2 70.2 Dissolved Oxygen (rngfi) 5.1 5.2 5.2 B.O.D., s-day, (mg/l) 4.1 2.4 3.1 Total coliform (MR+?/lOOml) 8050 2561 3033 Fecal coliform (MPN~OOnil) 722 336 491 Salinity (ppt) 20.5 '22.5 22.7 Ammonia (q/l) 0.418 0.357 0.367 Nitrate + nitrite (mg/l) 0.512 0.292 ' 0.288 Total Phosphorous (IQ/~) 0.253 0.160 0.163

- Arsenic (pg/l) 11l 2.0 Cadmium (I&) 1.7 1.3 1.4 Chromium (pg/l) 0.5 0.2 0.6 Copper (iJg/l) 55 53 63 Lead (q/l 1 25.0 39.5 26.1 Mercury (lug/u 0.3 0.1 0.3 Nickel (pg/l) 10.8 11.2 15.5 Zinc +q/l) 22.0 20.0 13.5

?ichloromethane (gg,A.) 26-645 7-720 -15 Benzene (pg/l) ND-3 ND-5 ND-2 PCB ND ND ND

ND = not detected JERSEY CITY Em - WATEIZS . E?! 35 I - . . *. Bacteriological gather than assay the pathogen (disease-causing) organism content of a water, water quality surveys usually measure the presefice of coliform bacteria. These do not fiecessarily cause’distiase themselves, but their presence indicates sewage pollution, and the associated pathogens. An even more sensitive indicator organism is a . subgroup of the coliforms called fecal coliforms. Both the total coliforms (T.C.) and the fecal coliforms (FL) ard quantified as

“most probable number per 100 milliliters” WN/lOO ml) l i Mean total colifoti concentrations at three sites in Upper New York Harbor in 1986 were found to range from 1400 to 10,000 MpN/100 ml [22]. Fecal coliforms ranged from 336 to 720.

Nutrients Nitrogen pollution usually has its source in sewage. It is found in water mainly in three forms: ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate. Nitrite and nitrate may be considered together. They are formed by . microbial oxidation of ammonia. Thus, their levels may peak some distance from a source of pollution, while the ammonia levels decrease. All of these have some toxicity with respect to aquatic life. However, only the nitrate and nitrite may seriously affect

humans l Levels in water above 10 mg/l are generally considered unacceptable for drinking due to the potential for causing methemoglobinemia (“blue baby” syndrome) in infants, -

Phosphate also comes from wastewater, and is not toxic. However, both phosphorous and nitrogen forms can have a secondary effect by “fertilizing** a waterway. That is, their presence nay increase the growth of microorganisms, especially phytoplankton (microscopic plants). These can deplete oxygen supplies when they

die l They can also have direct toxic effects on aquatic life, asin the formation of tie “red tide” algal blooms in the ocean.

In Penhorn Creek average levels of nitrates were found to range . from zero to about 3.0 mg/l [25]. Total phosphate averaged from . 12.5 to 18.5 mq/l.

The nitrogen content of three sites off Liberty State,Park were found by the total Kjeldahl method to range between l,O.and 1.4 q/l nitrogen (5). Iron ranged from 0.039to 0.071 mcyl, and alkalinity from 112 to 118 mg/l; Suspended solids were from 13 mg/l to 21.6 mg/l. Volatile solids averaged 3320 q/l.. This last parameter is an indication of of organic matter suspended or dissolved in the water. & Ammonia concentrations in wpr New York Harbor were lower than some of the more polluted sections of the estuary, such as the East River or the Arthur Kill [X2]. HOwever, the Iiudson River tended to be higher in nitrate and nitrite forms of nitrogen. The average armnonia concentrations at several Upper Bay sites ranged from 0.357 to 0.418 mg/l as nitrogen. The combined nitrite-nitrate concentration ranged from 0.288 to 0.512 mg/l as nitrogen. The total phosphorous concentration ranged from 0.160 to 0.253 mg/l.

Toxics Water from Upper New York Bay was tested for a number of heavy metals, pesticides, volatile organic compounds, chlorinated organics, and PCBS 1221. Many of the compounds analyzed for were not detectable or found in insignificant quantities. The more significant results are summarized in Table 14 for the three sites near Jersey City. PC& are found in Hudson River sediments (see above), but due to their low solubility in water they are not present in significant quantities in the water column.

Dioxin has been found in Passaic River sediments in Newark (21. However, in Newark day itself they have not been detected [12]. JERSEY CITY Ezu - !laATms Pm 37

Movement and storage of groundwater in the Brunswick Formation occurs primarily along interconnected joints, fractures, and solution channels [ 291. The ease of water withdrawal varies fromplace to place according to the location and alignment of these openings. This, in turn, generally increase in size and number with depth below the surface. The glacial till overlying the bedrock has low permeability due to pc!or sorting and unstratified deposition. The varved silt and clay also has low permeability. Because of this, any practical groundwater withdrawal must come from wells sunk into the fractured bedrock formation.

The water table aquifer in this area is primarily in the organic and artificial fill layers. Similar conditions probably govern groundwater overlying the Stockton Formation on the east side of Jersey City.

Groundwater conditions were investigated at the &ylin site, between Route 440 and the Hackensack River, and near Culver Ave. (151. During high tide the groundwater elevations in wells were observed to range from 7.12 feet above mean sea level (MSL) near t.he Valley Fair building, to 4.19 feet above MSL near the river. The depth to water from the ground surface ranged from 10.f5 feet to 0.4 feet. Shallow ditches on the property had water in them at the same elevation as nearby wells. The ditches discharge intermittently into the river. The steepest groundwater gradient observed was 0.012 ft/ft. Using an . estimated coefficient of permeability of 100 gallons per day per square foot I the velocity of groundwater flow was estimated at 1,6 feet per day, or 580 feet per year. The saturated thickness of the soil was 18.4 feet, and the width of the property at the bulkhead was 570 feet. This yielded an estimated groundwater flow through the property of 12,600 gallons per day. JERSEY CrrY ElRI - leA!mRs Pm 38

: - Qttality There are no reported groundwater withdrawals in Jersey City. In the higher elevations the quality is likely to be good, while in the 1-r areas it is likely to be impacted by salinity and pollution from the surface waters. Due to the widespread use of industrial wastes as fill in Nson County, it would not be prudent to assume any groundwater in Jersey City to be safe for drinking. It could, however, have industrial uses, such as for cooling water.

The water qualit!y of the Brunswick Formation has been reported to be generally good, with no concentrations of harmful substances cm. It is usually high in calcium, sulfates, and total dissolved solids, probably from dissolution of gypsum and calcite lining the

fractures l The water quality in the overlying glacial till and varved silt and clay is influenced by the tidal estuary waters.

The water table aquifer may be impacted by surface pollution. . For example I a site in Kearny which is proposed for a Resource Recovery Facility is located directly across the Hackensack River from Jersey City [3). Borings there indicate the presence of coke, tar and oil waste. Water recovered from some of the borings were described as oily or black in appearance. Analysis revealed contamination by organic chemicals such as benzene, toluene, dichloroethylene, and naphthalene.

The groundwater quality at the Daylin site is impacted by the disposal of chromium-contaminated soil there 1151. Cimmim concentrations in groundwater samples there ranged from 5.6 to 38

mg/l l Most of the chromium was in the hexavalent form. Other contaminants include total organic halogens, 21.4 to 366 pg/l, and

nitrate, 0.0 to 2.8 mg/l. The pH was higher than typically found in natural waters: 11.75 to 12.95 wits. The chromium standard for groundwaters is 0.01 q/l. JlzFtsEyCITYERI-AIR Pa 39

The major air pollutants of concern include carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC), ozone (03)’ nitrogen dioxides (Noa), sulfur dioxide (SO$, and total suspended particulates (TSP). Other important pollutants include lead (pb) and other heavy metals. Table 15 lists the primary national and state ambient air quality standards for some of these pollutants.

Carbon monoxide is formed by incomplete combustion of fuel. At relatively low concentrations (above 30 parts per million) it may cause headaches and slowed reactions [30]. At higher concentrations, (300 ppm) serious effects, such as vomiting or collapse, may occur. At 600 ppm coma or death are likely. The major source of CO is the motor vehicle. Its concentration decreases rapidly with distance and is usually well dispersed within 500 feet of a major source [29]; thus problems associated with CO tend to be very localized. Vehicle emissions are aggravated by slow speeds and by acceleration and deceleration. The National Ambient Air Quality (NAAQ) standard for CO is 35 ppm for one hour or 9 ppm for an eight-hour period [31].

Hydrocarbons also have their source in incomplete combustion.

They are often expressed as non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC) l 1 Some of the hydrocarbons, such as benzene and benzo(a)pyrene, have been implicated in cancer formation. HOwever, the major concern with HCs is that they react in the atmosphere with nitrogen oxides in the presence of ultraviolet radiation from the sun to form ozone. The NAAQ standard for NMHC is 0.24 ppm m&rmun in three hours (6:00 to 9:oo am). -- w--- --c_------,21--c------..- . - .- -- _ - -- - ._. - __-___

JEIRSEYCITYERI-AIR PB 40

-- m Table 15. Primary national and state ambient air quality standards [7]

AVGING POLLUTANT PERIOD s-

TSP (/q/al ml 12 mo. 75 24 hr. 260 NiMHc (PP 3 hr. 0.24 c t q (PI?@ 12 mo. 0.03 24 hr. 0.14" co (Ppm) 8 hr. 9 1 hr. 35 03 (Ppm) 1 hr.** 0.12 q (Ppm) 12 mo. 0.05 pb (erg/c-u ml 3 ma. 1.5

Note: New Jersey short-term standards are not to be exceeded more than once in any 12-month period. National short-term standards are not to be exceeded more than once in a calendar year.

* National standard uses 24-hour block average - midnight to midnight ** Maximum daily l-hour average: averaged over a three year period the expected number of days above the standard must be less than or equal to one.

-m-w------

Ozone is a powerful oxidizer which can irritate respiratory tissue, The damage caused by ozone has been described by analogy as similar to a sunburn inside the lungs. One ppm has been shown to produce irreversible changes in lung faction in animals 1301. The effect at lower concentrations has not been established. Although the HCs may have high concentrations locally, ozone is formed slowly, and - thus is more widely dispersed. The primary standard for ozone is 0.12 ppm in any one-hour period, not to be exceeded more than 3 times mRsEYcrrYEEu--AIR PAGE 41

. .:-. .-‘, _- over any 3 year period.

Particulate matter (or aerosols) include particles directly emitted from sources (primary aerosols), such as dust or smoke, and particles produced by reactions in the atmosphere, such as smog particles [ 301. Elevated levels are associated with increased lmg disease, such as bronchitis, and may aggravate symptoms of individuals with previously developed lung disease.

Nitrogen oxides%nclude nitric oxide (No) and nitrogen dioxide

(y) l Both are formed by exposing air to high temperatures, as in combustion processes. NO is converted to NC+ in the atmosphere. m is not implicated in health effects, but No2 may irritate the lungs, causing emphysema-like symptoms after long-term exposure at about 1 Ppma Nitrogen oxides are also important in reactions with hydrocarbons which form a number of irritating compounds, such as ozone and peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN). This mixture occurs prevalently in hot ,weather, and is known as photochemical smog.

The major sulfur-containing compound of concern in the atmosphere is sulfur dioxide (SO& The principal man-made source is the combustion of sulfur-containing fuels, such as coal and oil. The SO2 may be oxidized in the atmosphere leading to the formation of sulfuric acid, a component of acidic precipitation. This, in turn, is implicated in damage to aquatic and forest resources in the northeast, and in the corrosion of man-made structures. Exposure to about 1 ppm SO2 may cause constriction of respiratory airways [30]. Sulfuric acid aerosols and associated soot particles form a type of smog knaJn as sulfate smog, wfiich is prevalent in cooler climates, such as Jersey City’s cooler seasons. Sulfate smog also contributes to lung irritation.

Flyash from coal combustion and incineration and dust from surface sources may contribute heavy metals to the atmosphere. Another important source of metals , in air is lead from the combustion of leaded gasoline fuel. This is being phased out, and atmospheric JlsRsEy CITY Ezu - AIR pa 42 lead concentrations have been decreasing nationally. Blood lead levels have been correlated with exposure to lead in the air wu. flood lead levels have been found to correlate with a reduction in the cognitive development’of infants (321.

Jersey City Air Quality The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection continuously monitors air quality at Journal Square, as well as at the BayOMe Lab in the Hudson County Park in Bayonne. Because ozone is generally regionally dispersed, #is was measured only at the Bayonne site, and can be considered representative of Jersey City values WI. In addition, a study Was conducted from February 25 to March 19, 1976 at seven sites in Jersey City [33). - Table 16 summarizes the results obtained from this short-term mnitoring study.

------v--e------p---m----em-=----m--v- ---- Table 16. Short-term monitoring study of Jersey City air quality, Feb 25 - Mar 19, 1976.

co (ppd q (Ppm) 5502 (PI?@ NMHc (pp) -- --- LOCATION AVG MAX AVG MAX AVG MAX AK MAX ------Journal Square 5.3 15.5 .030 .071 .024 .071 1.49 4.00 Five Comers 2.3 5.5 - - 0 019 ,045 0.48 1.36

Mffiinley Square 5.3 26.0 l 036 .055 .028 0054 1.61 3.60 3.8 13.5 .042 .055 .016 ,041 1.37 3.76 Holland Tunnel 1.8 5.0 .040 .070 .014 .050 0.44 1.44

Grove Street 3.5 9.0 l 040 .075 0 009 ,018 0.79 3.28 2828 Kennedy Blvd. 5.7 27.2 .025 .089

------.--em -m -

Four areas of high carbon monoxide levels have been identified - f311. They are: the Tonnele Avenue corridor, the Avenue corridor, the Holland TUMOR approaches, and the Route 1-B JERSEY CITY EZU - AIR Pm 43

corridor (the belmgrade route from the Pulaski Skynay to the Holland Tunnel). Table 17 shows predicted eight hour Co concentrations for major intersections in Jersey City in 1982 and 1987. The predictions are made with a model based -on traffic volurrte and speeds and on .. characteristics of the intersection and the vehicles using it. It also ass& worst-case winter conditions of 20 degrees Fahrenheit, and a background CO concentration of 2.9 ppm. This table shows that 15 intersections would then be expected to violate the NAAQ standard of 10 pp in 1982, and five in 1987. The ilrrprovement results from a turnover in vehicles, kith new ones having better pollution control

equipment l Traffic volume was assumed to increase by 1.3% per year. Intersections improvements were proposed which were predicted to result in improvements ranging from 2.0% to 35%, with most values ranging from 3.7% to 5.2%.

The results of actual CO measurements at three sites near Journal Square showed that levels exceeded 5.0 ppm 50% of the time, 10.0 ppm was exceeded 10% of the time (311. However, maximum levels were occasiondlly very high, as shown for several sites in Table 18 [ 33). The conclusions from this monitoring study conducted in 1975 were:

-- Air qualitytat Tonnele Circle and Journal Square was unsatisfactory 100% and 78.6% of the time, respectively;

. - High pollutant concentrations drift into nearby residential areas;

- 40% of the pollution is generated outside the City.

The results in Table 18 can be compared with those reported in Table 16 above/apparently based upon the same data. The data in Table 16 exhibit much lower maximum Co levels. The reason for the discrepancy between these two reports is unknown. JlsRsEycITYERI-AIR Pa 44

-I Table 17. Predicted Co concentrations for 1982 and 1987 j31). 'i

INTERSECTION 1982 f 1987

1 l TOMMYAve. at Mahhattan Ave. 20.96 13e29

2 l J.F.K. Blvd. at Communipaw Ave. 18.16 11.89 3 0 Route 440 at Communipaw Ave. 17.72 11.43

4 l J.F.K. Blvd. at Journal Square 17.32 10.76 5 0 J.F.K. Blvd. at Mchtgoiwy Ave. 15.92 9.30

6 l J.F.K. Blvd. at Manhattan Ave. . 15.88 9.99

7 l J.F.K. Blvd. at 12th Street 15.88 11.98

8 l J.F.K. Blvd. at Newark Ave. 14.92 9.77 9. J.F.K. Blvd. at Pavonia Ave. 14.51 9.95 10. J.F.K. Blvd. at Culver Ave. 13.79 9.36 11. Route 1-B at Palisades Ave. 13.63 9.34 12. Bayview Ave. at Garfield Ave. .12.86 8.53 13. J.F.K. Blvd. at Secaucus Road 12.23 7.50 14. J.F.K. Blvd. at sip Ave. 11.73 15. Tonnele Ave. at Newark Ave. 10.24 16. Bergen Ave. at Montgomery Ave. 8.85 17. Pavonia Ave. at Summit Ave. 8.39 18. Newark Ave. at Palisades Ave. 8.28 1% Sip Ave. at Bergen Ave. 8.21 20. Summit Ave. at Newark Ave. 7.80 21. Comunipaw Ave. at West Side Ave. 7.70 22. Bergen Ave. at Newkirk Ave. 7.58 r 23. Culver Ave. at West Side Ave. 7.33 24. Central Avebat Bowers Street 7.08 25. Ccmmunipaw Ave. at Grand Ave. 6.61 26. Duncan Ave. at West Side Ave. 6.59 27. Grove Street at-Railroad Ave. 5.78 28. Danforth Ave. at Old Bergen Ave. 5.71 29. Sip Ave. at Port Authority Drive 4.62

m-w a-v------1.-- --v---v ---- -z= JEXSEYCITYEEU-AIR PaGi3 45

Table 18. Eight-hour pollutant levels measured in 1975 [31].

SITE MEAN MAX

McGinley Square 2.45 31.2 Journal Square 2.80 69.7 Tonne& Circle 3.83 81.0 Five Corners 1.40 23.0 Holland Tunnel 2.90 29.9 Grove St/Nwk Ave. 1.75 19.0

------m---v-- ---e

Ozone, Photochemical Oxidants, andEQdroca&ons The maximum one-hour ozone concentration at the Bayonne site was measured at 0.192 in 1975 and 0.162 in 1980, reflecting a decrease which was observed throughout the state 2311. Thus, the =Q standard is violated in the Jersey City area. In 1986 the ozone standard was violated on three days in the year [7). The highest daily maximum one-hour average was 0.165 pp, the second highest was 0.132 ppm. In 1987 the ozone standard was violated on ten days [35]. The highest daily maximum one-hour average was 0.220 ppm, the second highest was 0.159 plan.

Monthly values for “photochemical oxidants” at the EByoe site are presented in Table 19. This term applies to a combination of ozone and irritating organic compwnds formed from the reaction between nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons, such as peroxyacetyl nitrate

(PAN) l PAN is a coqonent of photochemical smog which causes eye irritation. Table 19 shows the months of July and August to be significantly worse than other times of the year. JEZEYCITYERI-AIR PAGg 46 .

Table 19. Photochemical oxidants by month at Bayonne, in pp (1973) [i2].

MAXIMUM SECOND HIGHEST MONTHLY NO. OF TIMES 1-m CONC l-mat AVG sm. EDKEmxm

Jan 0.046 . 0.045 0.011 0 Feb 0.046 0.044 0.013 0 Mar 0.200' 0.052 0.014 1 Apr 0.066 0.060 0.019 0 MaY 0.124 0.118 0.027 9 JUn 0.156 0.133 0.030 14 Jul 0.283 0.243 0.048 100 w3 0.226 0.213 0.051 134 SeP 0.199 * 0.186 0.031 35

ogt 0.071 0.070 0.019 0 Nov 0.060 0.053 0.011 0 DeC 0.063 0.056 0.011 0

Non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC) are shown in Table 16 to exceed the standard at all of the Jersey City intersections represented in the study.

Particulates Total suspended particulates (TSP) were found at levels exceeding the standards at a site on Duncan Avenue (71. This was blamed on smoke from the burning PJP landfill, which was finally extinguished in the fall of 1986. By the end of the year, the levels had dropped beluw the standard. Monitoring of TSP at Duncan Avenue was discontinued for 1987 f35). The levels at the other sites had generally decreased, although the secondary standard was still violated at the Newark Avenue site. Table 20 gives the ~results from - several sites in Jersey City for 1986 and 1987. Table 20. Total suspended particulates at Jersey City sites, 1986 171 and 1987 2351 (pg/cu m). .

GEOMETRIC MEAN MAXIMUM MAX 12-m CALENDAR YR. 24-m Am

LOCATIObI 1986 1987 1986 1987 1986 1987 -- -- Newark Avenue 67.5 65.5 55.5 63.7 126 115 Duncan Avenue 77.3 - 65.6 - 147 - Erie Street 63.7 57.7 55*7 55.9 135 139

Total suspended particulates may include particulate organic matter (KM). These are a group of organic chemicals which can be extracted from particles filtered from the air. These include benzo(a)pyrene (E&P), a suspected carcinogen, and two sub- groups: the cycle-hexane fraction (CHP), the non-polar organics, and the acetone fraction (AF), the relatively polar organics. Table 21 summarizes results from four nearby sampling stations; two in Elizabeth and two in Newark. Values in Jersey City are likely to be similar td these. No air quality standards have been established for POMS.

Nitrogen cbtides Nitrogen oxides measured at BayOMe did not violate the air quality standard in 1986 [71. Tfie maximum value for No2 measured was 0.035 ppm; . the 12.month average was 0.032 ppm. The average NO concentration was 0.031 ppm. The values for 1987 were 0.031, 0.031, and 0.028, respectively [353.

Sulfur Dioxide Sulfur dioxide measured at Bayonne in 1986 was also well below _ the air quality standards ☯7] l The highest three-hour average was JERsEYCITYssIu-AIR PAGE 48

Table 21. Particulate organic matter concentrations, 1986 17).

LOCATION: EJxzABETH . NEw?m. SITE: IPl 056 IP3 IP4

TSP bg/c-u ml MIN 14.7 20.9 16.7 16.1 35.2 54.6 36.2 39.3 MAX i 81.8 96.1 85.1 93.2 Benzo(a)pyrene 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.25 0.19 0.48 0.52 1.89 0.93 5.89 5.79 Cycle-hexane fraction (lug/~ ml MIN 0.23 0.47 0.24 0.25 4.10 3.52 3.43 3.52 26.96 14.61 12.16 13.62 Acetone Fraction * b9/cu ml MIN 0.00 3.44 1.68 1.46 7.94 7.97 6.88 7.53 MAX .- 43.86 22.25 19.30 21.73

------t---w-----e--e-v--w------__-w-p

0.067 ppm; the second highest was 0.064 ppm. The 12.month average was 0.006 ppsn. The highest 240hour average was 0.050 pp; the second highest was 0.040 ppm. In 1987 the highest three-hour average was 0.078 ppm; the maximum 12-month average was 0.012 1351. kid Precipitation The pR of precipitation was not monitored in Jersey City. Tke nearest site was Washington% Crossing State Park, on the Delaware River near Trenton [7]. The seasonal average pH values obtained in 1986 were 4.29, 4.12, 4.13, and 4.37 pH units for tinter, spring, summer, and fall, respectively. iJmsEYc1TYlEEu-AIR P! 49

The lead was measured as three-month averages for each quarter of 1986 to be 0.123, 0.099, 0.076, and 0.142 ~9/ccu m, respectively . m In 1987 this decreased ko 0.088, 0.080, 0.038, and 0.082 lug/cu ‘rn res&ctively [35). These are well below the standard of l-5 wcu m, and reflects the national trend in which the average level has decreased from about 1.0 pg/cu m since 1978, due to tkphase-mt of leaded fuels. Quarterly values for lead and other metals are listed in Table 22, Since chromium-contaminated soils are a problem in Jersey City, there ma9 also be concern that it may be found in the air. Table 22 shows that that does not seem to be a widespread problem. However, such exposure might be limited to locations close

to contaminated sites l

I---a------Table 22, Heavy metal concentrations in Jersey City Air, 1986 [7] and 1987 (35). Units in pg/cu m.

1986 BY QUARTER 1987

METAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH

cd <.OOl <.OOl <.OOl <.OOl 0.002 0.004 Cr coo1 <.OOl 0.008 <.OOl 0.004 0.017 cu 0.049 0.036 0.063 0.121 0.060 0.124 Fe 0.577 0.591 0.542 0.663 0.737 1.610 M!3 0.132 0.398 0.246 0.246 0.36~.'. 1.120 Mn COO2 COO2 0.013 <.002 0.022 0.054 N10 coo9 <.009

To express the variability of noise levels, measurements may be given as Leq, which is an equivalent noise energy level over a stated time period, ~50 is a median level (exceeded 50% of the time), and LlO is the level which is exceeded 10% of the time.

The Department of Housing and urban Development considers a peak hour ~50 greater than 75 to be “clearly unacceptable”, 60 to 75 to be “normally unacceptable”, 45 to 60 as “normally acceptable”, and below 45 as clearly acceptable 1131.

Federal Highway noise standards have been promulgated which are related to land use 120). For public areas such as playgrounds and parks, and for residential areas, the standard is an &q .of 67 CBA, and an LlO of 70 dBA. Table 24 shows measured L50 and LlO values at _ JERSEY CITY Ezu - l+xxSE PW 51

PA - Table 23. Common noise levels [20].

COMMONINDOOR NOISE LEIVELS

110 Rock Band Jet at 1000 feet I i + 100 Gas Mower at 3 feet I Inside Subway Train + 90 Diesel Truck at 50 feet I Food Blender at 3 feet Noisy Urban Daytime + 80 Shouting at 3 feet I Gas Mower at 50 feet + 70 Vacuum Cleaner at 10 feet Normal Speech at 3 feet Heavy Traffic at 300 feet + 60 h I Large Business Office Quiet Urban Daytime + 50 Dishwasher Next Room I Quiet Urban Nighttime. . + 40 Large Conference Room I + 30 Bedroom at Night Quiet Rural Nighttime I + 20 I Recording Studio + 10 I Threshold of Hearing + 0

-- m-p - f mRsEYcI!rYERI-BmSE P%GE 52

-I I I .’

_ . . . . * several Jersey City locations. The measurements were made at various times between 7 am and 6 pn, and normalized to represent the hour of peak traffic volume. It can be seen that tie LSO is violated at one site, .whereas the ~10 is exceeded six times. It was noted that truck traffic uses residential streets. The cqztructionSof Route 169 was predicted to improve noise conditions at many of these sites.

e--B------m Table 24. Normalized peak hour noise levels (m) [20). L APPROXIMATE LOCA& L50 LlO

Garfield and Gates Aves. 62 66 Danforth and Old Bergen Rd. 64 80 Liberty Industrial Park 54 59 West Side and Boyd Aves. 64 76 J.F.K. Blvd and Audubon Aves. 70 75 Ocean and Linden Aves. 63 ' 70 Garfield and Bapiew Aves. 63 71 Old Bergen Rd. and Merritt St. 63 76 Long Street 66 79

------==c-I---==-e --e------w-e-- w-zzz-

Noise levels at ground levels adjacent to the New Jersey Turnpike in the vicinity of Liberty State Park were found not to exceed the 70 dBA standard [S]. Further into the park, levels fell off to 55 dBA. LlO levels measured at the Port Liberte site ranged from 54.5 &A to 71.3 dBA [I]. The noise levels registered at the two sites closest to the scrap metal yard across Claremont Terminal Channel were 67.3 and 60.3 d8A.

The Montgomery and Grand Street areas are primarily affected by truck and automobile noise. The Turnpike runs through the area, but does not contribute significantly because it is elevated, and noise is deflected upwards by construction features [13]. Aircraft noise is also not a serious problem in this area. The FAA rates the area as JERSEY CITY EEU - NOISE PAGE 53 . . ’ ,. . . being exposed to slightly less than 30 NW%. Table 25 shows noise levels recorded at the borders of various sites in this area, Several of these sites are at or above the acceptable range, depending on which standards are used to judge.

Table 25. Adjusted peak hour noise levels recorded in @ontgomery Street area (dBA) (13).

1 LOGXTION L50 LlO

W side of Jersey Ave, btwn Montgomery 6 York 51 65 Montgomery St., W of Varick St. 62 73 At church, Bnmswick & Montgomery St. 61 72 * N side of Montgomery, E of railroad trestle 63 68 * N side of Montgomery, near Factory St. 61 76 SE corner Freemont and Wayne Streets 44 56 N side of:Grand St. near Monmouth St. 65 75 N side of Grand St. near Bates St. 66 75 ** S side of Wayne St. near Varick St. 56 63. ** N side of Bright St., E of Brunswick St. 53 63

* Includes construction noise ** Traffic noise was not predominant

=--P-v ------WA------JERSEYCITY~ -APPEz@xcEs. Pa 54

‘1 , . ._

APPEmNmx I

fll “Environmental Assessment For the Port Liberte Project, Jersey City, New Jersey" by: Dresdner Associates, Inc., for: The Spoerry Group Developers & The Ehrenkrantz Group Architects, October 1984.

121 "Updated 201 Waitewater Facilities Plan", for the Hudson County Utilities Authority, by Lawler, Matusky tit Skelly Engineers, Apr 1985.

131 "Hudson County Resource Recovery Project - Preliminary Environmental and Health Impact Statement in Fulfillment of NJSA 13: U-26 Requirements", by: William F. Cosulich Associates, P.C., for: The Hudson County Improvement Authority, October 1985.

HI "National Weather Forecasting Corporation, A General Climate- graphical Survey of the Land Area Within an Eighty Mile Radius of the New Jersey-New York Metropolitan Area", by N.F.h Lacey, J.A. Wodley, and E. Paroczay, prepared for the Port of New York Authority, Feb. 1961.

El "Report on Final Administrative Action, To Use Contingency Fund for Acquisition of Up To 335 Acres for Liberty State Park”, U.S. Dept of Interior, Bureau of outdoor Recreation. . 161 "Feasibility Report-Clarement Terminal Channel, Jersey City, N.J. Navigation Study on Improvements to Existing Navigation Channel Draft Main Report and Environmental Impact Statement”, byi U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District, May 1986.

fU “1986 Air Quality Report”, NJDEP Division of Environmental Quality, August 1981.

PI “Environmental Report, Coal Transshipment Facility, Port Jersey, ’ Jersey City/Bayonne, New Jersey" I prepared for The Port Authority of PW 55 -- . . . New York and New Jersey, by Dames d Moore, Inc., June, 1983.

WI “Engineering Soil Survey of New Jersey, Report Number .l”, Engineering Research Bulletin Number 15, Rutgers University;New Brunswick, NJ, December, 1950.

ilO "Palisades Conservation Study, Phase I Report", Regional Plan Association in cooperation with The Trust for Public Land, September 11, 1987. i flu "Hackensack Meadowlands Comprehensive Land Use Plann, for: Hackensack Meadowlands Development Commission, October 1970.

(121 Draft Environmental Statement, Newark.Bay - Kill Van Ku11 Navigation Project, by: US Army Engineer District, N.Y., February 1978; Final Supplement to the Final Environmental Impact Statement, by: US Army Engineer District, N.Y., January 1987.

c , [13] Draft Environmental Review for Montgomery Gateway Project, by: TAMs'Eng. and Arch., for: Jersey City Planning Division, July 1978.

WI "Engineering SoilSurvey of New Jersey, Report IWmber 4, Bergen and Hudson CountiesWt b D.R. Lueder, G.H. Obear, W.W. Holman, and F.C. Rogers, Engineering Research Bulletin Number 18, Sept., 1952.

El51 “Investigation of Ground-Water Conditions At the Daylin Site, Jersey City, New Jersey”, by: Geraghty & Miller, Inc., February 1983.

[16] Bedrock Map, Hackensack Meadows Area, Geologic Report Series #l, State of New Jersey Dept of Conservation and Economic Development, Div. of Resource Development, Bureau of Geology and Topography, New Jersey Geological Survey, prepared by D.G. Parrillo, revised January 1962 by H.F. .Kasabach.

[17] Bedrock Map, Hackensack Meadows Area, Cross-sections, ibid. PAGE 56 wu "Engineering Study, Hackensack Meadowlands Food Distribution Center", by: Burns and Rue Industrial Services Corporation, for: Hackensack Meadowlands Development Cotission, November 1983.

E191 "Lincoln Park West Site Survey Report", by: Arnold Associates, Landscape Architects, for: Hudson County, Dept. of Public &sources, March 1980.

I201 "Route 169 Land Service Road Form The Bayonne Bridge in Bayonne to The Vicinity of Ba$view Avenue in Jersey City Hudson County, New Jersey, Final Environmental Impact Statement", Section 4(f) Statement, by: Federal Higfrway Administration & New Jersey Dept. of Transportation, April 1977, FHbA-NJ-EIS-76-01-F Federal Highway Administration Region 1. f211 ‘%nvironmental Report, Coal Transshipmnt Facility, Port Jersey, Jersey City/savonne, New Jersey”,-by: Dames 63 Moore, for: Port Authority of Mew York and New Jersey, June 1983.

1221 “New York Harbor Water Quality Survey 1986", City of New York Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Wastewater Treatment, (1986). .

WI %nvironmental Review of Locating a Major Coal Transshipment Facility in Jersey City, New Jersey", by: Princeton Aqua Science, for: City of Jersey City, June 1982.

[24] **Water Quality in a Recovering Ecosystem - A Report on Water Quality Research and Monitoring in the Hackensack Meadowlands 1971- 1975", by: C.P. Mattson, N.C. Vallario, for: Hackensack &!eadmlands Development Commission, 1975.

[25] “wdter quality in a Disordered Ecosystem - A Report on the Water Quality Monitoring study Performed in the Hackensack Meadowlands Between June and September, 1971", by: C.P. Mattson, G.T. Potera, M.E. Saks, for: Hackensack Meadowlands Development Commission, 1971. JERSEX CITY ERI - APPam. Pm 57

D61 "Wastewater Engineering: Treatment, Disposal, Reusen, Metcalf & Eddy, Inc., revised by G. Tchobanoglous, McGraw-Hill Pub., (1979):

WI "Partial Recovery of Ne&k Bay, NJ, Folluwing Pollution Abatement", by J.M. McCormick, R.I. Hires, G.W. Luther, and S.L. Cheng, Marine Pollution Bulletin, 14,5, 188-197 (1983).

1281 "A Study of Dioxin in Aquatic Animals and Sediments", by: Office of Science & Research,! NJDEP, October 1985.

Ml “New Jersey Turnpike 1985-90 Widening, Final Environmental Impact Statement, Interchange 11 to U.S. Route 46", pub: New Jersey Turnpike Authority, Sept 1987. f301 %ir Pollution, Physical and Chemical Fundamentals", J.H. Seinfeld, McGraw-Hill, Pub. (1975).

(311 "Jersey City Ai? Quality Study", prepared for the Jersey City Division of Urban Research and Design, by Wilbur Smith and Associates, in association with Konheim & Ketcham, May, 1982. . WI "Longitudinal Analyses of Prenatal and Postnatal Lead Exposure and Early Cognitive Development", D. Bellinger, et al, New England Journal of Medicine, ~316, n17, ~1037, April 23, 1987.

CW "Short-Term Monitoring Report #76-l, Jersey City, New Jersey", prepared by Bur. of Air Poll. Control, NJDEP, Feb 25 to Mar 19, 1976.

[34] . 'IMaps of the Jersey City Sewer System", prepared by Lawler, M&u&y f; Skelly, mgineers.

[W "1987 Air Quality Report", NJDEP Division of Environmental Quality, July 1988. APPENXX II - LIST OF T?wss

Table 1. Meteorological data for Newark International Airport for the period from 1941 *rough 1970 [31,

Table 2. Meteorological data for northern New Jersey (East Orange, Elizabeth, and Chester) - 1986 171. 1 Table 3, Evaporation potential (81.

Table 4, Recorded earthquakes in the Jersey City area (131.

Table 5. Definitions of soil types.

Table 6. Metals concentrations in soil at Daylin site. 4

Table 7. Physical composition of Newark Bay sediment.

Table 8. Contamination in Newark Bay sediment.

Table 9. Sediment contamination in Upper New York Bay, 1983-1986.

Table 10. Mean tidal ranges in Newark Bay.

Table 11, Recent flood levels due to major coastal storms (8).

Table 12. Temp&rature in degrees Celsius near Liberty State Park, June 1975 toky 1976 [S].

Table 13. mlubility of oxygen in water, in mg/l [26].

Table 14. New York City Harbor Water Quality Survey for 1986, average - of top and bottom samples JmsEYcITYmu-AlFENDxcEs PWE 59

Table 15 0 Primary national and state ambient air quality standards

Table i6 l Short-term monitoring study .of Jersey City air quality, Feb 250Mac 19, 1976.

Table 17. Predicted carbon monoxide concentrations for 1982 and 1987 Dll.

Table 18, Eight-ho&pollutant levels measured in 1975 [31). 8

Table 19. Photochemical oxidants at Bayonne, in ppg~ (1973) (123,

Table 20. Total suspended particulates at Jersey City sites, 1986 (Pg/CU ml cm

. Table 21. Particulate organic matter concentrations, 1986 [7].

Table 22. Heavy metal concentrations in Jersey City Air, 1986 (71. Units in pg/cu m.

Table 23. Common noise.. levels [ 20 1.

Table 24. Normalized Desk hour noise levels (~BA).

Table 25. Adjusted peak hour noise levels recorded in Montgomery Street area (dBA) [13]. . JEZISEX ClTY EnI - AEFENDXCES PA[3E 60 . t

Map 1. Regional M?ap

Map 2. Base Map

Map 3. Topography . L 1 Map 4. Slope Distribution. .

Map 5. Zoning s

Map 6. Parks

Map 7. .Bedrock

Map 8. Soils h

Map 9 0 Drainage Basins

.

. . . # , _-.-- -..---L--C- ..--..-a- w-. * .--- *p1...... - --

JEz?sEYcITYEzu-AP~I~ Pm 61