Through the air, across the land and into the Delaware River: Mercer Generating Station’s chemical paper trail.

The stacks of the PSEG Mercer Generating Station loom above the stunted tree-line on Duck Island. A sign on the main-entrance points visitors to an adjacent fishing area, the popular recreational spot attracts many of them on nice days.

The Delaware River looks gorgeous with the soft light of a fading day shimmering across its surface. A boat ramp attracts anglers, who come early in the morning with tackle boxes, buckets and rods. Families eat snacks at the picnic tables, children hop around the playground area, and elderly couples share benches as they toss bread pieces to flapping ducks.

What these people may not know, is that the adjacent coal-burning facility releases millions of pounds of dangerous materials into the environment each year. The station uses coal, gas and distillate oil to fuel the steam and combustion turbines of its three-unit power plant. The first unit was put into operation in 1960.

If the site is contaminated, why is the area being used as a recreational spot? The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection listed the facility as a contaminated site, meaning that both soil and water contamination has been confirmed by the state’s Site Remediation and Waste Management Program. There are 14,000 such sites identified state-wide. However, this area is different from most, because the power company is releasing heavy doses of toxic waste so close to a popular recreational area. People are fishing in the very same waters that the company is polluting.

The Mercer Generating Station is among the worst in the state. In 2004, it ranked second behind the Hudson Generating Center as the biggest NJ air and water polluter, according to a study released New Jersey Public Interest Research Group.

The station pumped 2.2 million pounds of pollutants into the skies and 3,051 pounds into river waters in 2004. The next year total on-site releases climbed even higher, totaling 3.1 million pounds.

On-site release of hazardous materials refers to the direct placement of these materials into the air, land or waters. Stack emissions, air emissions, substances dumped into surface or ground waters, materials injected into underground wells are all examples of on-site releases. This is by far the most preferred and utilized method of releasing toxic waste. The alternative is an off-site release, where substances are taken away from the plant by a waste removal service which costs substantially more.

In 2005, approximately 20 million pounds of hazardous waste was dumped into the state’s environment by on-site releases according to the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI).

The TRI reports require industries to identify the dangerous substances they release into the atmosphere, how much is being released, and in what manner. The purpose is to inform community members of toxic chemicals in their area. The 2005 reports identified 18 different hazardous substances that were being released into the atmosphere by Mercer Generating Station.

The chemical paper trail begins with these reports. There is so much information to sift through. Each harmful substance has pages and pages of paperwork accompanying it.

A review of the station’s paperwork shows that 753 pounds of Lead were deposited directly into the Delaware River via pipes in 2005. Forty-three more pounds went into the air via smoke-stacks. Lead is known to cause brain and nervous system damage, and children are especially vulnerable.

In the same year, the generating station released 1,000 pounds of Arsenic into the river. Some fuzzy estimates were given for air emissions that ranged from 1 to 499 pounds.

Perhaps the most disturbing, is the dizzying figure for the amount of Hydrochloric acids that climbed up the smokestacks that year, 2.8 million pounds. This amount was well over the maximum chemical amount for the year, which ranges from 10,000 to 99,999 pounds. This fact was detailed on the report, and a citation was issued during plat inspections.

State issued environmental permits constitute another source of pavers-stones for the chemical trail. Because the power company has to apply for state permits for river dumping, the substances going into the river are quantified and monitored. Pipes lead from the company and deposit hazardous waste materials directly into the Delaware.

Water discharge permits granted by the state in 2006 gave Mercer Generating station permission to dump 21 different substances into the Delaware River until 2011. The document lists: zinc, nickel, copper, iron, nitrogen, ammonia and hydrocarbons as substances, among others, which flow from the generating factory to the waters in labeled pipes. Ammonia is a liver toxicant and neurotoxin. Exposure to it is bad for the respiratory and reproductive systems. Zinc and copper only have suspected effects on the body’s systems. Contaminants pollute the water, wildlife and humans who frequent the area.

The soot and ozone smog that comes from the stacks of coal-burning energy plants can contribute to respiratory problems. “The fine particles in soot from power plants can bypass respiratory defenses and lodge deep in the lungs, resulting in cardiovascular and respiratory problems that cut short the lives of tens of thousands of Americans every year,” reads a US Public Interest Research Group report. The report also indicates that mercury or metals dumped in water are absorbed by fish, which can then be consumed by humans, which results in unhealthy levels of toxins in the body.

Because of the obvious health and environmental concerns, the power company is subject to close scrutiny by the state. Every year, numerous inspections are conducted, the most recent batch was completed in March 2007. A few violations were found, and citations were issued which required company action. There is a general goal for the company to reduce emissions over time, and New Jersey is a state with a growing dedication to the environment with a legislature and courts that actively tackle environmental policy-making.

The inspection summary for the Annual Air Compliance Certification showed a few places where the station was out of compliance with EPA standards. The inspector found that the monitoring system for the stacks was not consistently running as required by law. A constantly running monitoring system can accurately track the amount of toxins being released into the air. A system that has long periods of down-time is apt to skew the figures. The station’s systems were down sometimes for 5 hours at a time.

In the Air Excess Emission Report, it was found that emissions from the stacks exceeded the maximum allowance granted by the Operating Permit in boilers number one and two. Citations were issued in all cases and the current status of the violations is listed as “pending.”

One of that station’s effort to recycle waste is well-documented. In 2000, it applied for a state Beneficial Use Permit to recycle 50,000 pounds of coal fly ash. The material is a by-product of coal burning, and it can be used: to make concrete products; as a filler for embankments; to stabilize waste materials or road base substances; or as a mineral filler for asphalt.

The Mercer Generating Station’s application for the permit indicated that the coal fly ash would be used by Bark Camp Mine Reclamation in Clearfield, PA to solidify dredged materials. NJ granted and approved the request, and the process was repeated four times in two years, for a total of 265,000 pounds coal-fly ash that was recycled.

The Mercer Generating Station is under growing pressure from state authorities, legislators, and civic groups demanding reduced pollutants. New Jersey is the most densely populated state in the nation, and because of it, more people are growing concerned about hazardous materials in their air, on their lands and in their waters.

The industries that once occupied Trenton left contaminates in the area. In those days, the industries had a strong grip over NJ politics, and there was no knowledge about the environment or toxic substances. The industrial factories of Trenton are long gone, but contaminates remain locked in the soils, the skycap, and the waters of the city. Present day sites like the Mercer Generating Station contribute to the problem. A toxic waste site should not be used as a recreational fishing and boating area.