Here's the latest on plan to remove illegally dumped dirt piles from a Camden neighborhood
Trucks are moving through Bergen Square, starting to haul some of the dirt out of a site where tons of it was illegally dumped over the course of several years, Camden officials confirmed.
City spokesman Vince Basara said flyers in English and Spanish were distributed to residents in the neighborhood, advising them that work would begin to remove dirt from the site at 7th and Chestnut streets in Camden. Dirt was being taken from smaller piles on the site, Basara said, and street sweepers would run through to clean debris and residue after them.
Timeline for removal of Camden dirt piles
In October, city officials laid out a timeline for the work, paid for with $5 million in American Rescue Act funds it allocated in the spring of 2022. There are an estimated 1,900 tons of what the Camden Redevelopment Agency (CRA), which owns the lot, called "non-hazardous contaminated screened material related to illegal dumping." The largest pile measures about 3,245 cubic feet and ranges in height from 10 to 22 feet.
From 2022:After several years, Camden now ready to clear out illegally dumped dirt pile
Licensed site remediation professionals are overseeing the work, Basara added, to ensure the soil is removed safely and to address residents' concerns about potentially toxic dust getting into the water and air in a neighborhood already plagued by pollution and illegal dumping.
The project, expected to take several months, is proceeding on schedule thus far, Basara noted. On the CRA website, the agency said removal will occur in three phases. After all the piles are removed, the CRA said, it will conduct an environmental assessment and address any remaining contamination. In addition to the dirt, workers discovered 15 drums on the property, which will also be removed and disposed of properly, CRA added; it is now working to find a vendor for that work.
What it is:Encroaching waste materials threatens Camden house and residents' health, says state
Large-scale removal of the biggest piles should begin around June and take place throughout the summer, the city said in an October news conference at the site that drew state officials including NJ Dept. of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette.
Lawsuit targets illegal dumping
In 2021, a group of environmental activists and city residents began to call attention to the pile. The state filed suit against the alleged dumpers in May 2021.
View from above:An aerial view of the site from Camden Community Partnership
In a civil complaint, the New Jersey Attorney General's Office said that the defendants are in "decades-long noncompliance with environmental laws and regulations which continue to expose the Camden community to pollution and other environmental and public health hazards." The complaint says the DEP began inspecting the site as far back as 2002 and has found "numerous, repeated violations," and found the presence of of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and metals, known carcinogens that can cause liver, kidney and other cancers.
The defendants — S. Yaffa & Sons Inc.; William Yocco; Charles Yaffa; Weyhill Realty Holdings Inc.; XYZ Corporations and several "John and/or Jane Does" — "have unlawfully imported and stockpiled solid waste on their Camden property," the suit alleges, "including contaminated fill material, construction and demolition debris, and waste tires."
What residents are saying
Some Camden residents, though, have expressed concerns about the cleanup, saying street sweepers only showed up after they'd complained about dust and debris. Neighbors also worried that workers weren't wearing personal protective equipment and questioned whether the proper oversight was in place.
"They can hire me to be an observer; I'm a Camden resident and none of these companies are hiring residents," said Christoff Lindsey, who lives a block away, alluding to a recent report about companies receiving tax incentives to relocate to Camden but failing to deliver on promises to employ more people from the city.
"I know what needs to be done, and I know the going rate," added Lindsey, an urban gardener and lifelong resident. "They can pay me to do it."
Phaedra Trethan has been a reporter and editor in South Jersey since 2007 and has called the region home since 1971. Contact her at ptrethan@gannettnj.com, on Twitter @wordsbyPhaedra, or by phone at 856.486-2417.
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This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Illegally dumped dirt pile finally on its way out of Camden
