Arsenic, lead dot Vineland route to Maurice River

[manumuskin]

http://www.thedailyjournal.com/stor...ad-dot-vineland-route-maurice-river/30079151/


They have known about the arsenic since the early 80's at least. When they partially drained Union lake when I was a teenager to fix the dam they were sweatin bullets afraid the exposed lake bed would dry and arsenic would blow into town on the prevailing westerly winds. Somon whould be hung by the neck for this but I"m sure the responsible parties are already dead.

 

[46er]

From the Lucas Kill-Tone Co making Dry powdered Arsenate of Lead and then sold to Progresso foods? I hope Progresso didn't use the same mixing bowls. I used to like their soups. From the article it sounding like another Love canal.

 

[manumuskin]

Progresso has now been sold and it's general foods now I believe it's called.

 

[manumuskin]

In the last fey years they have done some serious digging along the Blackwater Creek.On the aerials you can see they rechannelized the main channel and dug another completely new channel a little north of that.Wiped out a complete cedar swamp doing it but now that it's coming back it's not quite so ugly with enough cedar left to border the now straight channel.I have heard this all has to do with trying to clean up the arsenic.
http://maps.njpinebarrens.com/#lat=39.51021799907991&lng=-75.06719726722719&z=17&type=nj2007&gpx=
This is a 2007 image so the channelization is not visible. here is an attachment of a Google Earth up to date shot

 

[manumuskin]

I haven't canoed the Maurice in years. Looks like they wasted the east bank where the Blackwater comes in.Oh well,what the hell,canoeists aren't anybody anyway.

 

[Gibby]

Most waterways associated with early industry are contaminated with heavy metals. I can easily think of at least ten major waterways and two canals in NJ that have posted warnings.

 

[manumuskin]

Never cared much for Heavy Metal myself. It's amazing the human race hasn't poisoned itself out of existence.

 

[Menantico]

I was kayaking the maurice a couple years back and accidentally found myself going down the newer side channel they cleared by the superfund site. like al said, its ugly but the cedars are coming back. that whole western side of vineland is an industrial mess, real shame whats happened to the tributaries of the maurice like the blackwater, tarkiln, and parvins branch.

 

[manumuskin]

The they built 55 and all the Rattlers had to cross it to get to the swamp so they could summer at the Union lake bluffs.Within ten years they were all road kill.No more Cumberland county rattlers..Lot of pines bit the dust in that area as well.

 

[GermanG]

I just canoed past the Superfund site on the Maurice with a group Sunday. Aside from the concerns over the water quality, it was the most obstacle-ridden stretch I've paddled in the last 20 years. Only Cedar Creek, just downstream of Bamber, was worse. A brave soul had done some clearing, but it looked like it was just what could be done with a bow saw, and required constant and extreme steering maneuvers with little or no warning. We paddled from Garden Rd. to Shermann Ave. in several hours more than it took last year to start at the same put-in and paddle farther down to the lower shore of Union Lake. I find obstacles fun for a while but this stream got old real fast. I'm looking forward to the Willow Grove dam project being completed so a reasonable length trip (from the lake to Almond Rd.) can be done again.

 

[manumuskin]

If they ruined a navigable stream they should be made to clear it or be sued and the money used to pay someone to clear it. There is at least one canoe livery that works that stretch and this is also no doubt hurting their business.What are they gonna do? Dredge the river to the bay?