Category: Waterbodies & Other Wetlands 
Location: North of NJSEA Sports Complex Walden Marsh in Carlstadt, Bergen County.
Current Land Use: Preserved tidal marsh
Current Ownership: Various private owners and the State of New Jersey.
Site Description: The Eight Day Swamp is a highly contaminated wetland area that lies on the western banks of Berry’s Creek. High levels of mercury and other heavy metals are found throughout the site. An estimated 50 tons of mercury are found in a stratified layer within the marsh soils. The Eight Day Swamp is dominated by a monoculture of common reed (Phragmites australis) and receives very little tidal flushing.
Existing Site-Specific Data Inventory
A. Survey, Maps, and GIS
HMD data exists inclusive of this site.
B. Real Estate/Ownership
Separate portions of the site owned by various private owners and the State of New Jersey.
C. Site History & Land Use
No data obtained.
D. Biological Studies – Fauna
Benthos studies completed in 2002 and 2003.
E. Biological Studies – General Environmental
No data obtained.
F. Geotechnical
No data obtained.
G. Hydraulics and Hydrology
No data obtained.
H. Water and Sediments
Sediment contamination studies completed at the site in 1980, 2002, and 2003.
I. Historical/Cultural Resources
No data obtained.
J. Restoration/Remediation Design Plans
No data obtained.
Site Reports
Site #34 – Eight Day Swamp
Category: Waterbodies & Other Wetlands
Location: North of NJSEA Sports Complex Walden Marsh in Carlstadt, Bergen County.
Current Land Use: Preserved tidal marsh
Current Ownership: Various private owners and the State of New Jersey
Site Description: The Eight Day Swamp is a highly contaminated wetland area that lies on the western banks of Berry’s Creek. High levels of mercury and other heavy metals are found throughout the site. An estimated 50 tons of mercury are found in a stratified layer within the marsh soils. The Eight Day Swamp is dominated by a monoculture of common reed (Phragmites australis) and receives very little tidal flushing.
Existing Site Specific Data Inventory
* – Report repeated under multiple data categories and/or sites.
A. Survey, Maps, and GIS
Relevant survey, mapping, and GIS data for the Meadowlands can be found in the Meadowlands-wide site report under data category A.
B. Real Estate/Ownership
Separate portions of the site are owned by various private owners and the State of New Jersey.
C. Site History & Land Use
No data obtained.
D. Biological Studies – Fauna
1. *Weis, P. and J. W. Weis. Eight Day Swamp: Assessment of Heavy Metal Contamination and Benthic Diversity. 2002. [1a] Collected sediment cores and analyzed individual slices for eight metals and identified and counted benthos. Compared sediment concentrations and benthos diversity to determine if there is a correlation between the two.
2. *Weis, Judith S. & Peddrick Weis. Benthic Communities and Metal Contamination in Eight-Day Swamp, a Brackish Marsh in the Hackensack Meadowlands. Abstracts of the Meadowlands Symposium. 2003. [1a] Cores taken from 16 stations within Eight Day Swamp were analyzed for metal concentrations and for benthic community. The metal levels were compared with the benchmark ERM values, and expressed in terms of toxic units. The benthic community was analyzed in samples (three replicates from each station) after staining with Rose Bengal.
E. Biological Studies – General Environmental
No data obtained.
F. Geotechnical
No data obtained.
G. Hydraulics and Hydrology
No data obtained.
H. Water and Sediments
3. Sabounjian, E. & P. Galluzi. The Distribution of Mercury Contamination in Marsh Sediments, Channel Sediments, and Surface Waters of the Hackensack Meadowlands, New Jersey. 1980. [1a] Sediment cores to a depth of 18 inches and surface water were sampled at 42 sites throughout the HMD, including Eight Day Swamp and Berry’s Creek. Mercury contamination was compared among marsh sediments, channel sediments, and surface waters, as well as along different points downstream of a former mercury processing facility. Contamination between marshes removed from tidal influence and those close to watercourses was also compared.
4. *Weis, P. and J. W. Weis. Eight Day Swamp: Assessment of Heavy Metal Contamination and Benthic Diversity. 2002. [1a] Collected sediment cores and analyzed individual slices for eight metals and identified and counted benthos. Compared sediment concentrations and benthos diversity to determine if there is a correlation between the two.
5. *Weis, Judith S. & Peddrick Weis. Benthic Communities and Metal Contamination in Eight-Day Swamp, a Brackish Marsh in the Hackensack Meadowlands. Abstracts of the Meadowlands Symposium. 2003. [1a] Cores taken from 16 stations within Eight Day Swamp were analyzed for metal concentrations and for benthic community. The metal levels were compared with the benchmark ERM values, and expressed in terms of toxic units. The benthic community was analyzed in samples (three replicates from each station) after staining with Rose Bengal.
I. Historical/Cultural Resources
No data obtained.
J. Restoration/Remediation Design Plans
No data obtained.
K. Bibliographic Updates
Site #34: Eight Day Swamp