>From today’s Record.
PSE&G expects to spend nearly $1.2 billion to clean up 38 sites contaminated with toxic pollution left over from an era when towns in New Jersey illuminated their streets by gaslight.
In the mid to late 1800s, any town with pride and gumption built a manufactured gas facility — a small factory that roasted coal at high temperatures to separate out the gas. The gas lit the streets and heated homes. Some of the waste products from the process, including coke and coal tar, were sold for industrial purposes. But plenty of the waste was useless, and toxic — and got dumped on site.
“Crime was a major concern in the 1800s, and streetlights cut that down. It represented a big improvement in the quality of life,” said Bruce Preston, the manager of environmental projects for PSE&G who oversees the cleanup program. “Unfortunately some of the tar byproduct was deposited around the plants. It’s a legacy and liability we want to get off the books.”
PSE&G inherited many mom-and-pop manufactured gas facilities when local utilities consolidated in the 1920s. Under an agreement with the state, the utility is cleaning up 38 sites throughout New Jersey, including those in East Rutherford, Englewood, Hackensack, Paterson, Passaic and Ridgewood.
Where is the site in Ridgewood???
