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EPA Announces Pricey Plan To Clean New Jersey Creek

BERRY'S CREEK, N.J. (CBSNewYork) – The Environmental Protection Agency has announced a $332 million cleanup for a contaminated creek in New Jersey.

The EPA says Berry's Creek in Bergen County is polluted with high levels of mercury, PCB's, and chromium.

The cleanup will be paid for by those responsible for contaminating the creek that flows into the Hackensack River.

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Berry's Creek in New Jersey (Credit: CBS2)

The six-mile waterway goes through several towns and includes 750 acres of marshes. For the past seven years, the EPA has overseen an in-depth investigation looking into the extent of the problem.

"Examining sediment, water, and fish sampling. As well as assessing how the title action of the creek moves sediment through the water shed," EPA regional administrator Pete Lopez detailed.

The EPA says the cleanup process will take about five years to complete.

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