Residents urge more visible action to clean Hackensack River; county and riverkeepers cited as resources

Kendall Descalzi, a Teaneck resident, told Bergen County commissioners she regularly encounters trash and unpleasant odors along the Hackensack River and urged greater county attention and cleanup efforts.
"The Hackensack River is very dirty. It smells every time I go by it," Descalzi said during the public‑comment period, adding she has seen tires and other debris floating in the water and would like to see organized volunteer projects or county support to clean the river.
During the same public comment exchange, a speaker referenced local volunteer and advocacy efforts, naming Bill Sheen and the Hackensack Riverkeeper organization and noting they run volunteer bank cleanups and have secured funds for remediation efforts. The transcript also records mention of a state funding stream called Clean Communities that can support volunteer projects and cleanup work.
In her committee report, a commissioner noted the Hackensack River has been the focus of long‑term cleanup efforts, described part of the river as a Superfund site in its history and encouraged volunteers to participate in ongoing cleanups. The meeting record did not include a specific county program launch or an action to allocate new county funds for river cleanup at this session.
Speakers encouraged residents interested in volunteering to contact the Hackensack Riverkeeper office, which the transcript says maintains a website and an office on Main Street in Hackensack. County officials at the meeting advised citizens that existing state funding and volunteer efforts are available and welcome participation.
No vote or directive to staff to create a new county cleanup program was recorded in the meeting minutes.