By JEFF MONTGOMERY
Gannett News Service

Rep. Rob Andrews, D-Haddon Heights, long an opponent of the processing of VX nerve gas disposal byproducts in South Jersey, said Saturday he didn't believe the EPA decision would lead to the project becoming a reality.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would still have to sign off on the project for it to become a reality, and the Army Corps of Engineers would have to prove dumping the toxin in the Delaware is the cheapest option available, he said.

"I think in the end the record will show that this is not the least costly way to dispose of the (nerve gas) and there are significant public health concerns that will conclude that we should not do this," Andrews said.

He added that New Jersey's government would do everything possible to prevent the dumping from happening.

"I remain steadfastly opposed to this project," Andrews said. "I am convinced that it never should and never will happen."

The secretary of Delaware's Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control said late Friday that the announcement wasn't surprising.

"I'm not stunned by the decision. I'm skeptical in the sense that I need to review the evidence, and I think my staff has the same attitude," said John A. Hughes. "We did say early on that it's going to take new technology to make the VX treatment acceptable. The treatment level of the original plan was much too low."

Delaware's researchers raised critical questions about DuPont's original proposal, eventually prompting the company to develop a new treatment step that would prevent toxic leftovers in the wastewater from escaping into the river.

The EPA's latest findings were forwarded to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where analysts are considering human health consequences. The final report is expected to go to the region's congressional delegations in April.

Anthony Farina, a spokesman for DuPont, said the company was aware of the development and has yet to review details.

"Certainly we've been working very closely with the EPA in addressing their concerns," Farina said. "We look forward to seeing the final report when it's completed and released."

Comments from DuPont in mid-2004 indicated the company could make $13.5 million annually during the two- to three-year treatment process. Details of the contract or government payments to DuPont during preparations for the work were unavailable.

Army officials could not be reached Friday. The Newport VX disposal depot reported last week that it had destroyed about 11 percent of a 250,000 gallon VX stockpile, with wastewater from the process stored in mobile containers pending a decision on the DuPont project.

Brendan Gilfillan, a spokesman for New Jersey's governor, said Jon S. Corzine remains concerned about the proposal.

"We're still very interested in seeing the result of the CDC's study of the human impact," Gilfillan said.

Former Gov. Richard Codey opposed the Army plan and warned last year he would bar use of the New Jersey Turnpike for shipping wastewater to DuPont's plant. New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection barred the company from treating the wastewater without a public permit review and amendment.

The EPA letter referred to the New Jersey permit requirement, saying the agency "will act in our oversight role to ensure that the treated effluent meets the permit limitations set to protect the environment."

"I think it's premature for the EPA to make that judgment," said New Jersey Environmental Federation representative Jane Nogaki. "It begs the question of why transport a substance across miles and miles for disposal when a process for treating it on-site would be preferable."

Although the EPA found DuPont had proven its discharge meets federal toxicity limits, the agency recommended additional work, including studies of fish and other aquatic life, before treatment begins. The EPA, New Jersey, DuPont and the Delaware River Basin Commission would collaborate in those studies.

Delaware officials had cautioned the disposal operation could set back efforts to curb pollution, and restore fish and aquatic habitats in the river. Government agencies advise against eating any fish from some portions of the waterway, and Delaware researchers had warned DuPont's plan could add phosphorus to the river, possibly promoting algal blooms that reduce oxygen levels.

In a summary of the EPA's findings, the agency said the Army's treatment process would reduce VX levels "significantly" below a 20 parts per billion level considered to be undetectable using conventional screening methods.

"Wastewater containing this extremely low level of VX would be further treated at the DuPont" facility, the EPA said.

Critics of the process had objected to the possibility that any VX would make the trip to New Jersey after neutralization processes in Indiana.

"It's not going to bring any new jobs to New Jersey," Nogaki said, "and it only brings potential risks to the river."

Courier-Post staff writers contributed to this report.