"Old Story of Pollution; New Urgency This Time"

"Pompton Lakes, N.J. -- It seems every decade here has its own restaging of the same environmental horror story. It began with the old DuPont munitions plant that left behind a trail of lead and mercury, contaminated soil and water and a plume of toxic vapor still capable of leaking into at least 450 houses. The story has no end in sight.

There was the initial wave of concern in the 1970s, the first serious opposition by the borough’s government in the 1980s, the $38.5 million settlement from DuPont in the 1990s, a smaller suit and ruling against the company in 2002.

Still, the toxic legacy is as real now as it was decades ago. Hence the volatile mixture of newfound hope, raw anger and pent-up frustration Thursday night when residents gathered at the local Elks Lodge."

Peter Applebome reports for the New York Times January 31, 2010.