Appendix C - Passaic River Public Digital Library

2.0 COMPILATION OF AVAILABLE DATA
The Lower Passaic River has been extensively sampled since the 1990s, and those environmental
sampling programs conducted since 1993 that were included in this analysis are summarized in Table 2-1.
Analytical chemistry data derived from these studies were obtained from www.ourPassaic.org, which is a
database compiled by various groups (e.g., USEPA, Tierra Solutions, Inc. [TSI], New Jersey Department
of Environmental Protection [NJDEP]), as well as from the Contaminant Assessment and Reduction
Program (CARP). Data were used to assess current and potential future cancer risks and noncancer health
hazards to human and ecological receptors. Analytical data from fish and blue crab tissue samples were
used to estimate current cancer risks and noncancer health hazards; analytical data from surface sediment
samples were used to estimate future biota concentrations for use in evaluating potential future cancer
risks and noncancer health hazards associated with the site following remedial action. Much of the
analytical data was collected in the 1990s and may not represent current surface conditions in the river.
Therefore, for this assessment, only surface sediment and tissue data collected from 1993 to the present
were used to better represent current conditions. For each dataset, the top (surface) sediment interval was
selected. In some cases, the top interval spanned from 0-6 inches, in other cases, it spanned from 0-1
foot, and the largest interval was from 0-2.3 feet (Table 2-1).
It should be noted that, based on the objectives of the risk assessments and the schedule for implementing
risk management decisions, the analytical data used in the human heath and ecological risk assessments
did not undergo a full data usability assessment in accordance with guidance from USEPA (1992).
However, the majority of the data were collected under USEPA assurance/quality control (QA/QC)
Quality Assurance Project Plans (QAPP). Appropriate QA/QC procedures appear to have been conducted
on most datasets, and the data are deemed to be of sufficient quality to perform these risk assessments. It
is anticipated that a complete evaluation of the usability of the risk assessment datasets will be conducted
in preparation for the baseline human health and ecological risk assessments as part of the 17-mile Lower
Passaic River RI/FS. Table 2-1 provides a detailed list of the datasets used for this task and their QA/QC
procedures, if available.
The sampling locations for sediment are depicted in Figure 2-1; sampling locations for biota are depicted
in Figure 2-2; the full dataset is provided in Attachment 1.
Draft Focused Feasibility Study Risk Assessment 2-1 June 2007
Lower Passaic River Restoration Project Appendix C