Dump of gas problem for all

The town names might be unfamiliar to many North Jersey residents: Commercial, Pittsgrove, Upper Pittsgrove, Riverton, Woodstown and Downe. To northerners, many South Jersey municipalities might as well be on another planet.

So as the residents of those towns in southern New Jersey fight a U.S. Army plan to bring to their region the byproduct of semi-neutralized VX nerve gas, many North Jerseyans might consider the ordeal somebody else's problem.

Taking that attitude would be a selfish and misguided, even if the Army proposal had no direct impact on population centers north of Route 1. But for those needing a "not in my backyard" rationale, the suggested route to the disposal site might be sufficient.

The Army proposes using tanker trucks to carry the caustic material from Indiana to South Jersey. One of the paths would be Route 80 to the New Jersey Turnpike. The destination: The Secure Environmental Treatment section of the DuPont Chambers Works facility in Salem County.

There, the material would be further treated and the effluent would be discharged into the Delaware River.

As would be expected, the proposal is meeting heavy opposition from New Jersey's politicians, residents and environmental groups. Despite conditional endorsement of the plan by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a gambling man would be a fool if he bet on the Army with this one.

For one, the DuPont plant would need a permit from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) before it could accept the material. If the DEP can shut down a black bear hunt, it should be capable of pulling the plug on this.

The Army initially planned to fully neutralize the VX at the Indiana site. Although most people, even the folks of Indiana, support that idea, the Army switched plans after Sept. 11, 2001, contending the New Jersey method would be faster and, therefore, more prudent given fear of a terrorist assault on the Indiana site.

Unfortunately, even if the Army reverts to its original plan, some damage to South Jersey already has happened. The mere suggestion of using the Delaware as the final dumping place for stuff remotely related to one of the most deadly chemicals ever concocted has opened a wound that was finally starting to heal: The perception of the lower river as forever-fouled and worthy of continued chemical assault.

Delaware Riverkeeper Maya K. van Rossum insists that, despite the EPA's conclusion, the treated waste would be "a very real threat to the river and the fishery." But she acknowledges that "we also have a real public perception issue."

According to van Rossum, there are already 26 species of fish in the river that cannot be eaten due to PCB and heavy metal accumulation.

"Now we're talking about dumping chemical weapons into that mix and we are ... starting to, rightfully so, increase fear in people's minds," said van Rossom. "The Delaware River is critically important economically to our region. As soon as you start creating the reality, and the perception, that the Delaware is a dumping ground for more toxins, you start doing damage to all of those who rely on the river."

Matt Blake, conservation director for the American Littoral Society in New Jersey, said people in the Delaware Bay region are riding a wave of optimism about the river's steady resurrection from its former role as a "toxic waste dump" and emergence as a thriving fishery and recreational resource.

"People in Down Jersey identify with the bay," said Blake. "There's a lot of bad news out there, but one thing that's really getting people excited is hearing about the oyster revitalization. It's really capturing the hearts of people in South Jersey, and people don't want us to backpedal in time."

Fred J. Aun covers the outdoors for The Star-Ledger. He may be reached at outdoors@starledger.com