Passaic River Is Finally Getting a Cleanup — Partially

New Jersey's Passaic River, one of the most contaminated bodies of water in the country, is finally getting a partial cleanup.

Environmental Protection Agency officials unveiled plans to clean part of the river Friday. They said more than 100 companies dumped toxic waste like dioxin and PCBs in the Lower Passaic for decades before it became illegal.

The EPA finalized a plan to remove 3.5 million cubic yards of toxic sediment from the lower eight miles of the river. Speaking at a press conference Friday, New Jersey Senator and former Newark Mayor Cory Booker praised the $1.38 billion plan but said it doesn't go far enough.

"This is a rape and pillage of the present and of the people of Newark that can not be satisfied by $1.4 billion," he said.

The plan was originally proposed in 2014, and was initially meant to dredge 20 percent more contaminated sediment from the river.

Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, said much more should be done.

"We had really hoped that they would do a full cleanup plan that would restore the river and restore the communities along the river," Tittel said. "Instead, we got a pave-and-wave that we're concerned will not work and that the polluters are still going to fight them on."

The toxic mud removed from the bottom of the river will incinerated or buried in a hazardous waste landfill. 

Officials said companies that either polluted the river or inherited the liability of past polluters would pay for the cleanup.

Ana Baptista, co-chair of a community group that advised the EPA on the cleanup, said it's about time.

"We've waited decades for an official decision to come down from the EPA on the cleanup of this river and it's legally binding," she said. "So it really is an important first step to seeing the actual cleanup of this river happen."