Contact Us:
Jessica Eddy
Campus Center Room 331
Rutgers - Camden
856-225-6175
The
city of Camden lies along the western banks of the Delaware River,
facing old city Philadelphia. This location helped Camden rise as a
commercial center during the 1800s and well into the next century. As a
result, the city was home to one of the nations first major railways.
Its shipyards built awe-inspiring ships, including the first nuclear
powered submarine. Camden's factories produced a vast array of products
including textiles, chemicals, iron and steel, lumber, and automobile
parts, not to mention canned soup and recorded sounds. (Camden is the
birthplace of renowned companies RCA and Campbell's Soups.) Throughout
this time, area waterways were heavily used for waste disposal,
transportation, and water supply. The city hit its peak economically
and population-wise in the 1950s. But, the social, political, and
economic forces that marred cites across the nation, dealt a crippling
blow to the city of Camden.
Camden stands in
contrast to its past vitality. While the city still has it's fair share
of polluters, large-scale industry has become obsolete. Dilapidated
structures, tainted soil, polluted airways, and degraded waters provide
a harsh reminder of what was. Today, the city is home to 80,000 people,
a Rutgers University campus, the New Jersey State Aquarium, the Camden
River Sharks minor league baseball team, and 20 superfund sites. Many
have combined efforts to revitalize the area, but the process has only
just begun to reverse the negative economic and environmental impacts.
New
Jersey Community Water Watch has been running clean water and community
outreach programs in the Camden area since 1994. The program focuses on
the area's 3 main waterways: the Delaware River, Cooper River, and
Newton Creek. Needless to say, these rivers and streams are severely
impaired.
The water quality problems are a
result of municipal and industrial discharge, combined with the effects
of both agricultural and urban storm water run off. Forms of non-point
source pollution such as pesticides from lawns and oil from streets and
parking lots drain into our lakes, rivers, and streams, during ran
events. It is not often realized that these non-point source pollutants
pose a huge threat to the health of our waterways. In fact, the DEP has
issued an advisory stating that all fish, shellfish, and crustaceans
taken from Camden waters not be eaten due to chlordane contamination.
Chlordane, a chemical found in pesticides, is known to damage the liver
and central nervous system. This is the strictest warning of its kind
in the state. Area waters are also under advisory for industry related
toxins: dioxin, PCBs, and mercury. All of which have detrimental health
effects.
New Jersey Community Water Watch works to
promote awareness of these water quality problems and the effects. The
program has partnered with various community groups to participate in
neighborhood revitalization programs. The Camden Water Watch chapter
has educated 12,000 students, set up volunteer monitoring programs, and
pulled over 90 tons of trash out of area waters.
The program
continues to educate area residents about the importance of their
environment and water quality in hopes of promoting local stewardship
and encouraging community involvement. New Jersey Community Water Watch
looks forward to lending a helping hand in a city's rebirth.
