"More than 40 years after the Passaic River was declared a Superfund site, cancer-causing toxins still line its bottom. While residents drink from its waters, cleanup stalls under corporate resistance and potential federal budget cuts." 

"Isiah Cruz is alone on the banks of the Passaic River—in North Ironbound, just east of Newark, New Jersey—hacking away at a bundle of tall, leafy plants. It is a hot, muggy Sunday afternoon, hazy from Canadian wildfires.

He stands in a muddied mess of sludge thick with styrofoam, human waste and hundreds of discarded plastic bottles. Cruz seems completely unphased, though, fixated on his machete and the invasive plants he’s taking out. 

“The ecosystem is still alive here,” he said, then points across the river. “Also, we should acknowledge the birds over there”—a white heron perched on the opposite bank. 

Two of his partners, who live in the area and often assist in these maintenance days, couldn’t make it. Cruz shrugs it off.

In the grand scheme of things, the small patch of greenery looks like a bit of a lost cause. The river is sickly brown. People actively toss in garbage by the minute. But here Cruz is, dedicated to restoring the waterfront’s native resilience."

Anna Mattson reports for Inside Climate News August 10, 2025. [2]