Source: http://www.nj.com, October 10, 2017
By: Corey W. McDonald
Honeywell International has begun an environmental remediation project at Richard A. Rutkowski Park as part of the New Jersey’s required cleanup of chromium residue that was used early in the 20th century.
The project began earlier this month and officials this week will begin surveying and identifying areas for clearing of excavation and vegetation.
Honeywell International was ordered in 2003 to clean up a 34-acre site along Jersey City’s western waterfront that was a dumping ground for chromium, a known carcinogen. Two years later chromium was identified by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection during an inspection of Rutkowski Park.
The project is expected to conclude by mid-December, and nearly all of the work is occurring along a portion of the Bayonne sewer pipeline in Rutkowski Park, officials said.
Park improvements will include replacement of the asphalt walkway within the work area, removal of overgrown vegetation, and new plantings between West 48th and West 49th streets, officials said.
The work will require the closure of certain sections of the park for a limited period of time, the city said.
Officials said the work area will extend from West 48th Street to West 52nd Street; Honeywell has distributed a letter about the environmental remediation to the residents in the area around the work area and the park.