We've known for over 50 years how polluted the Passaic River is. The environmental group American Rivers puts together a ranking of our country's most endangered rivers every year. New Jersey's Passaic River ranked 4th. Rivers even worse than the Passaic were the Mississippi, Tijuana and Appalachia. The Passaic flows from the Morris County Highlands and ends in Newark Bay. Along it's 80 mile length the river passes through densely populated suburbs and industrial cities like Kearny, Patterson and Newark. The river flows over The Great Falls in Patterson at one of it's most iconic locations. The Passaic was designated a Super Fund site in 1984. Efforts by The Environmental Protection Agency have improved the condition of the river. However, the effects of decades of industrial pollution and continued storm water run off remain. The last 17 miles of the river continue to be of most concern. The estimated cost to continue the clean up of that stretch is about $1.8 Billion Dollars.
Source: North Jersey dot Com
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