112-Acre Restoration Project Begins Along Raritan River

A 112-acre restoration project has begun along the Raritan River in New Jersey, with the aim of bringing back forest and wetland habitat that was affected by contamination linked to the American Cyanamid Superfund Site.

The project is being carried out under a settlement related to damage to natural resources. According to the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the project is taking place on land owned by Duke Farms, a centre of the Doris Duke Foundation, in Hillsborough, New Jersey.

The site is about 2.8 miles upstream from the American Cyanamid Site. The work will convert retired agricultural fields into forested and scrub-shrub floodplain habitat next to the Raritan River.

The restoration is part of a larger effort to compensate for natural resources that were lost or injured because of contamination from the American Cyanamid Site.

The work will include planting native trees and shrubs, controlling invasive plants and creating habitat for amphibians, insects, birds and other wildlife.

The project follows a settlement finalised on July 16, 2024, between the US Department of Justice, the State of New Jersey and Wyeth Holdings LLC.

The settlement addresses liability for past releases of hazardous substances at or near the American Cyanamid Superfund Site in Bridgewater, New Jersey.

The releases affected several types of habitat near the Raritan River, including floodplain, riparian, upland and wetland areas.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the NJDEP are the Natural Resource Trustees for the American Cyanamid Site.

The Trustees will use the settlement to support the restoration project and its monitoring.

A major part of the project will be the planting of about 50,000 native trees and shrubs. The former agricultural fields will gradually be converted into floodplain forest and scrub-shrub habitat.

The project will also involve intensive management of undesirable invasive plants. These plants can interfere with the growth of native vegetation, so controlling them will be an important part of establishing the restored habitat.

A deer fence will be installed around the project area to protect newly planted vegetation from herbivory, or damage caused when animals feed on plants.

The project will also create three acres of vernal pool habitat. Vernal pools are temporary pools of water that can provide habitat for amphibians.

Native grass and pollinator seed mixes will also be planted to provide food sources for insects and other pollinators.

The restoration will not end when the planting and construction work is completed. The project includes 15 years of monitoring and adaptive management.

This means the site will continue to be watched and managed so that the restoration work can be assessed and adjusted when needed.

Floodplain forests are among the most biologically diverse habitats in the region. However, they have also been historically degraded.

The restoration is expected to help re-establish floodplain forest in the area. This will provide improved habitat for wildlife, including birds, bats and amphibians.

The Service is also carrying out effectiveness monitoring with Duke Farms. The monitoring will look at the benefits that improved habitat provides to bird species and other wetland resources.

The information gathered through this work can also help guide future restoration projects. The project is expected to provide benefits beyond wildlife habitat.

The restoration could also improve the water quality of the Raritan River and increase flood storage capacity and storm resiliency. It is also expected to improve ecosystem services that benefit local communities.

The restoration project is connected to contamination caused by industrial activity at the American Cyanamid Site. Releases from the site contaminated soil and groundwater with several hazardous substances.

These included volatile organic compounds, semi-volatile organic compounds, polychlorinated biphenyls, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, cyanide and heavy metals.

The releases also affected the Raritan River and Cuckels Brook, a tributary of the Raritan River. Associated sediments, groundwater, wetlands, riparian areas, floodplains and uplands were also affected.

The contamination resulted in potential injury to fish and wildlife. The restoration work is therefore intended to compensate for losses and injuries to natural resources in floodplain, riparian and wetland habitats.

The floodplain reforestation project is not the first restoration work connected to the American Cyanamid Site. The Trustees had earlier identified two projects to compensate for injury to the river caused by the facility.

One involved removing the Weston Mill Dam on the Millstone River. The other involved a design and feasibility study looking at ways to improve fish passage at the Island Farm Weir.

The weir was identified as the remaining barrier to migratory fish passage in the lower 30 miles of the Raritan River. The Trustees and the potentially responsible party reached a settlement in 2017.

That settlement included the implementation of the two projects and provided a limited release for in-river injury caused by the discharge of hazardous substances from the American Cyanamid Site.

Both of those restoration objectives have now been completed.