Berry’s Creek is a tidal tributary in Bergen County, New Jersey between the Hackensack and Passaic Rivers, which extends almost seven miles from its discharge into the Hackensack River upstream towards its origins just south of Teterboro Airport (Figure 1). The approximately 12 square miles of the Berry’s Creek watershed (about 8% of the total Hackensack River watershed) includes numerous marshes, channels, wetlands, and drainage ditches that serve as habitat to hundreds of plant and animal species (USEPA et al., 2005). Widely recognized as one of the keys to the sustained ecological viability of the Meadowlands, Berry’s Creek and its associated canals also hold the distinction of being one of the most contaminated waterways in northeastern U.S (USEPA, 2008a).In 1929 the F.W. Berk Company (later known as the Wood-Ridge Chemical Company) opened its doors as a mercury reclamation and recovery center. This facility would process spent or off-spec fungicides, pesticides, batteries, thermometers, dental amalgams, and other mercury containing wastes and remove or recover the mercury for re-sale or reformulation into new products (USEPA, 2006). By 1974, when operations at its 40-acre site ceased, the plant had changed owners and names several times and some estimates have indicated that up to 270 tons of mercury could have been discharged into portions of Berry’s Creek, but the actual amount of mercury released from point sources on the Creek is unknown (i.e., could be more or less). Based on one study, at its peak operation, between two to four pounds of mercury were being released into Berry’s Creek every day (NJDEP, 1992). Additional investigations are ongoing that will provide further data on the validity of these estimates. In 2005, USEPA completed its Framework Document for Berry’s Creek (USEPA et al., 2005), which attempts to establish the guidelines for the characterization and investigation of the mercury and other heavy metal contamination present in Berry’s Creek sediments. Critical to the success and effectiveness of these upcoming characterization activities is an understanding of not only how the contaminants were released but also the most probable (and implementable) remedial alternatives available for the waterway. Our presentation provides both a historical perspective on the discharges into Berry’s Creek and establishes an ecological framework in which to consider and carryout future cleanup actions.
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机译：贝瑞溪（Berry’s Creek）是新泽西州卑尔根县的一条潮汐支流，介于哈肯萨克河和帕萨克河之间，从其排放物进入上游哈肯萨克河，一直延伸到泰特波罗机场以南（图1）。 Berry's Creek流域约12平方英里（约占Hackensack河流域总数的8％）包括众多沼泽，水道，湿地和排水沟，可作为数百种动植物的栖息地（USEPA等，2005） ）。浆果河（Berry's Creek）及其相关的运河被公认为是Meadowlands持续生态生存能力的关键之一，同时也成为美国东北部污染最严重的水道之一（USEPA，2008a）。1929年，FW Berk Company（后来被称为伍德里奇化工公司（Wood-Ridge Chemical Company）开业，作为汞回收和回收中心。该设施将处理用过的或不合格的杀真菌剂，农药，电池，温度计，牙科用汞合金和其他含汞废物，并清除或回收汞，以再出售或重新制成新产品（美国环保局，2006年）。到1974年，当其40英亩场地的运营停止时，该工厂已多次更改所有者和名称，并且一些估计表明，多达270吨的汞可以排放到贝里溪的部分地区，但实际汞含量从Creek上的点源释放的气体是未知的（即可能更多或更少）。根据一项研究，在运营高峰期，每天有2到4磅的汞被释放到Berry's Creek中（NJDEP，1992）。正在进行其他调查，这些调查将提供有关这些估计的有效性的进一步数据。 2005年，美国环保局（USEPA）完成了其关于贝里克里克（Berry's Creek）的框架文件（USEPA等，2005），该文件试图建立表征和研究贝里克里克沉积物中汞和其他重金属污染的指南。对于这些即将到来的表征活动的成功和有效性至关重要的是，不仅要了解如何释放污染物，还要了解水路可用的最可能（和可实施）的补救措施。我们的演讲不仅提供了对进入Berry's Creek的排放物的历史观点，而且建立了一个生态框架，供您考虑和执行未来的清理行动。
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