Dump site hazardsnot a greatRINGWOOD - Health Officer Arthur

Hughson said he is not unduly concernedby the state" Department of EnvironmentalProtection's (DEP)' focus on "twoRingwoo4 dumping sites allegedly coh-W^gteillhdb^gete ia lxhaprdpj^^bgtances ,

"They're^ just taking stock of all theproblem arejis throughout the state,'1 saidHughson;{"they'll make a thorough in-vestigation and Classify such sites ac-cording to hat they consider the greatestdanger in order to establish budgetarypriorities."

A DEP report felea^ed this past weeknamed 248 sites around New Jersey whichpose the greatest potential hazard to thepublic. • • . •

One of the Ringwood sites is the aban-donned mine shaft area into which.O'Con-'nor Trucking Co. dumped several torts ofchemical wastes. '

Later, the Ford Motor Co. of Mahwah,which owned the site, began dumping avariety of wastes. Such wastes may haveincluded paint sludge, lead solder residue,oil arid car parts, including batteries.

"What they put in there is anybody'sguess," said Hughson. v ' ,

The other site is the Ringwood SanitaryLandfill, which was operated illegally inthe early 70s by the borough governmentuntil the state ordered it closed. This sitecontains - mostly household and com-mercial wastes. It is located southwest ofthe Ford dumping site.

The main area of concern involves theleachate — or groundwater that has

cmicernpassed through the dumped wastes— thatcould possibly affect water supplies.Groundwater feeds into streams, whichcan then feed into reservoirs and lakeswhich supply1 drinking water. Groun-dwater can also affect wgll water.

However, Hughspn stressed yesterdaythat"' 'a yeair never'goe^fcy^yithout testingof the water in potentially affected areas."He added th^t th^IariWohW the testinghas eWfpf^u'cMany results which wouldindicate a potential hazard.

He said he believes that the DEP'spfesent testing is simply tnore extensivethan the normal monitoring which hasbeen conducted regularly." i lm surethey'll keep us informed."

Mayor Bill Hofmann said it was his un-derstanding that the water supply hasbeen monitored all along. He noted that notonly do bDEP officials keep tabs on thewater, but also the Wanaque Reservoirand lake association officiais take frequentsamples. »

The mayor said he is unaware of anyhealth hazard to the water supply, which ishis chief concern.

When asked about the potential hazardof fumes, Hughson said that there are nodangerous fumes as far as he knows unlesssomeone actually goes down into the oldmine shafts.

The 500 residents of the mine area in Up-per Rin§(wjx*d now use wat£r from aborough well, although in the past theirwater was supplied by stream wajef.

DEP investigators plan to visit all 248sites named in, their report.

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145 Skybnds RoadRingweoi Wsw J*rs^/ '

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OCT. 8 0

Watery mine discoveryraises Ringw flilt smid-drought hopes

BY JOYCE WISWELLRINGWOOD—Borough residents

will have to hold their breath for a fewweeks before knowing if a possibleend to their water problem is in sight.

Hopes have been raised over thediscovery of an abandoned iron minein Upper Ringwood, which is est-imated to contain at least 300 milliongallons of water.

Because the shaft is located nearan old dumping site of a former Fordassembly plant, officials fear thewater may be contiminated.

"There is no way of knowing if thewater is drinkable at this point," saidPublic Works Superintendent RedMcDowell. "We know the quantity isthere but we're not sure of thequality."

Samples being tested at theHackensack Water Company won'tyield results for at least two weeks.

When tested last week, 1,500gallons of water were pumped perminute from the 1800 feet deep shaft.After several hours of pumping, thewater level was barely reduced,according to Councilman and WaterCommittee Chairman Jack Bryne.

The mine could supply the Wana-que Resevoir with 10-15 percent of itssafe-yield water level. The resevoirhas been overdrafted for the last 15years, says Byrne.

"If the water proves to bedrinkable, it will bring us out of thecrisis," said Byrne. "This is animportant development not just forRingwood but for surrounding com-munities as well."

Even if the water is unusable,Byrne is optimistic about severalother mines located above this shaft.Since they are located farther awayfrom the dump, it is possible thatwater in these mines will be drink-able.

At press time, a geologist fromthe State Department of Environ-mental Protection (DEP) was enrouteto the mine to investigate the find.

REFERENCEPlease do not remove

from this room

RiNGWOOD PUBtIC LWRARV145 SkylancU Road

N«w Jeney 07455

OCT. 8 0

BY DAVID DEMAIORINGWOOD—Scientists from the

state Department of EnvironmentalProtection (DEP) are presentlyconducting radiation tests on watertaken from a well in an abandonediron mine in upper Ringwoed, ac-cording to Water Commissioner JackByrne. The well is estimated tocontain between 300 and 400 milliongallons of replenishable water.

On Monday, according to Byrne,DEP will begin testing for toxicwastes at a dump site located near asection of the underground well. Thesite was used as a dump by the FordMotor Company.

"We are not sure of some of the

contents that might save beendumped, and we want to run aspectrophotometrie analysis todetermine any toxic wastes," Byrnesaid. • . •

Preliminary tests on the watertaken from the mine, which at onetime reportedly contained deposits ofuranium, indicate only .high levels ofiron. ;

Byrne, who reported the findingsat a Borough Council meeting Wed-nesday night, believes the high ironlevels are predominantly caused byold machinery located in an 1800-footshaft used to reach the well water, andexpects the levels to decline.

The well's large water supply,

which has never been used as a watersource for residents here, wasdescribed by Byrne as a possible"future • water supply forRingwood...and its industrial tract."The borough presently consumes anaverage of 1.1 million gallons of waterdaily.

Byrne told the council his WaterCommittee is examing the possibilityof supplying area state parks withwater from any future wells in theUpper Ringwod area. As an example,he cited Ringwood State Park's ex-tremely low water reserves, andsuggested the possible tranfer ofwater from Ringwood over existingfacilities. .

RiNGWOOD PUBLIC LIBRARY

145 Skyiaruis Road

Ringwood, Nsw Jersey

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Is mine area dumppolluting reservoir

RINGWOOD — The Ringwood MinesLandfill, which has been cited by thefederal Environmental ProtectionAgency (EPA) as being among thenation's 418 worst toxic waste sites, hasdefinitely polluted a nearby stream,where traces of chloroform have beenfound, said one source familiar with thearea.

The polluted stream turns into MinePond and runs directly into theWanaque Reservoir, said the source.

Thus far there has been no offial reac-tion to the toxic waste situation fromthe borough. Despite repeated calls tohis office yesterday, Borough Ad-ministrator Thomas Kane could not bereached for comment.

According to the state Department ofEnvironmental Protection (DEP), themine, which has been ranked 17th

among the 65 toxic sites in the state, isthe location of several tons of chemicalwaste dumped by the O'ConnorTrucking Co. in the 1960's.

The wastes were produced by theFord Motor Co. plant in Mahwah, andincluded paints, solvents, plastics, carand truck parts, according to the EPAChloroform is byproduct of thechemical reaction when paint decays.

In addition to that dumping, WilliamVan Dunk, a long-time resident of thearea, said copper wire, paper and card-board were also dumped into the mine.

"We (the residents) never heardabout the water being polluted, but theynever tell us about it," said Van Dunk.

The mine was closed by a state orderin 1974. after a foul smell arose from themines. At that time, the DEP found that

(CONT1NUEDON PAGE 4)

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-the stream leading to the reservoir•carried 12 parts per million of organic*natter.

McDowell, director of theRingwood Department of PublicWorks, said he has had no furtherproblems with the site since it has beenclosed.

Leachate. which is the runoff fromlandfill that carries toxic organic

material, has not been a major problemMcDowell said.

Al Sheehan, a long-time resident andpresident of of the Ringwood Neigh-borhood Action Association, said heknew nothing about toxic waste prior tothe EPA report.

"I'm very much surprised we wereon the list," said Sheehan. "As far asI'm concerned, if there was anythingtoxic in there, some children orsomeone would have gotten sickalready."

Toxic waste siteThe Ringwood Mines Landfill, located off Peter's Mine Road Ford Motor Co. A local source said chloroform resulting fromin Ringwood, has been cited as one of the nation's worst toxic the dump has been found in a nearby stream which feeds thewaste locations. It is formerly the site of dumping by the Wanaque Reservoir. (Trends: David J, Kaplan)

Wastes — industrial and humanThe problem of dumping at Ringwood's Mine Area is not sim- into the gully (above) is the hulk of an old Volkswagenpiy one of industrial wastes. Scattered among the empty Beetle. And that's just on the surface. The material thechemical drums (top) are car and truck tires, a mattress and federal government is worried about has been buried below :toys. Along with huge chemical tanks that have been rolled ground or hidden in mine tunnels. (Trends: David J, Kaplan)

Chamber of Commerce told 7-3 A f.H

Dioxin crisis elsewhere delaysEPA well-testing in boro

BY CLAIRE LUHRSRINGWQOD — The start of.

Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) testing of the six to 10 wells inthe area of the Upper Ringwoodmine dumps will be delayed untilJuly, reported Richard Cahayla-Wynne, Chairman of the RingwoodEnvironmental Commission, to theChamber of Commerce Tuesday. d

As a former Department ofEnvironmental Protection (DEP)employee, Cahayla-Wynne made thereports which led to the dumps beingranked number 17 in the state by theDEP in order of priority for in-vestigation. The site does not appearamong the "top 100" site listpublished by the EPA.

The delay is caused by theNewark dioxin emergency whichdiverted EPA time and attention,Cahayla-Wynne said. However, theRingwood dumps are among the topfive sites on the EPA priority list forinvestigation in Region Two (NewYork, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, andthe Virgin Islands), he said.Ringwood ranks high because of itslocation in a watershed, not becauseof its polluted condition, he said.

Reached for comment by phoneon Thursday, Ray Basso, en-vironmental scientist with Region 2of the EPA, confirmed Cahayla-Wynne's, statements. "That's ac-

curate," said Basso, noting thatwater sampling in the vicinity of theRingwood site was temporaryrescheduled because EPA water-testing contractors are "now tied upwith dioxin. We've had to reallocateresources to deal with the dioxinproblem." Basso said Ringwoodsampling will take place "sometimetoward the end of July, providing nonew dioxin problems pop up. It's areal touch and go situation." Bassostressed, however, that theRingwood site "does remain a highpriority.in this region for us to getout and get those samples taken,"not only because of politicalpressure from concernedcongresspersons like Rep. MargeRoukema, Basso said, but alsobecause, of the nearness of thedumps to the water supply: "It couldhave a potential impact and we wantto find that out as up front aspossible."

Results snould be available byLabor Day "although if someone'swell is contaminated, they'll speakout sooner," Cahayla-Wynne con-tinued. According to Cahayja-Wynne, pollution of the WanaqueReservoir is probably not a problemas any pollutants are highly dilutedin the great body of water. TheWanaque Resevoir has a verymodern filtration plant as well,

added Chamber member ChuckForbes. The more pressing danger ispollution of the six to 10 wells in thedump vicinity. Cahayla-Wynne said.An effort was made to get theRingwood Health Department to testthem sooner than the EPA was ableto do, but it refused because of theexpense ($1,000 per well). "I find itoutrageous that people are stilldrinking water from wells thatmight be contaminated," Cahayla-Wynne said.

The tests, when taken, will be a"one-shot sample," Cahayla-Wynnesaid. When testing surface .water,one sample alone is never con-sidered sufficient as surface watervaries daily, but groundwater is"very stable," Cahayla-Wynneexplained.

The dumped material will not bepumped out of the mines, Cahayla-Wynne advised, as "You could pumpyour whole life". A more likelysolution, should the Upper Ringwoodwells be found contaminated, wouldbe to provide those homeownerswith public water. Upper Ringwoodis the location of the borough's in-dustrial tract which will probably beprovided with public water as an aidto development, so both projectscould be done at once if desired.

The reason New Jersey has so(Continued on page 15)

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many toxic dump sites in the news,11 of the top 20 in the top 100 sites inthe country identified by the EPAfor investigation, is that the state

1 ' aggressively identified its dumps inorder to attract as much federalmoney as possible to clean them up,

!n Cahayla-Wynne told the group. "It'snot that we have so much more of a

& problem, but that we listed all ofp them," he said. The resultingQ . publicity has been negative for the

,*» state and for the individual townshosting sites, but the plan hassucceeded in drawing the federalmoney sought.

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145 lanNew Jersey

Chamber of Commerce realestate people are worried about theeffect of the bad press on theirbusiness. "We don't want to seeRingwood labeled as a Love Canalbecause of this situation," saidCountryside Properties partner PatWallace, citing the loss of a majorindustrial prospect due to concernabout the dumps. Realtor ChuckForbes mentioned a contract voidedin the same way. Don Cook of CookRealty spoke of "a number of peoplewho came to ask where the dumpswere in relation to their property,and of a concerned Stonetown buyer.The real estate people pointed thefinger at CBS and the New YorkTimes, but also directed ire at; tworecent articles in two local dailynewspapers. "1 agree 110 percentthat this has been treated out ofproportion", said Cahayla-Wynne.

"Any adverse publicity in agrowing community can causeharm," said banker and formerPlanning Board member Fred Sch-wab.

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RIN(viroifcneijtajwilly'|$3ue a repsometime within the next;on the composition ofthey* took from the atThursday.

Raymond Basso, anscientist with the EPA, brwith him to the borough to conduct testson various mines in the area. Bassosaid he has no idea what the'inspectionsand tests would reveal.

"We're looking for priority pollutantsand hazardous wastes. It'll take about45 days to test and we'll communicateat least verbally v with the boroughwithin 60 days," he said.

Basso said th.<3, tests were to deter-mine if there was any measurablepollution, and if such was the case,whether any of it had seeped into theadjacent reservoirs.

Basso had previously visited the minearea on several occasions beginning in

late March-to familiarize himself withthejr layout. The four places testedwere Peters Mine, the correctionalfacility on Margaret King Avenue,Daret Inc., off Margaret King Avenueand the borough water supply.

Basso said his team would return in afew weeks to take samples at othermines. He explained that a sample wasalso taken of one of the shafts of PetersMine by use of a special rope-ladderdevice.

"All the samples are put in bottleswhich are packed in ice to preserve thesample quality. You just can't tell if anarea is polluted by visual inspection,"hesaid. "'»

Borough Health Officer ArthurHughson believes the testing will con-firm his belief that no hazard exists.

"I don't really believe they're goingto find anything. If the pollution is con-tained in the mine shaft, it probably hasno meaning," he said.

"There's no point in trying to secondguess a lab report. They (the EPA)

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Ringwoddrninestested for pollutionp l y wan! a lor of pteplt to leek atthe report before they release it," he

___„ 1 wag asked what steps eeuldbe taken by the borough, if pollutant!were found,

"The ageney that would have to takethe steps would be the State Depart*ment of Environmental Protection(DIP), There really isn't anything toindicate any industrial pollution Is get*

t ting into the environment," he said."There's no solid evidence, only

speculation. That speculation,however; may be well-placed, but I.don't know," he added.

Hughson said he's concerned becauseof the proximity of' the mines to thereservoir and hundreds of thousands of

people are drinkng from that souree,"it's only about a mile=and=a=haif

from the mine," he gai&"it's only a potential location of

pollution, Although there is a high levelof suspieion, any tests done up to thistime have not indicated any levels ofpollution, We'll just have to wait and

Before the borough talk title to theproperty, about nine ytBfi ago, It wasowned by the Ford Motor. Company.Previous to Ford's acquisition, themines were privately owned.

When the borough acquired the site, itwas used as a domestic landfill forabout two years. The state closed thesite after inspection revealed a highdegree of contaminants, The state or-dered t he borough to cap it off.

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DEP wi convinced m

about mine pollution

By NEIL ROBERTSSTAFF WRITER

RINGWOOD — The state Depart-ment of Environmental Protection(DEP) would neither confirm nor denythe federal government's recentstatement that the Ringwood mine areais one of the nation's worst toxic-wastedump sites and may be a health hazard.

"The soil, surface water and groundwater of Cannon Mine and Peter's Minemay be contaminated, but until there'sa comprehensive survey of the area, wedon't really know," DEP spokesmanJim Staples said.

He confirmed, however, that of the 65areas listed in the state as hazardouswaste sites, the Ringwood Mines Land-fill was high on the list for investigationand cleanup.

Deputy Mayor Walter Davison saidthe situation came to light during the1980 drought, when a survey was con-ducted by the borough to see whetherwater could be drawn from the area tocombat the problem.

"We pursued the possibility of pum-ping water from the mine shaft. TheDEP made a survey and found thewater was not potable," he said.

The history of the toxic-wasteproblem here begins with the FordMotor Company, which owned theproperty before the borough took title toit about nine years ago.

Borough Health Officer ArthurHughson said Ringwood operated thesite as a domestic landfill for about twoyears.

"The state required us to cap it off

"We put down some pipes to monitorthe leachate levels. (Leachate is therunoff from landfill that carries toxicorganic material.) You can measurethat from varied distances. It wasnever really determined," he added.

Hughson disputes the claims of poten-tial danger as being premature and"exaggerated.

"Ford put in pieces of extrusion andrubber. They were using it as a fill forrefuse," he said.

"As far as I know, all it was was cutsfrom extrusions and metal extrusions. Idon't know what's causing all theuproar," he added.

"It may be in error. I've never heardof any problems associated with thelandfill. It was only used as a domesticlandfill, not for industrial wastes.There's a lack of communication heresomeplace," he said.

Hughson went on to say his office hasreceived no indications of sicknessfrom any of the 13,000-plus people wholive in the 27.3-square-mile area locatedoff of Margaret King Avenue..

"I would downgrade the importanceof this. In my opinion, there are no toxicwastes. The only wastes that were dum-ped at the site were domestic wastes,and that was stopped over seven yearsago," he said.

Staples said he doesn't take too muchstock in the listing of the area as num-ber 17 in the state on the toxic wastelist.

"It doesn't mean a hell of a lot. Themere fact that the area is on the listdoesn't mean we have any evidence,"

O

Mine 4reaRingwood's mine area is the site of at least two toxic-wastedump site that may be contaminating water flowing into theWanaque Reservoir. The fear is that chloroform, a byproductof the decomposition of paint dumped in the mines by the

Ford Motor Co., is polluting a stream that flows into MinePond, which empties into the reservoir.

"In general terms, a comprehensivesurvey must be made before anycleanup is started. The area probablycontains organic hydrochlorides andorganic metal contaminants, but wewon't really know until we start thecleanup," he added... ,~~'*

He said he had knowledge of the areabecause of its possible use during the1980 drought, but the plan was dropped

i-->n hpri!!=p thp was not nure

He also said one of the mines hadbeen filled with paint drums.

Davison said he was shocked todiscover that the area was ranked 17thon the list and might bring the matterup at a future council meeting.

'We knew that Ford Motor Co. hadbeen dumping, but we didn't know whatthey were dumping," he said.

"The nroblem must be addressed.

(Trends: David J. Kaplan)

It's probably going to impact thepGblic-relations aspect for companiesconsidering moving from theMonksville Reservoir," he added.

The cleanup of the site probably willbe paid for out of federal "superfund"money.

The superfund is a $3.6 billion bankbook set up under federal law bychemical companies to pay for cleaningup toxic-waste dump sites.

Ringwood targetedfor toxic clean-up

RINGWOOD — Thisborough has the dubiousdistinction of rankingamong the nation's 418worst toxic wastedumping sites, ac-cording to the federalEnvironmental Prot-ection Agency (EPA).

; The EPA an-nounced Monday thatthe Ringwood Mineslandfill, ranked 17th on;t list of 65 locations intht* state consideredhazardous waste sites,';is one of 418 chemicaldumping g roundsthroughout the countryslated for survey andclean-up throughSuperfund.~ The landfill, an

issue for over a decade,is a one-half mile bytwo-mile area ofabandoned mine shaftsand garbage dumpslocated half a milenorthwest of BoroughHall. The state orderedthe landfill closed in1974 and in 1979',sinkholes developed,engulfing houses on thesite.

in April, 1979, stateD e p a r t m e n t ofEnvironmental Prot-ection (DEP> officialstested a nearby streamafter a foul odor beganemanating from themines, and found 12parts per million of

organic materialpresent in the water.

The Ford Motor Co.plant in Mahwah, whichowned the site, dumpedtruck and car parts,paint, solvent, plasticsand drums in the deepchasms. An EPAspokesman said soil,groundwater andsurface water con-tamination had beendetermined.

In addition, localresidents used theabandoned mines as ahousehold garbagedump. The EPAspokesman said 10residential wells arelocated within two milesof the contaminatedmines and a streamfeeding WanaqueReservoir originates inthe area.

.•»."<*•

Ring wood man wrote reportthat led to site listing ^

3Y JEFF HO YAK Cahayla-Wynne recalled th£BY JEFF HOYAKRINGWOOD—A borough resident and

former state Department of EnvironmentalProtection (DEP) employee whose report on theRingwood Mines-Landfill area led to itsplacement on the EPA Superfund priority list(see related story above) says that to call thearea "a known toxic waste dump of severemagnitude" is "an incorrect statement."

Richard Cahayla-Wynne of WhalebackTerrace, who noted "I did the work that put it onthe list," said the reason the mines and landfillarea are so highly placed on the list is because"It's all a mystery. We need to attract federalfunds so we can sink wells and characterize thesite. Whatever is unknown needs to be quan-tified."

Cahayla-Wynne, presently chairman ofRingwood's Environmental Commission,worked for the DEP from 1977 to 1981 as an en-vironmental specialist in the Division of WaterResources Enforcement Element. In 1978,responding to a complaint from a North JerseyDistrict Water Supply Commission (NJDWSC)employee that discolored water was entering agauging station at Margaret King Avenue,Cahayla-Wynne and a couple of other DEPemployees traced the plume of discolored waterto the landfill site, which he stressed is"distinctly separate from Peter's Mine. In thecourse of our work, the investigation expanded toinclude Peter's Mine "

* - - ' s ' - $ v • * ; ' -

(-( 7~*at he and his

colleagues made "two or three trips" to the siteand took some samples. They found levels ofphosphate, traces of heavy metal and abnormalPH in the water draining from the landfill intoWanaque Reservoir, but the amounts were"minute compared to the amount of waterrunning into the reservoir." At Peter's Mine,they found some traces of volatile organics "butwe couldn't adequately characterize the site,which is the reason it was sp highly listed."

Cahayla-Wynne and his co-workers"scored" the site on a Mitre Index, a systemdeveloped by the Mitre Corporation to rate theseverity of dump sites; The site scored highly, inthe 70s, and "That report was used to list thesite," Cahayla-Wynne said.

Cahayla-Wynne said the reason DEP con-cern and the listing of the site is so high is that itlies in a public watershed and residents of thearea used to drink the water from a spring on theproperty. Those people are now on a boroughwater system, he noted.

The site "is not a direct threat," he stressed,"because of the dilution factor in the waterdraining into the reservoir, and people no longerdrink it. There's no urgency called for incleaning it up, but nor should you let it lie thereeither."

Cahayla-Wynne said he has offered to cometo a Borough Council meeting and explain hiswork on the site to the governing body

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DEP 'optimistic' about Superfundingfor clean-up of 'toxic' Ringwood site

BYJEFFHOYAKRINGWOOD — State Depart-

ment of Environmental Protection(DEP) officials are "optimistic"that a suspected toxic waste dumpsite in this borough will be approvedfor a federally funded clean-up,borough officials, meanwhile, are

| distressed that the site's inclusion ona "master list" of chemical dumpsites throughout the country was

i given front page publicity while theyare still relatively in the dark aboutthe entire matter: "There's a lot ofclouds over this," said BoroughManager Thomas Kane; "It wasjust poor taste to have ever publish-ed this list."

The "list" in question is thefederal Environmental ProtectionAgency's priority list of 418 suspect-ed dump sites in the U.S. nominatedfor clean-ups to be funded by the $1.6billion toxic spill Superfundestablished by Congress in 1980. NewJersey has 65 sites on the list, whichwas released in December, andranking 17th in priority among themwas the "Ringwood Mines/Lan-them was the "Ringwood/Land-

, fill", described on the list as an ap-proximately two miles long by one

.half-mile wide series of abandonedmines, shafts and pits, inactive land-fills and open dumps. ,

According to James Staples,public information officer for theDEP, two of the mines, Peter's Mineand Cannon Mine, are filled withgarbage, and Peter's Mine andCannon Mine, are loaded with paint,scrap metal and solvents. Thematerial was dumped there primar-ily by the Ford Motor Co, plant inMahwah, which owned the site.

Staples said the site was includ-

ed on the list because of suspectedsurface and groundwater contamin-ation and the presence of publicwater supplies in the vicinity: "Thepopulation might be at peril." Ac-cording to Staples, two streamsfeeding the Wanaque Reservoir,which provides drinking water for amillion people, originate in thevicinity of the mines; a spring islocated less than half-a-mile fromthe site; and 10 residential wells,approximately 70 to 417 feet deep,are located within two miles of thesite.

Staples said the presence ofsolvents near the water supplymakes this case "a tough one. Thegreatest percentage of water prob-lems in New Jersey are with somemember of the solvent family. The£generate volatile hydrocarbons,many of which are carcinogenic."Staples noted that during thedrought of 1980, the DEP was eyeingthe water-filled mines as a potentialemergency water source, but "Webacked off. There were severedoubts because of the suspectedcontamination."

The Ringwood Mines-Landfillsite was nominated to the prioritylist by the DEP based on itsresearch, field investigations andsuspicions about the site, accordingto Staples. New Jersey boasted, ifthat's the right word, more sites onthe EPA master list than any otherstate, which the public informationofficer said "reflects how the statehas been looking at dumps. We hadmore (material) to go to bat with.The other states haven't been look-ing hard enough."

The master list was the firststep. Now, according to Staples,EPA and DEP officials are meeting

to follow up the list site by site, andestablish which areas will be ap-proved for funding for a feasibilitystudy to "find out what's there, andhow much. You can't plan aclean-up until you find out what's inthere." Staples noted his depart-ment's confidence that all 65 sites inthe Garden State will be funded forfeasibility studies and clean-up,expecially the Ringwood site, be-cause of the water supply threat:"Nobody would be happier if it turnsout to be a no-problem site, but wedont think that's going to be thecase. It's a well-known festeringspot. To know just how bad it iswould take more study."

Some sites would not requirefeasibility studies, because theirproblems and the extent of thedamage is well-documented. That'snot the case in Ringwood. "Thewhole" schmear," as Staples calledthe mine-landfill site, is "prettycomplicated" and "geologicallykinky. There's deep mines, surfacedeposits and its hard rock country.The water flows through the cracksin the rock instead of between thesand and the gravel, which makesunderground pollutants much hard-er to ascertain."

Staples said the DEP hopes andis "optimistic" that all 65 NewJersey sites will be approved forSuperfund action in 1983. Once thathappens in Ringwood, public hearings will be held in the borough "together knowledge about the thing,"the officer said.

Knowledge is what boroughofficials dont have, and they weren'timpressed by having to read aboutthe master list in the papers withoutbeing notified beforehand or, to this

date, informed of specifics. "Thefunny part is that, the DEP hasn'teven been in contact with us," saidKane; "They published a list thatcreated a lot of emotion and may notmean anything."

Deputy Mayor Walter Davisonsaid the borough has received aboutseven documents pertaining to theissues, "All of it general stuff.""They don't even know if it's onborough or state property or acombination of the two."

Kane said he has advised theBorough Council to "try and put outa statement' on the matter but"Everybody's speculating on whatthey're (THE EPA) talking about, iWe can't refute anything because we jdon't know what it is." i

Ironically, Davison pointed out, jthe annoucement of the Superfund jlist came just as the borough was ;kicking off its PR campaign to sell ;industrial property in the same Igeneral area as the site. The jborough has been given a $500,000 Istate grant to develop a 220-acre Iindustrial tract in the same general £vicinity as the suspected dump site. |Officials hope to use the grant to |attract industries to the tract, boost %economic development and create fjobs. |

Davison, who called the number |17 ranking "a hell of a thing to read |in the papers," said he has asked?Kane and Borough Grantsman|Michael Coleman to follow through!with Trenton on the Superfund §situation: "We have to find out what fthe problem is, and if there is one, ftry to reverse it." |

"This is a real pistol," signed |Davison, terming the Superfund |"One grant I wish we weren't feligible for." £

ftlefrMAR 1983

mine siteclearimpsupported

'••.•'•' . " ' : , ' c/i*'~w» /if/Si ^Bsf

RINGWQOD.. , , - Bep. Marge.Roukema (R-5) has written to thefederal Environmental ProtectionAgency (EPA) in support of inclusion ofthe Ringwood Mines and Landfill siteon the final federal Superfund toxicwaste clean-up list. Roukema represen-ts the are i communities of Ringwood,Wfilt MilforgC Jefferson, Montville andRiverdale.

The site is currently included on theproposed list, where it is ranked 112thout of 418 in priority, and Roukema'sletter wag written during the 60-daycomment '"^riod before the listbecomes'fihal.

"It is my understanding that this siteis comprised of abandoned mine shaftsand garbage dumps which the state ofNew Jersey closed in 1974," she wroteto Russell H. Wyer, director of theEPA's Hazardous Site Control Division.

"Previously, the mines had allegedly

been used by the Ford Motor Companyfor the disposal of paint sludge, solventsand scrap metals. Local residents havealso used the mines for.the disposal ofhousehold'refuse."

In her letter, R6ukema noted thattests by the New Jersey Department of'Environmental Protection in 1979 foundtraces of organic materials in a nearbystream.

"Also, according to EPA reports,there are at least 10 residential wellslocated within two miles of the site, aswell as a tributary of the WanaqueResjervoir, a source of water for a largeportion of the region."

The congresswoman went on to callfor EPA action, in conjunction with thestate, to resolve the problem. "It is im-portant we get federal and statecooperation in cleaning up this en-vironmentally hazardous situation,"she said after sending the letter.

RINGWOOD PU8UC LIBRARY145 Skysano's RoadRingwood, New Jersey 07456

Page 2-Feb. 27,1983-WM ARGUS

Committee sought to pressagencies on site clean-up

MAR 1983

BY JEFF HO YAK- v - RINGWOOD — The man who

"may know more about toxic wastedumping in the Ringwood Mines-

.^andfiJl area than any other. *feorough resident wants the Borough- ^Council to appoint a committee to

£press the state and federal environ-SJmental regulatory agencies for an-

1 Jgswers and action on the clean-up of' *ttie site.

#i Richard Cahayla-Wynne ofSSyhaleback Terrace, a former.stated e p a r t m e n t of Environmental^Protection (DEP) employee whoMwote the report which led to the^site's placement on the federal En-IJvironmental Protection Agency's"£ (EPA) Superfund priority clean-up•i list, has asked the governing body to

establish a committee. "Theregulatory agencies should knowthat we exist, have something to sayand that we're involved," Cahayla-Wynne told the Ringwood Bulletin;"I know how government agencieswork. They don't always ask localpeople what they think. I'm concer-ned they would not ask us. We should

. make a point of getting involved."Cahayla-Wynne, who presently

chairs the Ringwood Environmental. Commission, worked for the DEP

from 1977 to 1981 as an environmen-tal specialist in the Division of WaterResources Enforcement Element.In 1978, he said DEP colleagues,responding to a report of waterdiscoloration, visited the Ringwood

, Mines-Landfill site, took samples of' water, and found levels of

phosphate, traces of heavy metaland abnormal PH in the waterdraining from the landfill intoWanaque Reservoir, and traces ofvolatile organics at Peter's Mine.They wrote the report which led to -

the area's inclusion on the EPAmaster list of 418 suspected chemi-cal dump sites throughout the coun-try which are targeted for clean-upsto be funded by the $1.6 billion toxicspill SuperfunS established byCongress in 1980.

The site, a series of abandonedmines, shafts and pits, inactive land-fills and open dumps, loaded withgarbage~as well as paint, scrapmetal and solvents dumped there bythe Ford Motor Co; in Mahwah 20years ago,, is ranked 17th in priorityamong the 65 New jersey toxicdump sites on the EPA list. It is notamong the top 100 on the nationwidelist. The site is a suspected threat topublic health because it lies in apublic watershed: Two streamsfeeding Wanaque Reservoiroriginate in the area of the mines, aspring is located less than half amile from the site and 10 residentialwells are located within two miles ofthesite.

Cahayla-Wynne has been invitedby the Borough Council to attend itsMarch 15 workshop meeting and ap-prise the governing body of thebackground of the site, i , .

Cahayla-Wynne feels the com-mittee should be composed of theborough manager, engineer andhealth officer and a member of theEnvironmental Commission plus"Whoever else they want to put on it.More than one discipline is needed.We need talents from all fieldshere." The former DEP employeebelieves the task of keeping tabs onthe clean-up "may be a lot of burdenfor one person."

\ Cahayla-Wynne said the pur-pose of the committee, "More thananything, would be to press the stateand federal government for an-

swers. How serious is it? How soondo you intend to clean it up? Wecould keep sending letters, makecitizen inquiries, and respond asthings happen. There will be somedecisions made that will involve a lotof money, and it's important that theborough has adequate input intothose decisions." . :.

Recalling the DEP's emergencyclean-up of a toxic PCB spill onPeter's Mine Road in October, 1980,which was initiated four hours afterthe borough was given notice,Cahayla-Wynne stressed, "We don'twant guys showing up at the(Ringwood Mines-Landfill) at 4:30p.m. saying 'We're here' and theycome in with a $5 million operation."

Noting the nationwide con-troversy now surrounding the EPAand the Superfund as well as thestandard bureaucracy of theregulatory agencies, Cahayla-Wynne said the study and clean-up

; of the Ringwood site will be "A longprocess. The material was dumpedthere 20, 30 years ago. It's no secret.People have always known about it.It's going to take some time beforewe see'some EPA money here. Wedon't expect it next week." Cahayla-Wynne also pointed out, based on in-formation he has received from

long-time borough residents whowere aware of the mine dumping,"We may never be able to clean itup. We're talking about free-flowingliquids being dumped into a mineshaft." ' ;

Borough officials, still confusedabout the exact geographic locationof the site, in the dark about theseriousness of the situation, andangry over having to read about thesite in the morning papers beforethey were officially informed of it,are receptive to Cahayla-Wynne'sp r o p o s a l . ••':;", /..'Z-.••.••::'••

"I totally agree with it," saidDeputy Mayor Walter Davison; "Ifor one am definitely for pursuing it:We need action immediately, as faras I'm concerned. It could be ahealth hazard."

Borough Manager Thomas Kanesaid he has corresponded with theEPA, asking for the documentationwhich led to the Ringwood site'slisting, and the agency has agreed tosend it to the borough. Kane has alsoasked the DEP to send a represen-tative to the borough for a meetingwith officials, at the site to discussthe situation. "They said they'll beglad to send someone up as soon asthe weather clears a little bit," Kanesaid; "that probably means April."

RfNGWOOD PUBLIC USftAKY145 SkyJano's Road

wExi, New Jsrsey 07456

The Road to Toxic Pollution 1-t I- . i

Junk dumped at Cannon's Mine in Ringwood. Iron ore was once stored in brick silos in background.ThoNewYorkTlmes/EdwarflHausner

%

By JEFFREY ROTHFEDER

; , RINGWOOD

TALES passed from generation to generation haveleft the clannish people of the Ramapo Mountainswith a wealth of information — some accurate,some mere fantasy—about their 200 years in this

sparse hill country of Passaic County.Just before Christmas, inclusion of the Ringwood iron

mines on the Federal Government's list of toxic sites eligi-ble, for "Superfund" cleanup money brought to mind bit-ter, more-recent recollections of how part of their wood-lands had been turned into a poisonous garbage heap.

It was in the late 1960's, residents recall, that the lastiron ore was dug out of Peter's Mine, a pit from which orewas first extracted in 1941. Shortly after the mine wasabandoned, trucks began working their way up the hill toits entrance, there to dump liquids and solids into the pit.

It took less than 10 years to turn the once-working Ring-Wood mines into one of the sites listed by the Federal Gov-ernment as potentially hazardous and in need of reclama-tion. (The Government's handling of hazardous-wastesites has been the subject of recent clashes between Con-gress and the Administration. See the Environews col-umn.)

By all accounts, the most prodigious dumper—not onlyin Peter's Mine, but also in the adjacent Cannon's Mine—was the Ford Motor Company, which came on the scene in1964, when it bought the 300 acres that make up the mineregion. The deed was made out to the Ringwood RealtyCorporation, a wholly owned Ford subsidiary whose offi-cers and directors were all executives of the parent auto-mobile manufacturer.

Some say that Ford was considering the site for a new .assembly plant; others say that it planned to build housingfor the employees of its now boarded-up Mahwah factory,10 miles to the southeast. v

3Whatever might have been on the drawing board, Ford

never developed the mine region; Instead, from 1964through 1970, it used it as the primary dump for the Mah-wah plant. • V . ; ,;

Until 1970, there were no s ta^ or Federal registrationrequirements for dump sites, s i it Is difficult to recon-struct from actual records exactly what Ford droppeddown the shafts. Even after 1970, when a state waste-dumping law took effect, only a general descriptionwhat was being disposed Of—such as household, commer-cial or industrial wastes—was required.

Later investigations turned up bits and pieces of infor-mation that, together, indicated that Ford dumped paintsludge, solvents, adhesives, lead solder residue, lubricat-ing and cutting oils and waste water into the pits. In addi-tion, others droye to the pits—often in the dead of night--to drop their poisonous debris in the mines.

< Ford does not deny that wastes from Mahwah ended apContinuedonPage22

Ii

Ringwood: 10 Years6nContinued From Page!

in the mines, the plant, which wasclosed in 1981, was a prolific source oftoxic by-products. Its typical dailyoutput included 0,000 gallons of paintsludge, 300 to 400 gallons of solventand adhesives, 35,000 pounds of leadsolder residue and 5,000 gallons ofwaste water. .

Two streams originating near themines feed into the iWanaque Reser-voir, die source of water for 750,000North Jersey residents, and Ringwooditself uses 10 wells and one spring thatare a half-mile to£wo miles from thesite., , > *

Invesigations have shown that theunderground water supplies were not

'• spared from the toxins^Late $|1970, just af% New Jersey's

limited'registration law took effect,.Ford donated the mine region to Ring-wood and sfcogped dumping in the'area.

The mines remained unused by thetown,, and the first indications of atoxic time bomb there surfaced in1973, When local officials consideredtuning the mine area into a landfill.

To prepare to develop the site, Ring-wood hired Pandullo, Chrisbacher &

. Associates, aWayne-basedconsultingconcern, to determine the site's ef-ficacy as a landfill. Walter J. Spink,the geologist who surveyed the mine

area for P.andullo, Chrisbacher,tested the water coming from the-mines and examined the surface ofthe mine region.

He found paint dumped "over anarea of about two acres, giving the ap-pearance of ropy lava."

"A small breach appears to havecarried leachate to a nearby stream,"Mr. Spink said. "It appears that con-tamination of the main stream is pres-ently occurring from the old Peter'sMine." ; '

Although Mr. Spink's report did notaccurately identify anything but whathad been dumped on the surface, hisdescription of the contaminated waterleaving the mine stream frightenedlocal officials. As a result, they can-celed plans for a landfill in the region.

For the next six years, officials say,the question of the mine area wasbounced from office to Office, with'noresolution., Dean Noll, former chief engineer of

tlie iforth JerSey District Water Sup-ply Commission, which operates theWanaque Reservoir, recalled a 1979interview in which he said:

t "By 1973i we knew the possibility ofwater pollution coming out of.thatarea existed, and we felt that Ford'swastes might; not have been disposedofproperly."

*'We spoke with the D.E.P. [the.state's'Department of Environmental

Protection]," Mr, NbHwent Qn,."andsaid that we did not think that the1

mine dumps had been operated 'ad-equately."

However, the environmentalagency denied having had any com-munication with reservoir officials ohthis subject. , .

"In. fact," said Richard Ghayal-Wynne, a former environmental spe-cialist with the department, "the firstI heard about it was when a residentcomplained that his water appeareddirty. We referred this back to the[Wanaque] reservoir commission,since they have jurisdiction over thearea." >

In the mid-70's, state Health De-partment officials tested mine watersamples and found obvious traces ofarsenic, chromium and lead—all ele-ments that are part of automobile fac-tory wastes. :

Jack Byrne, a former RingwoodCouncilman, said he rememberedhearing of this report and, whilehealth officials recall having, con-ducted the investigation, no one knowswho received the study and why therewas no follow-up.

In late 1979, with no action yet takenon any of the growing evidence that aserious toxic problem existed, TalkingWood magazine, a small environmen-tal publication that monitored thePassaic watershed, published «n arti-cle detailing the history of the Ring-

' • • »

TheKewYorkTtoes/Fpb 27,1983

wood mines'"and how they had. be-come a hazardous waste site." The ar-ticle stimulated local press coverage

i and led residents of the area to ex-; press fears for the safety ,of their^water.

Soon, Peter's and Cannon's MinesWere plated on a state list of possibletoxic-waste sites needing immediateattention. This list was the precursorof the roster of sites that the state'senvironmental protection departmentsent to the Federal EnvironmentalProtection Agency for inclusion on the"Superfund" cleanup roster.

Late^in 1980, as drought conditionsin New Jersey worsened and alterna-tive non-reservoir water sites cameunder consideration, the Ringwoodmines were mentioned. Both the Fed-eral and state environmental agenciesexamined the water flowthere.

According; to George B. Klenk, aspokesman for the state agency, thequantity of water was more than ac-ceptable, but the quality made its useunacceptable. . . • > • ,

"They found benzine, dichloroeth-ane, dichloromethane—all chemicalsthat make up industrial solvents — allthrough the water," Mr. Klenk said."That put an end to using this water asa potential reservoir."

"The Ringwood area is a long-known problem and one that is dan-gerous enough to merit the attention itis getting irom the 'Superfund,' " saidJames Staples, another Departmentof Environmental Protection official.

"Of the 65 sites to New Jersey, Ring-

wood is currently Number 17 in clean-up priority. That area was a happydumping ground for anybody from thepowerful to the lowly." ,

Ford officials have maintained that,although the company owned the minearea, its dumping practices were theindustry's ordinary ones. It used theO'Connor Trucking Company, a now-defunct carrier, to dispose of itswastes and assumed that O'Connoroperated within the law.

"We have no vested interest increating a nuisance," said VictorSussman, a Ford spokesman. "We areconcerned with the safe disposal ofsolid and liquid wastes. Each contrac-tor must provide us with a certificateof legitimacy, and then we dependupon government agencies to insurethat the wastes are deposited prop-erly."

Ford has since set up an Office ofEnvironmental Control to monitor allindustrial wastes and, direct them torecovery or recycling plants.

The next step for the Ringwoodmines—and for all "Superfund" sites—is for final agreements to be workedout between the Federal and state, en-vironmental agencies for feasibilitystudies, the outcome of which will bethe development of clean-up plans.

RobertfE.Hughey, the state's Com-missioner of Environmental Protec-tion, said he hoped to begin work on all65 sites this year. •

APR 19g|

to trace toxicby CLAIRE I.UHRS

RINGWOOD — EnvironmentalProtection Agency (EPA) officialshave been in the Borough threetimes in the last two weeksreviewing documents to trace theresponsible party for the toxic dumpin the Upper Ringwood mine area,and the state Department of.

Environmental Protection (DEP)sent three including a geologist tolook the scene over, reportedBorough Manager Thomas Kaneand Health Officer Arthur Hughsonthis week.

The Ford dumps have beenranked 17th by the state in order of

priority for investigation, sparkinglocal fears of water contamination.

The EPA and DEP will probablywork together on it, with the DEPtaking samples from the wellswithin Ms mile of the dump site to seeif there are any toxic traces,Hughson said. "Well wait and seewhat they do. They have theresources.", he said. "If they didnot, we would, but they seem to bemoving along." There may be someresults in a couple of weeks,Hughson said. The necessary testscost about $1000 per well.

EPA procedure on dump clean-up is to find out who did it, ask him tohandle it at his own expense, and doit for the responsible party, charginghim three times the cost as penalty,

. if he refuses or lags. However, asI Hughson pointed out, "We don'teven know that we. have a problem.

i It's not what's in the ground, buthow it affects human beings. The

. mines are dug in pure granite, andnothing contains better thangranite." The tests will tell thestory

"I think they will go after (him,them) as soon as they have the in-formation", Kane said. "(But) itwill be months before there are any

; conclusive inputs."Mayor Peter Cannici urged

follow-up to expedite the in-vestigation.

pie®fv

Bv NEIL ROBEKTS' STAKKWKITEK

RINGWOOD - Recent reports fromthe state Department of EnvironmentalProtection (DEP) have suggested thatthe mine area in the borough would becleaned up as of the third quarter oi

• • ' - • - • - ' • • - • - • • - • • • . • - - " •

These reports, however, could proveto be speculation, based on theuniqueness of.ftfe rh'ine area, Any poten-tial superfunds from the federal gover-nment must be based on a definitehealth hazard,

'The federal Environmental Protec-tion Agency (EPA) has started its own

investigation into possible toxic hazar-ds at the mine area and is seeking to getas much information about the respon-sible1 parties and the.extent of pollution. \il'any, as possible. '- v . i

Raymond Basso, an environmental'..\scientist with the EPA. visited the mini,'area on March 29andagain.on April 6 to

begin a-prelimary investigation and toibeconifefamiljar with the mine area.

He expects to go back there to collectsamples. When he has gathered etibiigh*vital information, some plan of a<|iSfK.will be initiated by the agency. ' Sfi

"H was just a preliminary inspection"to get an idea where the disposal area$7

were and the sites of the mines. It's nowunder an investigative phase.'' he said.

Basso said his initial responsibilitywas to determine if there was aproblem: by talking with local officialsHe described the mine area as'pote'ft' ,tially one of the most interesting cases *he has, worked pn. (CONTINUECCQIN p^ie4)

REFERENCEPlease do

from x• '••' \ " - '

145

(CONTINUED FROM PAGED' ' •''It's not like a regular landfill case.

It's a unique case in that the shaft runsanywhere from 2.000 to 4,000 feet atsome 17 levels," he said.

"Some of the mines may be in-terconnected. There, may be fracturesor fissures in the rocks. I don't knowwhere the perimeter is. That's whatmakes this case so interesting," he ad-ded.

In order for the EPA to determine! exactly what kind of pollution there is inthe mine area, it will be necessary to doextensive research on the history andbackground of the area.

Some of this history might be con-tained in Bureau of Mine Safety recordskept in Trenton. Other sources might beold newspaper files and records of com-panies who owned some of the mines.

"If we can obtain data on which waythe shafts are running, then we canstart to determine if any of the pollutan-ts have seeped through," Basso said.; "The history involved is really spec-tacular. We could contact the previousminecompanies," he said.

Borough Health Officer ArthurHughson said^he met with Basso on oneof the occasions he was in the borough

show him around. ' t , ,e mjnes here', that get out

Alf'tHB^njineVl&fe ,cut. Q)&J>t granite

permeate aiitt5terial 'Ss possible. All ,the mines are filled with water,'' he ad-ded.

The water Hughson refers to couldgeologically be termed as trapped,^water. It consists of thousands^of!»gallons of water that has accumulatedin the mines for maybe thousands'oh''years.

When the mines were last functionalin the 1930s, it was necessary to'cdiKtinually pump large quantities of wafer".;.out to make it possible for workers tomine.

"The water might be polluted. I don"tknow. If it is. how do you get it out? hesaid.

"The superfund is only for interfacebetween the public. It's difficult toprove that this area is polluted at all.The streams in the area have all beentested. No pollutants have ever beenfound in the streams," he added.

"I don't even know if we've got anypollution here or noJL._ It's onlyspeculation. We're just sitting tight. Wewant to put it to rest one way oranother," he said.

Basso said the main goal of the EPAwas to determine the responsible party(or the pollution ol the area.

leads,,-\i~'jsomeone ,yi^pa^,tar.,, it. The \ver be used in that

"We're pucsuicomes forward,

,-siiper

., . ''Even though this is a complex case,it is,solvable/' he added.

DEP slates dumpclean-up for ' 86^

JiY CLAHtE LUHRSRINGWOOD — Clean-up of

Ringwood's toxic dumps is slated forthe third quarter of 1986 in therecently unveiled state Departmentof Environmental,Protection (DEP)master plan for handling its 132worst hazardous waste sites.

The Upper Ringwood dump iscurrently number 17 on the statepriority list for investigation ofpossible ill effects.

"We are not going to succeed(in marketing our industrial land)as long as we are on the Supertundlist," despaired Deputy MayorWalter Davison Tuesday. "We havea stigma attached to us." Davisontold of encountering federalEnvironmental Protection Agency(EPA) people there to investigate

the dumps while-showing a "veryinterested" industrial client around.The client's interest evaporated,Davison said.

Davison desperately suggesteda lawsuit against the federalgovernment to try to removeRingwood from the list. Councilman -Ernest Schwesinger disagreed,saying he wants the DEP-EPA todetermine what the problem is, ifthere is one.

EPA people have been in theborough several times in the lastmonth working on the legal end. TheDEP is supposed to be testing thewells within lh mile of the dump siteto see if there is any contamination.Borough Health Officer ArthurHughson expects the testing to bedone "pretty soon."

Please cio not removefrom this room

RINGWOOD PU91/.C LIBRARY

145 Skylaixh K--d

Ringwood, Hew J»rsey 0 7 4 5 6

JUH 1933

Well tests may60 clays to complete f

BY CLAIRE LUHRSRINGWOOD - The Envi-

ronmental Protection Agency(EPA) tests of the wells in the areaof the Upper Ringwood mine dumpsmay take as long as 60 days tocomplete, said Borough ManagerThomas Kane Tuesday following hisconversation with EPA EngineerRay Basso.

The samples are taken in aseries so as not to base an evaluation

on one day's test only. The EPA isstarting the tests this month andpaying for them at a cost of $1,000per well. Kane did not know if anysamples had been taken yet.

The dumps have been rated 17thin order of priority for investigationby the state for any possible taxiceffects. The tests are the first steptowards determining if there hasbeen any ground water pollution.From there, the EPA can decidewhat action, if any, is needed.

REFERENCEPlease do not remove

from this room

**NGWOODU5 Skyfands Road

New Jarsey 0745£

JUN 1983

EPAtotestwellsISnear dumps this month

BY CLAIRE LUHRSRINGWOOD — The Environ-

mental Protection Agency (EPA)wili test the wells in the area of theUpper Ringwood mine dumps inJune and pay for it, BoroughManager Thomas Kane saidTuesday.

As each test costs about $1,000,the borough had been hoping that theEPA would pick up the tab.

Representative Marge Roukemaand her aides have been expeditingthe matter, Kane said.

The dumps have been rated 17thby the state in order of priority forinvestigation for possible toxic ef-fects. The tests are the first steptowards seeing if the dumps havecaused any ground water pollution,and hence in deciding if they meritmajor attention or not

REFERENCEPlease do not remove

from this room

ISNGWOOP PJBIJC LH5RAKY1 4 5 &••'••'•':'. R o , d

JOL 1983

Page 2~July 17,1983-WM ARGUS

EPA takes water samples inBYJEFFHOYAK

RINGWOOD — Wearing cottoni

mental Protection Agency's FieldInvestigation Team (FIT) arrived inthis borough Thursday morning to

ll fprotective suits and driving a van collect samples of water in thefull of sophisticated equipment, four vicinity of the Ringwood Mines-members of the federal Environ- Landfill' Area.

AMPLE SAMPLES —Geologist Joseph Ford charts water samples taken to thearea of the Ringwood Mines-Landfiii Area on Thursday by members of thefederal Environmental Protection Agency's Field Investigation Team. Seearticle. (Photo % Jeff Hoyak)

EPA-contracted geologistsJoseph Ford, Scott Stanford andJohn Griles and chemist BarryDambach were accompanied byRay Basso, environmental scientistwith Region 2 of the EPA, as theyfilled vialfc and bottles Ml of waterfrom Colo Spring, part of theborough water supply which islocated about 100 yards fromMargaret King Avenue and provideswater for about 500 people, includingUpper Ringwood residents, BoroughHall and the Borough Public WorksGarage, according to Public WorksSuperintendent Red McDowell.

McDowell himself led the way tothe fairly remote, overgrown andmosquito-infested area of the spring,beating down two-foot-high weedswith a stick. McDowell said thewater supply and pumphouse dateback to the early 1920s and "It'salways been really good water. Wedrink it right from the spring out of acup." Borough Health OfficerArthur Hughson also accompaniedthe party on its sampling rounds.

The FIT team was alsoscheduled to take samples from fiveprivate wells and the Hewitt Schoolwater supply on Thursday. Bassosaid the EPA had planned to takesamples from additional wells onThursday but "We only have the lat^space for five. Otherwise, thersamples will go bad." He noted thatwater samples from the state'srecent dioxin crisis are now takingup space in the EPA lab. Basso saidthe team would be returning toRingwood this week or the weekafter to obtain samples from morewells.

Ford explained that well watersamples would be taken right from

WNGWOOD PUBLIC LIBRARYU5 Skylands Rosdt d , New Jersey 07456

;u nc t removetJ«N room

'toxic'dump areathe tap: "We turn on the tap, let itrun for a while to vacate thestagnant water, then take a samplewhich is something representative."The process is a bit tedious and time-consuming, Basso explained, aseach bottle of sample water has to belabeled, packed in ice so it doesn'tspoil, selaed and sent off to the lab.

All of die water sources beingsampled and tested are within a two-mile radius of the Ringwood Mines-Landfill Area, which has beenranked l?th in Superfund cleanuppriority among the slate's identifiedtoxic waste dump sites, based ontesting done by the state Depart-ment of Environmental Protection(DEP) in the 70s which showed" highconcentrations of solvents ingroundwater and high con-centrations of heavy metals insurface water.

Local officials say the nowclosed Ford Motor Co. in Mafawahdumped millions of gallons of paint,sludges and unidentified wastesdown the dozens of mine shafts in thearea from 1964 to 1970.

The water will jbe tested for "awhole slew of things," according toFord. Basso said an EPA-approvedcontract lab will do a primarypollutants, scan on the samples,testing for everything from solventsto metals. Basso was not certainwhen results of the testing would beknown but he termed 25 to 40 days "agood guess," s -

Basso said if the wells are foundto be contaminated, the EPA mayhave to shut them down and doadditional sampling in the area todetermine the extent of the con-tamination.

The water testing is the EPA's

first step toward determining if thedumps have created any ground-water pollution, and deciding if thesite necessitates major clean-upefforts.

The main people possible en-dangered by contamination arethose whose water sources arenearest to the site, as any pollutantentering the Wanaque Reservoir

becomes highly diluted and passesthrough a very modern treatmentplant before reaching a home faucet.

Each water test costs about$1,000. The state Department ofEnvironmental Protection (DEP)had wanted the borough to get thetesting done sooner and advance themoney for the matter to be exrpedited, but borough officials feltthey could not afford to do so,Ringwood Environmental Com-mission Chairman Richard Cahaylk";Wynne has said.

WNGWOOD PUBLIC LI&RARY145 Sfcyiands Road

New Jersey 07456

JUL 1383

EPA well testingscheduled this week

BYJEFFHOYAKWNGWOOD — The federal

vinmnnehta! Protection A(EPA) water testing contractor is 'scheduled to arrive in this boroughsometime this week to sample 10wells and a stream in the vicinity ofthe Ringwood Mines-Landfill Area,

Ray Basso, environmental sci-entist with Region 2 of the EPA, saidhe is "Ninety percent sure" thatN.U.S. of Pittsburgh, the EPA'sregional contractor for Superfundsites, will be in Ringwood this weekto do the sampling. "It looks prettymuch a sure thing," Basso saidMonday, "although God knows whatwill happen between now and theend of the week. We may have adioxin flare-up," The contractor alsotests all suspected dioxin sites in theregion. The recent dioxin scaredelayed well testing in Ringwood,which was originally scheduled totake place in June.

Basso said this week's sched-uled testing is designed to provide"a snapshot view" of the situation:"People in the area are concernedthat they are drinking contaminatedwater, and these samples will showwhether in fact this is happening."

According to Basso, N.U.S. willtake samples from about 10 wells, aswell as a surface water sample froma stream in the vicinity of the Mines,and may also take a sample throughthe airshaft of a mine that is stillopen. The latter may involve lower-ing a trigger mechanism samplingdevice some 150-200 feet through the

-high-concentrations oj%l-

*f;<surface water;' Local officials maintain the now

closed Ford Motor Co. in Mahwahdumped millions of gallons of paint,sludges and unidentified wastesdown the dozens of mine shafts in thearea from 1964 to 1970.

WN0WOOD PUBLICt4# Skyiands Road

Nsw Jer^y 07456

/f.

JUL 19B3

To The Editor:1 am writing you this letter in rebuttal

to some statements that Mr. Richardfahayla-Wynne, chairman ofHingwood Borough Environmental

An answerCommission has made on several oc-casions.

The statement is that there are five orsix homes in the immediate area of thetoxic waste dump site and that theirwater wells are loaded with toxicmaterials.

I would like to suggest to Mr. RichardCahay la- Wynne that he does hishomework before he starts releasingany statements to the news media. I amsure that if he does do his homework, hewill find that there are six wells in thewhole of the upper Ringwood area, thathe will find there is only one that isbeing used by one family in the upperRingwood area.

This well is some two miles from the

toxic dump Site. He will also find thatthe water tha*t is being used by the up-per Ringwood area residents is beingsupplied to them by the borough ofRingwood Water Department. _•

I am very sure that the borough ofRingwood would not knowingly supplythe upper Ringwood area residents withany water that has toxic materials in it.

I would suggest that Mr. RichardCahayla-Wynne go out and check his in-formation a lot closer than he is. Thesesort of statements always leads to hardfeelings for everyone involved.

Albert C. Sheehan,chairman

Ringwood NeighborhoodAction Association Inc.

i • ?

, -ft Si

WNGWOOD PUBLIC145 Skylands RoadRtngwcxxl, New Jsrsey 07456

1983

State plan targets toxic dump eleanupJor/8RTMawfvini^-'rVio ^ h i a i - w n . for vears hp.vnnd that time. Sfonrd- '"TOO nercentrti feasibility studV'anrf cess in the second .Quarter o:ft RINGWOOD--The actual "pro-

! )cess of physically cleaning up the'Ringwood Mines-Landfill site isscheduled to begin in the secondquarter of 1988, according to aManagement Plan for HazardousWaste Site Cleanups in New Jersey,which was recently released by thestate Department of EnvironmentalProtection's (DEP) Division ofWaste Management and HazardousSite Mitigation Administration.

" The Ringwood Mines-Landfillsite is one of the 106 hazardous wastesites in the 1983-86 Plan, and one ofthe 65 sites on the K'stional PrioritiesList (NPL) issued by the federalEnvironmental Protection Agency(EPA) last December, making thesuspected toxic dump site eligiblefor federal Superfund cleanup moni-ies.

While cleanup projects are ex-pected to be initiated within theperiod of the Plan, the completion ofcleanups at all scheduled sites willbe a seven to eight year effort, withsome sites requiring maintenance

for years beyond that time, accord-ing to the DEP. As additional sitesf.re approved for Superfund status,or as other sites requiring prioritystatus are identified, the list will bechanged accordingly, the state says.

The Plan represents the culmin-ation of a review process whichstarted with an original list of sitesranked by DEP and EPA based onpotential danger to public health andthe environment, taking into, ac-count surface and ground waterpollution as well as releases ofhazardous chemicals into the atmo-sphere.

According to the DEF Plan.the three major stages of a hazard-ous waste site cleanup procedureare s feasibility study to deter-mine the extent of the problem andrecommend remedial alternatives,an engineering design of the selectedremedial action to mitigate theproblem, and the remedial action, oractual physical cleanup process,including treatment and-or removal.The Superfund program provides

100 percent of feasibility study'and*engineering design costs, and up to90 percent of remedial costs foreligible hazardous waste sites, withthe state providing the remainder ofthe monies from either the NewJersey Spill Compensation Fund orthe $100 million Hazardous Dis-charge Fund approved by voters inNovember, 1981.

The actionsproposed in the Planare currently estimated to cost $232million, although the DEP points outthat the amount could increase

cess in the second quarter of 1988.Public hearings on the Manage-

ment Plan are scheduled for Oct. 3at Rutgers University, Oct. .4 atTrenton State College and Oct. 5 atYv'oodbury High School in GloucesterCounty. •. • •

The Ringwood Mines-Landfillarea is ranked 17th in Superfundcleanup priority, among'the state'sidentified toxic dump sites, based ontesting done by the DEP. in the 70swhich showed high concentrations ofsolvents in groundwater and highconcentrations of heavy metals in

substantially depending on further surface waiter.findingsestimated costs do not includelong-term maintenance costs, suchas ground water pumping and'treatment, which may be requiredat some sites.

According to the Plan, a feasibil-ity study of the Ringwood Mines-Landfill site is scheduled to begin inthe third quarter of 1984, to befollowed by an engineering design inthe first quarter of 1986 and" thecommencement of the cleanup pro-

cials contend the nowclosed Ford Motor Co. plant inMahwah dumped millions of gallonsof psint, sludges and unidentifiedwaste down the dozens of mineshafts in the area from 1964 to 1970.

Borough officials are still await-ing the results of testing of watersamples taken by the EPA fromseveral wells and a stream in the-vicinity of the site last July, tcdetermine whether the drinkingwater has been contaminated.

HtNGWGQD PU3UC LIBRARY

?45 $';ybnes Roadocd, New J»r$©y 07456

&S dofrom this re

Ringwood site includedon waste clean-up list •

RINGWOOD — Five area sites, in-cluding the Ringwood mine area, havebeen listed in the state Department ofEnvironmental Protection's (DEP)'1983-191$ management plan for hazandous waste clean-up in New Jersey.

Of the 106 waste sites on the list, 65are on the National Priority "Super-fund" List, with the remaining 41 onlyon the state clean-up schedule.

The 20 additional sites proposed forby the federal Environmental Protec-tion Agency (EPA) for inclusion in theSuperfund on Sept. 1 have not been in-cluded in the state plan, but will bescheduled following EPA action, ac-cording to DEP Commisioner RobertE. Hughey.

Hughey said the goal of the plan is "todevelop a systematic approach toremedial action to hazardous wastesites, to coordinate enforcement and

clean-up actions and to identify futureneeds and sources."

C. lean-up <jf sites not eligible forSupertund money will be financedthrough New Jersey's Spill Com-pensation Fund and HazardousDischarge Fund, Hughey said.

The area sites include the Ringwoodmines area, located off Margaret KingAvenue. The mines were used as a dum-ping Mie by the Ford Motor Co., whichowned the property until the boroughtook i itle about 10 years ago.

A number of chemicals, paints andother i efuse was dumped into the minesby Ford, and it is feared the toxic wastecouid pollute the area water supply.The mutes are listed on the Superfundlist.

Also on the list is Pepe Field in thetown of Boonton, also on the Superfund;Melaltec-Aerosystems in Franklin,

which is on the Superfund; BarrierChemical Industries in Vernon, not onthe Sujperfund; and A,Q,.Polyw#- inSparta, on the Superfund, as well.

The DEP is inviting public commenton the plan, and written comments canbe submitted on or before Nov. l, andsent to Grace Singer, Division of WasteManagement, CN 028, Trenton, N.J.,08625.

There will be three public hearings onthe plan: on Oct. 3, from 7 to 9 p.m., atthe Labor Education Center, RutgersUniversity, Ryders Lane, New Brun-swick; on Oct. 4, from 1 to 5 p.m.,Brown Student Center, Trenton StateCenter, Route 31 (Pennington Road),Trenton; on Oct. 5, 7 to 9 p.m., Wood-bury High School, 25 North Broad St.,Woodbury.

For further information, call theDEP at 609-292-2994.

RINGWOOD PUBLIC LIBRARY

145 Sky'anck RoadN«w Jwtoy 07456

mm

Water test results,seen in mid-Nov.

BY JEFF HO YAKRINGWOOD —A

spokesman for thefederal EnvironmentalProtection Agency(EPA) said Mondaythat the results of watersamples taken in thevicinity of the RingwoodMines-Landfill Area lastJuly should be availablefor public release to theborough in the middle ofNovember.

. "That's our latestestimate," said RayBasso, environmentalscientist with Region 2of the EPA; "Hopefully,we 'can stick to ourtimetable this time."

The samples were; taken from the borough

water supply andprivate wells within atwo-mile radius of theRingwood THines-Land-fill Area on July 14.The holdup is obtainingthe results of the watertesting has been at-tributed to the discoveryof dioxin dump sites inthe state last summer,which became an EPApriority.

Basso noted that hisoffice has no controlover the EPA contractlaboratory which hasbeen analyzing thesamples, although theEPA in Washingtondoes: "It's hard for us toexert pressure on themwhen we don't deal with

them directly." Bassosaid the latest he hasheard is that thesamples have left thecontractor and are ontheir way to the EPA'senvironmental ServicesDivision in Edison,where they will bereviewed to insure thedata is sound and for-warded to Basso, who inturn will disseminatethe results to theborough.

At B o r o u g hManager ThomasKane's request, Rep.Marge Roukema (R-5)has written the EPA,asking the agency toexpedite the borough'slong-awaited receipt ofthe results. TheRingwood Mines-Land-fill Area has beenranked 17th in theSuperfund clean-uppriority among thestate's identified toxicwaste dump sites.

i t . •r.

Please d^ not removefrom this room

RINGWOOD PUBLIC LIBRARY

145 Skyiands Road

Ringwood, Ns:¥,' 07456

M//UF

UpperR I N G W O O D —

Borough ManagerThomas Kane will holda public hearing onWednesday, Dec. 21, onthe borough's intent toapply for a new $500,000neighborhood revita-lization grant to fundfurther upgrading of theUpper Ringwood area.

Kane said theborough intends toapply by the Dec. 31deadline for Small

Cities Funds from -thestate Department ofCommunity Affairs inthe amount of $500,000.The grant, if received,would be used towardf u r t h e r hous ingrehabilitation, watersystem upgrade, roadimprovements andsocial services in theUpper Ringwood area(see related story).

Interested citizensmay comment at the

public hearing, Whichwill IK; held at 6 p.m. inBorough Hall, 60Margaret King Avenue.Residents may alsosubmit written com-ments on the applicationto the New JerseyDepartment of Com-munity Affairs, SmallCities Program, CN 806,Trenton, N.J. 08625,A t t e n t i o n : R . N .Binetsky, during theseven day periodfollowing "the hearing.

RINGWOOD PUBLIC LIBRARY145 Skylsnds Road

d, New hrssy 0745<<

Test result delays irk borgughBy NEIL ROBERTS

STAFF WRITER

RINGWOOD — Last July, the U.S.Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) took water samples from theabandoned mine area in UpperRingwood. As of this moment, theborough has yet to learn the results ofthose tests and it's somewhat of amystery why.

"The delays are ridiculous," saidMayor Walter Davison earlier thisweek. "We had someone check withCongressman (Robert) Roe's office onMonday (Jan. 23). In addition, wetalked to (Congresswoman) MargeRoukema. She said she'd have her stafffollow it up."

"I told her we can't tolerate the

delays any longer. It's a matter ofhealth. We had to get some high-powered influence," Davison added.

Herman Phillips, an informationspecialist in the office of externalprograms of the EPA, could not pindown the time the report would beissued.

"Indeed when they started out, theydid talk about six weeks. One of theproblems is that the data goes to a con-tract laboratory," he said.

"We're all a bit swamped because ofdioxin," Phillips explained, indicatingthat the data has probably beenanalyzed but as yet not been put in theform of a report.

"In terms of Ringwood,. the rawdata's been analyzed and the qualityassurance has- been done. The data issound. It's gone to a zone contractor.

We just haven't received any indicationwhen we'll receive the report," he ad-ded.

Raymond Basso, an environmentalscientist with the EPA, brought a teamup to the mine area last July to takesamples. The tests the team took weredesigned to see if there was anymeasurable pollution in the ground or ifany pollution had seeped into the ad-jacent reservoirs.

The property previously belonged tothe Ford Motor Company and wasacquired by the borough about 10 yearsago. When the borough acquired thesite, it was used as a domestic landfillfor about two years.

The state closed the site after in-spections revealed a high degree of con-taminants and thereafter ordered theborough to cap it off.

<n -RINGWOOD PUBLIC LIBRARY

oci, j\k,w j^resy 07456

Page 2--Mar. 14,1984-WM

EPA water test resultsreleased in full

RINGWOOD — The boroughearly this week received the longawaited results of the federal En-vironmental Protection Agency(EPA) tests of water in the vicinityof the Ringwood Mines and Landfill,taken last July. Mayor WaltorDavison said he expected theBorough Council to get into adiscussion of the results at itsmeeting last night, past press time.The following is the EPA samplingresults, printed unedited and ver-batim as they were released from

BackgroundThe Ringwood Mines and Land-

fill site is. approximately 0.5 mileswide and two miles long, andconsists of a .series of abandonedmine shafts and pits, inactive land-fills and open dumps.

Surface water draining the sitedischarges to the Wanaque Reser-voir approximately one mile south ofthe site. The Wanaque Reservoirwater supply intake which suppliespotable water to 650,000 residents of

northern New Jersey is locatedapproximately eight miles from thesite. Numerous private and com-mercial wells and an artesian springsupplying Upper Ringwood Boroughare located in close proximity to thesite.

Industrial waste consisting ofpaint sludges, solvents, scrap metalsand other unknown materials weredisposed of at the site during the latel%0s through the early 1970s.

KPA Action To Date•(-EPA staff inspected the site

KINSWCOD PUBUC LIBRARY

Swiswoad., Mew Jersey 07456

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Ford agrees to pay$460G for studySi

By NEIL ROBERTSSTAFF WRITER

RINGWOOD — Under terms of a con-sent order with the U.S. EnvironmentalProtection Agency (EPA), Ford In-ternational Services, a subsidiary ofFord Motor Company, has agreed tocreate a $460,000 fund within the next 30days "to determine the nature and ex-tent of hazardous waste releases" fromthe Ringwood mine area.

Norman Bernstein, associate councilfor Ford, said from his office in Detroitthat the study would be conducted intwo phases, the first of which wasscheduled to end last week.

In the first phase, Woodward-ClydeConsultants of Wayne, an independentfirm reviewed the geology andtopography of the borough,

"We expect to receive the report nextweek. Once the consultant and the EPAreviews it, then they'll proceed," Ber-nstein said. / '

"I don't want to prejudge what thestudy will show. The preliminary study(performed by the EPA last summer)indicates that there's not a majorproblem. I don't want to pre-guess.Others are potentially responsible," headded.

Mayor.Walter Davison said the con-sent order provides the funding theborough will need to investigate theacquifers to ensure the safety of thepeople.

"I'm thankful Ford agreed this soon— not only for Ringwood, but for thepeople downstream," he said.

, The others Bernstein spoke aboutcould be the Pittsburgh Pacific Co.,which owned the site until Ford and theRingwood Realty Corp. acquired it onJanuary 7,1965.

During the time Ford owned theproperty, located in the UpperRingwood area off of Margaret KingAvenue, it was used as a landfill site fordisposal of solid waste. The EPA reportlists the site as comprising open dumps,landfills, abandoned mine shafts andpits used for the disposal of industrialand municipal wastes.

The report also states that the con-sent is in no way an admission by Fordof any liability or responsibility for theconditions at the site because it has notowned it for over 10 years.

Herman Phillips, a spokesman forthe EPA, indicated that after documen-ts are submitted to the agency, it ispossible that any cleanup, if necessary,could begin sometime during the sum-mer.

The EPA study of last summer con-cluded that the borough's water supplywas safe and "did not contain any con-tamination in excess of the drinkingwater standards."

There was some thought that someelements of nickel found at the Boys'Detention Center would require furtherinvestigation, but a subsequent EPAreport indicated that the level of nickelfound last summer (42 parts per billion)was erroneous after the agency wentback to the site and found no detectablelevels of nickel in all five samples ittook.

Phillips said he wasn't sure what thenext step would be and indicated itwould depend on the consultants'report.

"Our samples of last summer were acursory look. This will be in depth. TheEPA will have people there," he said."Remedial action could be taken, but itdepends on what they find."

iesiient blasts newRingwooi mine tests

By NA.-VCY EISE.N"Stiff Writer

KIS6WCXB* — Alfftougn the prospect ofmere testing of. the ingwood mine landfillsite makes sense people happy, it hassparked «te concents of a local environ-mentalist..

Tlie federal Environmental ProtectionAgency lias gained consent from Jhe for-mer owner of the site tor further testing todetermine lie extent of damage, and toreview t ie pssifeiiity of future contamina-tion sf tb£ drafting water supplied from{fee Waoaque Reservoir, according to areport. But Questions remain as to whetherifwili lead to-action or more testing.

"I don't believe for a second that they'rejust worried about the Mure," said JeffreyRothfeder. RlBfweod resident and environ-mentalist, adding, "•'They operate on acrisis mentality."

Hie consent order with Ford lp.ternat»oB-ai Services Inc., a subsidary of Fort MotorCo., will create a $468,000 fund to ' 'deter-mine the nature and extent of hazardous-waste release from the- site, and thecontamination of air. soil, surface, andground waters, if any," the agency reportstates- , .. '

"The process eecls with more research."said fiotfefeder. "What happens to ml theother studies that were done over theyears?"

Rothfeder. who has studied and writtenabout the site for several years, expressedconcern about the agency's way of dealingwith Ute area. "It's taken them so long toget nowhere; that's what disturbs me," hesaid,. "Why don't they just close it up andshut it down?"

Rothfeder explained agency research hasalways found "something they don't like;"instead of acting on original findings, "theywant to find more.' *

"We were delighted to see this quickaction." said Rtagwood Mayor WalterDavison yesterday. He said {he process hasbeen long because of waiting for results,

I don't beu&¥e for.o§eeomithaf .they're fustworried ebout #i#

operate on m &M

— Jeffrey ftofhfeder

yet he a pleased thzi the s*csa£ stage ofresearch, to be carried sul by F«rt. hascome about so soon

"Then se#si to be soxae f«es-.;o«s 10*unanswered," he sat4 WiUi tfct cossBitorder, he sa«l, "they're goffif If be s&le '§coBiplete testing."

*i£'s Just that the federal' £nv;n>iia>ei»-tal Proterfsm Agency feels H =the ie&tmf •should go a step further." be said

"The problem goes beyond the. VpmrRtngVtiQOd area." DavjsoK c-oGtimsed J?could affect hundreds et thousanils efpeople who dnnJE wa'er from Jhe WanaqueReservoir.

Davison sai4 a cantb:ned effort betweenthe borough, the stale Department of Envi-ronmental Protectioo and the fecterai er.v;-roRineflJai agency has pm€ off Heengnecr George Hoizapfee!. ofRichani Engineering Association m P&%^t-son. would msnitor the research at ihe s^e

"Tbss is the first I've heart about ss."Koixapftei said Ke sari Davisoe fcisd restcontactetf htm as of yesterday "i doa'iknow whether they've :der.t:f»d the chemi-cals at the site and i don't know wtoetfserthey've identified the coarse of actiea theyWill take," he said.

Holsajrtiet saW. "I kitow tite.areas befog highlighted."

In the event farther investijcatioBshe need for additional work at the site.such as'ewifaiameiH or cleanup, fee agen-cy states ia the <oder that they reserve Oteright "ta perforas asMiiranai studies 2ndtake aay additiosai actisn ia f ^ p m ^ ioany release or threatened release ©f hax-ardous sAstances £rom the sfte,"

On the basis el taftwmstton ^Itoeredthrough the initial jesting s^fsf s«e. ifceagency ""has determtn«i*1fiSt*fife pre«nceof hazardous waste at the facility, and jnsurface wafers and wafer in lainesbafts atthe site, may present a substantial hazardto human health or the environment,"according to agency standards.

Ford purchased the property in 1965. Tftemine area was used by Ford to dump itsindustrial waste until' 1973 when tlje compa-ny sold the land.

The mines and landfill site are the areaswhere Ford disposed of its Industrial waste— paint sludges, solvents, scrap metalsand oUier unknown materials in opendumps, landfills, mine shafts, and pits.

The environmental agency performedtests in the area in 1S83 that revealed "thatthe Upper Ringwood Borough (water) sup-ply did not contain any contamination inexcess of drinking water standards andthat surface waters and sediment sampleswere within a normal range."

The agency order explains that the$460,000 shall be contributed to the Ring-wood Site Trust Fund. The payment "is nota fine or penalty, nor does it constitute apayment in settlement of any actual orpotential liability for a fine or penalty."

The identification of responsible partiesis part of "Superfund" research procedureson toxic-waste sites.

First, the agency tests at the site todetermine if a danger exists. After initialtest results warrant action, the agencypursues the responsible party to pay forfurther testing. If the agency cannot locatethe responsible party or gain their consentfor further testing at their own cost, theresponsible party is then required to paythree times the cost of such testing.

The trust-fund money will be used to payWoodward-Clyde Consultants of Wayne tocarry out the research at the site. Therules imposed on such research by theenvironmental agency are stringent andrequire an agency representative presentat'tbe test site at all times.

Tiie order also explains that the agencyreserves the right to "seek recovery costsincurred in carrying out such studies orresponses," from the responsible party.

/}* * *«*<*-*

1984

DRILLING BEGINS Under the direction of Woodward-ClydeConsultants, Samuel Stothoff Co. began well drilling in order tosample the water in the upper Ringwood area where miningonce flourished. The area was also used for solid waste untilabout eight years. The area pictured is a field adjacent to theintersection of Milligan A venue and Van Dunk Lane.

(Trends: Neil Roberts)

Drilling begins forhazardous wastesBy NEIL ROBERTS

STAFF WRITER

RINGWOOD - Ground watertesting in the upper Ringwoodarea to determine the nature andextent, if any, of hazardous wastereleases began in earnest last weekwhen Samuel Stothoff Co. ofFlemingtori sunk some drill bitsinto areas adjacent to the shafts ofthe abandoned mines.

Woodward-Clyde Consultantsof Wayne, an independent firm.

will be conducting tests when thepreliminary drilling work is com-pleted and is expected to issue areport to the U.S. EnvironmentalProtection Agency (EPA) some-time in December.

The money for the testing cameabout under the terms of a con-sent order signed by Ford Interna-tional Services, a subsidiary ofFord Motor Company, whichcreated a $460,000 fund.

(CONTINUEDON PAGE 4)

ey. K.52 O— J •

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Drilling begins in Ringwood"^/^ -.(CONTINUEPFROMPAGE 1) •

Steffan; Helbig, the assistantproject geologist for Woodward-Clyde indicated that wells wouldbe dug in a number of differentplaces in the upper Ringwoodarea, all of which are boroughproperty.

In a phase I study concludedlast spring. Woodward-Clyde tookaerial photograghs of the sight andsubmitted them to the EPA.

"What it really boils down to isan overview of the sight," said Dr.Melvin Esrig, vice president ofWoodward-Clyde.

"The phase one study was reallya very simple identification of thehistory. We're looking for fracturesin the rock. It's ^ 0 more than abackground with a little bit of put-ting in mapping," Esrig stated lastspring.

Esrig said the aerial photo-

graphs would be able to locatefractures in the rock, which in thisarea are of pre-cambrian composi-tion. "Those fractures can be seenin the aerial photos," he said, offer-ing that additional data can begathered from satellite photos ofthe area. "We have to take advan-tage of all the sources."

Raymond Basso, an environ-mental scientist with the EPA, saidthe deepest well being dug wouldbe about 500 feet deep in the fieldnear the intersection of Milliganand Van Dunk.

"There ' s three additionalmonitoring wells not quite asdeep. The other two are at thecannon mine. We haven't takenany samples yet. It's just physicaldrilling." he said.

"We're going to be out there forquite some time installing themonitoring wells in the area of the

mines for the purpose of determin-ing if there's any contamination inthe ground," he added.

Basso said the EPA was notspecifically looking for any type ofcontamination, but rather waschiefly concerned that the consul-tant work according to the projectspecifications.

"The field work will probablycontinue into August. By the timewe take samples, have themanalyzed and pull all the data to-gether, it'll probably be sometimein December. It's a large under-taking," he said.

As for any fears that the drillingmight result in any additional sink-holes in the mine area, Basso saidthat was unlikely because of theareas chosen to drill in.

"We're not drilling down intothe shafts, we're drilling into rock."he said.

Ringwood, DEP agree methane poses no present danger

Escaping gas requires immediate plaitBy NEIL ROBERTSSTAFF WRITER

RINGWOOD - In a letter datedJuly 31, the state Department ofEnvironmental Protection (DEP)has ordered the borough to submitwithin 30 days an engineering de-sign detailing steps to abate themigration of methane gas beyonda former landfill site in the upperRingwood area behind theborough garage.

The order further states that thedesign must be implementedwithin 60 days of DEP approval.

Borough and DEP officialsagree that the escaping gas doesnot pose an immediate danger toupper Ringwood residents.

"This is not an emergency.There is no concentration ofmethane gas found in the resi-dences and no evacuation is nec-essary," said Mayor WalterDavison.

"I would agree," said RobertPowell, a senior environmentalspecialist for the DEP. "There hasnot been any finding of evidenceof gas going into people's houses."

Davison is perturbed at the DEPfor the manner in which theborough was informed of the prob-lem because it came without anyprior knowledge on the borough'spart and was a total surprise.

"Three or four weeks ago, wehad calls from the upper Ring-wood area verifying they were con-ducting methane gas testing. Butwe couldn't verify it through Tren-ton," he said.

"I'm very annoyed that the ad-ministrative order (refers) to Janu-ary and February. I couldn'tfathom why they'd wait until Julyor August. Why this delay in notify-ing the borough authorities?

"More important, why in a sur-

reptitious manner? We wouldhave had the borough engineer(George Holzapfe!) accompanythem. The procedure, I think, wasdone improperly by the DEP,"Davison said.

Powell said he could under-stand Davison's concern.

"I could see why he's annoyed.Why the engineering staff didn'tnotify them, I don't know. But theyprobably should have been," hesaid.

Powell explained that a pre-liminary investigation was con-ducted sometime in January andthen investigators returned in thelatter part of May for a more ex-tensive examination. As to why theborough wasn't told about theproblem in January, Powell saidthat perhaps the evidence did notsuggest as big a problem then aswas later found in the subsequent.

investigation."I would assume the engineer-

ing staff did a more extensive ex-amination in May," he said, ex-plaining that methane gas has mi-grated beyond landfill boundarylimits and entered propertiesalong Van Dunk Lane.

Holzapfel, who along with thecouncil and Borough Attorney Au-gust Fischer, attended an emer-gency closed session last Saturdaymorning, described the affectedarea as north and west of theborough garage.

The area was used for domesticrubbish and trash, and was closedas a landfill site approximately 10years ago.

"Methane is a naturally occur-ring gas due to the decompositionof organic materials due to theabsence of oxygen. It's a commonoccurrence in landfill sites,"

RiNGWOOD PUBLIC U8RAKM5 Stands R;ad*»nfl¥/ood, Nsv- Jersey £7

Holzapfel said."It's normal and expected," he

added, explaining that this has be-come a common problem at laitt-fllls about eight to 10 years afterthey're closed.

Holzapfel surmised that theproblem could have existed in low-er levels of the landfill, but only aninsignificant level of methane gaswas evident until recently.

"Ten years ago, nobody thoughtof this. To operate a landfill now, itwould require more controls andrestrictions. Rule number one isdon't build private homes next to alandfill," he said.

Holzapfel said he had discussedthe matter with Powell, who ex-plained to him that the DEP issupposed to do sampling of vari-ous landfills periodically.

"They established where theirconcern was. I questioned if it wasan immediate emergency and wastold it was not a situation thatjustifies evacuation," he said.

As for the DEP's order for anengineering design within 30 days,Holzapfel said the idea is to ventthe area. This would most likely beachieved by a method commonlyused whereby a trench is ex-cavuated and gravel replaces it.

"We have to find out how muchand how fast it's decomposing.You can't really determine thatnow," he said.

Davison said because of the waythe DEP handled the matter, thepotential is there for litigation onthe borough's part. This was oneof the topics of the closed session,but whether the borough actuallyfollows through remains to beseen.

/&

Found migrating toward

DEP orders borough toUpper Rinawood homes tt

vent methane gasBYJEFFHOYAK

RINGWOOD — Borough of-ficials have been told there is noemergency and no evacuations arenecessary in Upper Kingwooddespite the state Department of En-vironmental Protection's (DEP's)findings that methane gas from along-buried landfill in the CannonMine Roads area is migrating towardresidences on Van Dunk Lane.

As a result of an administrativeorder to correct the problem within90 days which was received by theborough from the DEP's Division ofWaste Management last Thursday,the Borough Council met in closedsession on Saturday to discuss poten-tial litigation to reverse the order andBorough Engineer George Holzapfelcontacted the DEP on Monday,asking for copies of the agency's fieldreports so he can conduct sup-plemental testing to determine theextent of the problem.

"Our immediate reaction wasabsolute panic," stressed MayorWalter Davison, noting that boroughofficials were not even aware the -DEP had been probing for methanegas concentrations in UpperRingwood prior to receipt of the ad-ministrative order on Thursday."It's a little bit upsetting. It's ab-surd," charged the mayor, main-taining, "We would have liked tohave had our engineer conduct thetesting with them."

The order, dated July 31 andsigned by Joseph A. Rogalski,assistant director of the Division,

. directs the borough to design andsubmit to the DEP for approvalwithin 30 days a system to abate themigration of gas, and to implementtil?, design within 60 days of Depart-mental approval. -,—m. •:.•»,. •••*

George Klenk, spokesman forthe DEP, called the situation anemergency "in the sense that wehave found gas migrating off site of alandfill." Klenk said the flammablegas, the by-product of decomposedgarbage in the buried dump, isheading toward four homes on VanDunk Lane and when last checked bythe DEP in May "had come within 10feet of one home's foundation." Thespokesman stressed that no datafrom the tests, which were conductedin January and May, "indicate anymethane present in the basementsthemselves "

Klenk explained that methanegas can be dangerous if it becomestrapped in an enclosure (such as abasement) and levels build up to thepoint where five percent of the air ismethane, a stage at which the gas "iscapable of exploding when given anignition source," Klenk cautioned.Noting that between five and 15 per-cent methane content of air is con-sidered the "lower explosive level"of the gas, the spokesman disclosedthat of 17 soil readings taken by DEPinvestigators of the Cannon Minearea on May 17, eight showed notrace of the gas, four were, positiveand five were at the 100 percent LEL(lower explosive level).

Klenk explained that the testswere conducted by putting probes inthe soil to measure the gas content.The testing was done "as part of aprogram where we're looking at allformer landfills which are nowclosed to be certain there are no en-vironmental problems associatedwith these facilities." Klenk notedthat landfills now in operation mustinstall gas capturing and ventingsystems as a condition of DEP ap-proval of their expansion, and theagency also requires such systemsbefore approving final closure of thesites.

Klenk said one of the more com-monly used methods of ventingmethane gas is to dig an undergroundtrench and fill it with gravel, whichallows the gas to first collect as itmoves laterally, and then escapevertically into the atmosphere.

The administrative orderreceived by the borough recountsthat the municipality did submit an

operational engineering design forthe landfill to the DEP on June 28,

1973, and the DEP notified Ringwoodby letter on Dec. 6, 1974 of designdeficiencies, stating that "fill area isadjacent to proposed housingproject, therefore an adequatemethane gas venting system isrequired." According to the order,the borough did accept bids for amethane venting system trench onOct. 6,1976, but the trench was neverconstructed on the landfill ..The orderalso states that failure tacomply withthe DEP's directions could result in amaximum civil penalty of $25,000 perday imposed on the borough.

Borough officials are peeved thatthe DEP took almost three monthsfrom the last date of testing - May 17 -

to notify them of the situation "IfJh^yjhmightjr of anjmergent

nature, they should have~co~ntectedus immediately," felt Borough At-

torney August Fischer, who met withcouncilmen in closed session Satur-day to discuss possible litigation toreverse the administrative order andmake sure no penalties are imposedon the borough. Added Fischer,"They should supply information touse so we don't have to go throughthis testing procedure." Klenk ex-plained that the process of infor-mation the borough took so longbecause the numerical figures fromthe gas meters had to be converted tomethane levels and reviewed by anengineer: "If we felt the emergencywas of such a nature, we certainlywould have sent out a much fasterorder."

Fischer said that although the' continued on page 4)

RINGWOOD PUBLIC tlBRARV

145 Skylands Road

Methane gas venting ordered(continued from page 1)

potential for litigation does exist, headvised the governing body onSaturday that "This type of responseusually generates more heat thanlight. What we want is their assis-tance."

That is what Holzapf el sought onMonday when he contacted the DEPand asked for copies of its data so theborough can establish its own sam-pling program to determine the

magnitude of the methane problem.Holzapf el also cited a cut-offperimeter trench filled with gravelas a likely means of venting themethane. "Bight now, it's not abigproblem but it could become one andthat's what we're concerned about,"Holzapf el said; "We're hoping tocorrect it before it becomes a bigproblem."

Al Sheehan, who as chairman of

the Ringwood Neighborhood ActionAssociation (RNAAJ is sort of theunofficial mayor of Upper Ringwood,said Monday that Van Dunk Lanepreferred to in the administrative or-der as "Van DunfRoad") residentsare hot overjoyed about the prospectof methane gas seeping into theirbasements: "It does cause a little bitof anxiety. It's something you can'tsee or smell and it's worrisome.''

AU6Page 2--Aug. 29 1084- ARGUS

Boro finds no methane gasnear Upper Ringwood homes

BY JEFF HO YAKRINGWOOD-Having taken 40

to 50 samples of methane gas from aburied landfill in the Cannon MineRoad area and found that theirresults essentially concur with thoseof the state, borough officials aresending a letter to the stateDepartment of EnvironmentalProtection (DEP) outlining astepped program they recommendbe taken to vent the gas before itmigrates into residential homes onVan Dunk Lane.

Borough Engineer GeorgeHolzapfel said he personally drewsamples from the area in the pasttwo-and-a-half weeks and in so doingestablished the boundaries of thelandfill and the percentage of gaslocated at. different points. Holzapfelsaid his findings basically match upwith the results of a samplingprogram conducted by the DEP lastJanuary and May, with one ex-ception: the DEP found a highconcentration of methane gas closeto one Van Dunk Lane home, andHolzapfel didn't: "We spent specialattention on that and came up withsubstantially different results. Wecame up with zero percent. Thereare no known or found spots ad-jacent, to a house with a gas con-dition."

Holzapfel did, however, findmethane gas content as high as 56percent in some locations. Betweenfive and 15 percent methane contentof air is considered explosive, andhigher than 15 percent is flammable."The optimum is to have zero,"stressed the engineer.

The DEP earlier this monthdirected the borough to design andsubmit to the state for approvalwithin 30 days a system to abate themigration of gas, and to implementthe design within 60 days of DEPapproval

The letter being sent to the DEPthis week contains Holzapfel'sresults and three steps recom-mended by him to correct the

problem, which he said must oeapproved by the DEP before finalconstruction of a venting system canbegin.

The first step is a boringprogram to locate the landfill,sample the soils to see how theyreact in either passing or cutting offthe flow of the methane, and drill aporous pipe into the ground to serveas a closed, capped, permanentsampling site. Until now Holzapfelhas been driving steel pipes two feet

into tne ground, taxing samplesfrom the holes created.

The second step recommendedby Holzapfel is a continued samplingprogram to analyze the percentagesof gas at various locations. The thirdstep is a design program for theconstruction of a passive ventingsystem.

The system would have to beapproved by the DEP, but Holzapfelsaid it would probably be an un-derground trench filled with gravel,

which would allow the gas to firstcollect as it moves laterally and thenescape vertically into the at-mosphere.

Holzapfel noted that the landfillitself is "a relatively small area,immediately adjacent to a steephillside. As you step away to the'flatlands, the percentage of gas inthe samples is reduced." Themethane gas is the by-product ofdecomposed garbage in the burieddump.

WNGWOOD PUBLIC IIBRA*« 3 k« 3 Sk Road

n»

Methane gas samplingby boro underway

BY CLAIRE LUHRSRINGWOOD — The borough

engineer took his first samplesSaturday to determine theparameter of the undergroundtravelling methane gas in UpperRingwood.

George Holzapfel plans to testover several weeks using a meterwhich records the percentage of thegas in the air to "try to establishwhere the breakoff point is". Thesamples are taken by punching a holeone foot deep in the ground andtesting the air there. Five sets of testsin the same 15 spots should beenough, he said.

Once the cutoff point is located,Holzapfel can develop a plan to ventthe gas. As methane is flammable inthe proper concentration (5-15 per-cent) if trapped in an enclosure, it isessential to get it vented before ittravels underground to the nearesthouses, five on Van Dunk Lane.

The most favored option is to diga trench at the cutoff line and fill itwith gravel, said the engineer. Thisallows the gas to collect as it movessideways, then to escape up into theatmosphere.

Although the Department of En-vironmental Protection (DEP) gavethe borough 30 days to develop a ven-ting plan in its order of last week,Holzapfel said that time frame was"not cast in stone" based on his con-versation this week with RobertPowell of the DEP, author of the or-der. "I did not get the impression thatin 30 days they would be fining you,"

5>said Holzapfel. "The DEP is an-ticipating a problem and wants theborough to anticipate, too, to avoid aproblem." The department would beamenable to an extension, he feels.

The town fathers have been con-sidering litigation to reverse the or-der and make sure no penalties wereimposed.

Once a plan is approved, theborough will have 60 days to im-plement it,

The gas is emanating from an oldgarbage landfill located behindBorough Hall which was sealed in1974-75. A venting system shouldhave been installed at the time of thesealover as methane gas is alwaysproduced by decomposing garbage,but was not probably due to the ex-tremely high bids received for thework, according to BoroughManager Thomas Kane. Kane doesnot know exactly what happened asthat was before his time.

Councilmen and administratorsare still in the dark as to when andhow often the DEP took theirmethane samples which led to the or-der, part of a program of checkingformer landfills for any environmen-tal problems. The town fathers aremiffed that the DEP never informedthem of the testing and took threemonths after the last test on May 17 tonotify them of the problem.

Landfills now in operation mustinstall venting systems as a conditionof DEP approval of their expansionand must have a system in place toget a DEP okay for the final closing ofa site.

145 SkyiafKl

ESCAPING GAS — This house in upper Ring-wood is among several houses in the boroughthat were near an area where methane gas wasescaping. The state Department of Environ-mental Protection recently ordered the

borough to formalize a plan to contain the gas.DEP officials say there is no immediate dangerto residents who live in the area.

>Ji~~-- (Trends: Neil Roberts)

OOO PUiSLJCSkyiaatis Road

Ford consultant:dump woes trivial

BY CLAIRE LUHRS

RINGWOOD - AFord Motor Co. con-sultant has reported"negligible problemsfor Ringwood" from theold Ford dumps in Up-per Ringwood, BoroughManager Thomas Kane,said Tuesday.

The report has beensubmitted to Ford andto the EnviormentalProtection Agency(EPA) for evaluation."It may be monthsbefore they contact us,"said Kane.

"What I reafl wasenough to get us off thelist,'* commented Coun-ci lman WilliamBrunkhardt. The list inquestion is the state's onwhich the dumps wereranked No. 17, inpr ior i ty for in-vestigation. The hazar-dous waste sites wereranked not only on theirdegree of toxicmaterial, but on theirproximity to largepopulations. Thus the

Upper Ringwood dumpsat the head of theWanaque Reservoir,water supply for half amillion people, wasnamed No. 17, thereby

upsetting residents."It's not months,

but years to get off thelist," said Kane, whohas called the EPA onthis.

PUR'JC

U5 Skyb nfcmffw&odf Haw

/{

DEP approves RingwoocTsproposal for methane problem

By KATHY BRACUTISTAFF WRITER

RINGWOOD — The Depart-ment of Environmental Protectionhas approved the borough's pro-posal of passive ventilation withmodifications, to methane gas dis-covered leaking from the Ring-wood Solid Waste landfill in theupper Ringwood area.

A routine DEP investigationfound the leak approximately sixmonths ago and Borough Engi-neer, George Holzapfel, was com-missioned to analyze the situation.

Holzapfel's analysis proved thatthe methane did not pose a threat

. to homes in the area of the landfill,according to Mayor WalterDavison.

Holzapfel, had proposed a pas-sive ventilation system to resolvethe problem.

"His solution would have costthe borough $50,000," saidDavison. "Our good friends at theDEP rejected his solution."

"We (the council) thought theborough engineer presented a rea-sonable and good faith attempt toventilate the gas," continuedDavison. "but, the DEP wanted$350,000 to $450,000 for activeventilation. The council as a wholeshuddered. When the DEP issuesan edict like that, you know youcan't get any relief."

Davison however, defendedHolzapfel's version of the solution."In the engineer's opinion, itwould be absolutely unnecessaryto go through the exotic and com-plex lengths the DEP's systemcalled for."

Davison said the issue of financ-ing the DEP's sollution was onlypart of the borough's rejection ofthe department's, remedy andadded that the math qualm waswith its impracticability.

"The borough manager and en-gineer made it clear to the DEPthat the council could not supporttheir proposal based on engineer-ing and finance impracticability,"stated Davison, adding thatHolzapfel and Borough ManagerThomas Kane "went to Trenton todiscuss the two different systemswith the DEP.

"The engineer convince_d theDEP that we didn't have to installthat complex and exotic system,"said Davison ; proudly, "theybought the passive system withminor modifications."

Those modifications includeregular monitoring by Holzapfel totest the methane emissions, andan alarm system that would alertthe surrounding homes shouldheavy emissions occur.

"We are delighted we couldwork this out with our good friendsat the DEP," concluded Davison."The solution's cost has been heldat $50,000 plus a couple buckshere and there."

M5 SJcyU Road

Radon gasconcerns^Ringwood

By MATTHEW J. GRECO ^ ?

STAFF WRITER &RINGWOOD - Borough xeA-\

dents can look for announcementon a public hearing on radon —what it Is, what Its dangers are, andwhat can be done about it — in thenext few weeks. '

The health department decidedMonday evening to sponsor a pub-lie meeting with KennethHawkswell, West Miliord health of-ficer and Passaic County radoninformation officer as guest Speak*er. Additionally, other experts wfilsupplement the meeting IrttlttdirttiDr. Thomas Freund cfiairrhan 61the Health Department, andpossbily a borough coundl mem-ber.

Monies possibly available fromthe state for radon detection andprotection will also be discussed.

Radon is a radioactivebyproduct of uranium which in itsgaseous form when inhaled Is ex-tremely toxic and a suspectedcause of lung cancer. Radon Isparticularly dangerous in winterbecause it leaks up into the "but-toned up" environments of in-sulated winterized houses fromcracks in the ground and throughfoundations and pipes and allowsthe radon to accumulate.

Radon is found in the "ReddingProng," a geological formationwhich runs from Redding Pennsyl-vania to Fairfleld County Connect-icut.

RiHv,WOOD PUSLiC UBS145 Skyiands ReadRingwood, H©\v larsey 07456

Ringwood Health Officer Rob-ert McCarthy explained to thehealth board Monday night thestatus of radon Investigation at thistime. He said, "the jury isn't In yeton whether or not there is a signifi-cant problem with radonemissions In New Jersey." Mc-Carthy said that Orange County,N.Y., had done a study which In-dicated they were unconcernedwith radon's presence.

A $4.2 million bill Is before theNew Jersey Senate which wouldauthorize the state departments ofhealth-«ndenvironmental protee* tion to institute test and correctionprograms by October, he said.

Test kits that will be used In thestate testing are available Individ-ually at about $35. One possibilityis that the borough could massorder testing kits and cut down theprice to $20-$25 for residents.

Health board member AnneBadla was upset with the state'splans to initially use voluntary tes-ting in securing statistical informa-tion on radon. "It doesn't seem tobe a sound way to do it," she saidadding that the state was ap-propriating money but was stillgoing to make people pay for thetesting.

Freund said that the poor sec-tions of the borough will say no toinvesting money in testing kitswhile the rich will get them. "1think the town should arbitrarilypick 15 houses here and there todo it." He suggested money be putinto the 1986 budget for the tes-ting.

McCarthy said that if the statefinds significant evidence of radonfrom the initial studies, then it willauthorize further studies and mon-ey to seal houses against radonpenetration.

Radon Is only dangerous whenallowed to accumulate In a closedatmosphere and Inhaled.

OCT 1985

Suburban Trends, Sunday October 20.1985 — Main Section 15Local News

Haack updates R'woodon methane problems

By MATTHEW GRECOSTAFF WRITER '

RINGWOOD - Ed Haack, thenewly appointed borough engi-neer, brought the council up todate on the methane venting prob-lem in the upper Ringwood areaand the revision of the boroughtax maps.

At Tuesday's council workshop,session, Haack said the plans fafrthe type of methane extractionhave been approved, by the De-partment of Environmental Pro>tection for the Upper Ringwoodhomes.

A nandful of homes were builtin that area near the site of an oldlandfill., Borough Manager TomKane explained that pockets ofgas from the site have been drift-ing underground and are en-dangering the homes. Some

$50,000 has already been ap-propiated by the council for theplacement of venting wells there., Additionally, the homes will besituated with alarms and monitorsso borough officials will know ifdangerous levels of the gas ac-cumulate in the houses. Fourhomes will be situated with themonitoring systems Haack said hedidn't know the price of monitors."It could be from $50 to $500," hesaid. '::

Haack said no specific schedulefor installation has been set Inaddition, the specifications forbidson the equipment have yet to bedrawn up.

One long pipe with 14 stacksrunning off of it will be used tovent the harmful methane. Haack

indicated that installation would be"no fuss."

On the matter of the tax maprevision, which the borough isdoing by mandate of the Depart-ment of Taxation as a prelude tonext year's countywide revalua-tion, Haack said a list of sub-'divisions will be added to the cur-rent rnabi

Haack estimated completion ofthe maps by Dec. 15.

While he said tax numberscouldn't be reserved, he could listthe block number with additionson it, such as, 01-02-03, etc.

Haack added that the old mapwould be set in red so the taxassessor could compare the oldand hew maps until he gets usedto the new one.

RINGWOOD PUBLIC LIBRARY145 Skylsnds Ro^d

gwood, N»w Jsj-sey 07456

Ringwoodestablishesradon gassearch %• , ; ' v ! • ; •:'••:-'$':'• W

RINGWOOD It has recently)been discovered that 200,000 or morehomes in northern New Jersey areat risk from radon gas and radonprogeny contamination. Thesehomes are primarily situated atopthe Reading Prong, a geologicalstructure containing uranium. -

' The uranium decays and radonseeps up through the earth and istrapped inside homes where it in

, turn decays to radon progeny.These progeny may lodge in thelungs, increasing the risk of cancer.A substantial percentage of lungcancer in nonsmokers is believed tobe due to radon gas and - or radonprogeny.

In a Pennsylvania countycontinued on page 2.

{From preceeding pageisituated on the Heading Prong,nearly JO percent of the 2,000 homestested had unsafe radon levels. One,home contained the highest levels ofradon found in the nation. It isunknown how many homes in New \Jersey are contaminated or are atrisk. . i(From the statementaccompanying proposed AssemblyBill No. 4112).

As to, date, the state of NewJersey has not developed it's ownprogram, nor is it likely that a firmprogram will emerge within the next .month. The Ringwood Board ofHealth, in collaboration with theBorough Council' and theEnvironmental Commission, isproposing a three-point program,which it believes could be used as an

' initial program to begin to assess therisks which Ringwood residentsmight face from radon gas or its

• progeny. -; .Consequently, as the current

danger from radon or its progeny isunknown, the board recommendsthe implementation of the followingprogram;

+ A public information programhas been scheduled for Nov. 13. at 8p.m. in the Ryerson School mini- /auditorium. Representatives from '

i the various levels of government,including West Mjlford HealthOfficer Ken Hawkswell, the Passaic 'County representative on the NewJersey DEP Task Force, and thecommunity, w.ill discuss radon andways of dealing with it in Ringwood.

- Develop and have in place bythe end of November a sampling

' program to randomly assess thepotential of the radon hazard in 10percent of the homes from the

. various areas within Ringwood to bepaid for by the borough or throughstate or federal aid.

Make available to residents(beyond item 2 above) at a reducedrate, a monitor which can beinstalled in their homes for up to athree month period; capable ofdetecting radon or its progeny.

Since the danger of radon isgreatest at times when homes areclosed up, as during the winter, it isimperative that thoughtful action betaken, in conjunction with otherprograms as they become available,but in time to commence this wintertotherwise we, will probably, loose ayear);

RINGWOOD PUBLIC LIBRARY145 Skyiands RoadRingwood, New Jarsey 07456

Methane^dilemma^

By ELLEN TRUFANT/^ 2 -

STAFF WRITERRINGWOOD - An Upper Ring-

wood area resident has two majorcomplaints aboutjthe methaneclean-up operation underway at .the site of the old borough landfilldump off of Milligan Drive. Theborough denies that.there havebeen complaints.

"Our whole yards are nothingbut garbage," said the resident,who declined to be identified,"They're digging'and there's noth-ing but garbage." ,

The resident said she was fear-ful for the welfare and safety of herchildren from the garbage andalso from the methane gas opera^tion itself.

"The gas is so high, we're afraidwe'll get blown sky high if theytouch something wrong," she said."I've lived here ten years, and thegas, is constantly high. We can'teven go into our backyards be-cause of the smell from- the gar-bage and the gas,"

She said she has called boroughofficials, but has not been helped."We cajl the Board of Health,Town Manager Thomas Kane,and Red McDowell, (supervisor ofthe Department of Publlic Works)but they don't do anything," shes a i d . ^-::

:. • • • ' ' " ._,..The allegation that there have

been complaints about the dumpsite was emphatically denied byTown Manager Kane.

"Nobody has called my office,and 1 just got off the phone withHealth Officer Gene Osais and hereports no complaints, "Kane said.

"I've been manager for eightyears and in all the time I've beenhere, there has never been a com-plaint.", Kane said the garbage in, the

/landfill has been covered, but thatnow it is being uncovered in themethane operation. "Any garbagethat is uncovered, the, contractor isto put in a dumpster and bring to acertified landfill," Kane said.

The resident also said the gar-bage dump has been a particularlyworrisome and chronic problem."We're running away with rats be-cause of. the garbage," she said."Rats here are as big as cats."

Kane has denied complaints ;about the rats also. "Number one,there have been no complaintsabout rodents, and Health OfficerOsais was up there himself thismorning and there were no ro-dents." ,' '

The resident questioned thesafety of installing a pipeline toallow methane gas to escape intothe air.

"1 feel it's not safe," she said. "Ihave no idea what they should do,but I'm just living in fear for mykids' health, as well as my own. Ithink they should be doing some-thing else about it.''

Kane said, "The Department ofEnvironmental Protection (DEP)has an inspector up there who iswell aware of what is happening,and to my knowledge there is noimmediate danger to anybody."

The methane problem ori-ginated when the borough usedthe site as a landfill in the early1970's. Methane gas is created bydecayinq matter.

The borough was given a Jan.15, 1986 deadline for starting theproject, finally begun this past^Monday by contractor RobertWpgish. Borough Engineer EdHaack told the Borough Councillast week that the project shouldtake about three weeks.

K-

New testing starts upfor hazardous materials

By ELLEN TRUFANTSTAFF WRITER

RINGWOOD - New testing forha2ardous materials in the UpperRingwood area is being conductedby the federal Environmental Pro-tection Agency (EPA).

"To my knowledge no. materialis there," Town Manager ThomasKane reported to the BoroughCouncil this past Tuesday. "But ifit is, determined materials thereshould be removed, the federalSuperfund will cover the costs."

Kane said the Ford Motor Com-pany is funding the studies, whichshould be completed within thenext two weeks.

The area was previously testedas a result of a suit EPA broughtagainst the Ford Motor Companyin 1984, and which led to theinitial studies last year.

When the studies were turnedover to the EPA for evaluation, theagency determined it wanted addi-

tional findings.Kane also reported the Plan-

ning Board will require upgradingof the Skyline pump house beforethe borough-owned sandpit canbe developed.

Kane said the planning board isconcerned about a proposed sep-tic system that would be close tothe well, and would want the wellclosed prior to development of thesite. ,

The council discussed trie pro-posed modifications and Coun-cilman John Wichterman re-quested engineering data on theborough wells.

Council members were recep-tive to the modification idea, whichfirst came, up two years ago. Theidea was dropped when bids forthe modification came in aboveestimates. But Kane said specif-ications are being revised and esti-

mates now should be $75,000 to$100,000.V Wichterman said the welt inquestion, well No. 6, has "neverbeen the bread and butter well."

"Once we upgrade the Skylinepump house, we can discontinuefour wells," Wichterman said.

Councilman Ernest Schwes-inger said, "Everyone agrees wedo have to shut down the wellseventually." .

Kane said that shutting downthe well would not affect the com-muter parking lot proposed for thesandpit. , ,

He said one of the developersof the commercial property in thesandpit , local dentist Dr. Kaye,wants to buy a 5,000-square-feetparcel adjacent to his property inthe vicinity of the pump house.

No contaminationsays boro manager

BY KATHLEEN DWYERRINGWOOD - Borough. Man-

ager Tom Kane, prompted by con-cerns of several Upper Ringwoodresidents, said that to the best of hisknowledge there is no hazardousmaterial in the Upper Ringwoodarea at a meeting of his mayor andcouncil Tuesday night.

Kane explained that several res-idents had contacted him about test-ing that was being done in the area.

The borough manager said thatthe Federal Environmental Protec-tion Agency (EPA) was doing a fol-low-up study to several com-missioned last year by the Fordmotor.Co. checking for toxic waste.

Ford Motor Co., which hadbeen using the old Peter's Mine as adump site for its Mahwah assemblyline for several years, was taken tocourt in 1984 by the EPA, and in-

structed to conduct the'tjfests.Kane said that the federal Su-

perfund would be used to clean upthe toxic waste if there was any suchmaterial.

In other businesses, BoroughAuditor Charles, J. Feralei reportedthat the borough's municipal budgetfor 1986 would be introduced at anApril 22 meeting at 8 p.m. at boroughhall, at which time there would alsobe a public hearing on the budget.

Ferralei also released severalexpected revenue sources for theborough. One of the largest is$264,000 expected from the sale of 3lots in the "sand pit" on Skyline Dr.Also expected is $19,000 from Pas-saic County for snow removal serv-ices. The borough is expected toretain a general capital surplus of$45,000.

Road•v Jonoy 07456

State closes book OCT 1987(continued from page 1>

towing away of "gondolas of junk,"and other minor, rehabilitation pro-jects, according to Rogers andKane. Its last project involves thebuilding of porches, or to be moreaccurate, stoops to provide safeentry to the house from the ground.

Some residents are displeasedwith some of the work completed intheir area, though the improvementin the area is evident. Kane warnedthat people must remember to drawa distinction between deficienciesand complaints. He agrees that "theworkmanship in some cases couldhave been a little better, but givenwhat you have to work with some-times, you can't say that the work is'necessarily bad." It may be difficultto fit modern windows into framesconstructed for houses built decadesago."

In other business, Erskine

Lakes Property Owners Associationappealed to the council for a secondtime for the borough to assist it with ,elimination of, or at least contain-,*ment of, silt build-ups on the lakes,.'ELPOA director Carl Sibbern identj-],',fied the drainage systems for thelcouncil as it had requested at least a.''month ago. Kane suggested that a ,meeting be organized with theborough health officer and enginee]^ 'Ito investigate the problem mor.e 'deeply. There are no easy answers^Kane and Sibbern agreed, since the,.,answers have large dollar signs in Hfront of them.

The Council also, agreed that jt ,would be appropriate to install a'vflashing warning sign at the inter-',section of Erskine and Skylarid yDrive at a cost of $1,500 plus $15 » '••month for operating the sign. It ip ()hoped that this will help preveujt'\accidents at the dangerous interseo- ,.tion.

Toxic clean-upirks residents

By LINDA BALDWINSTAFF WRITER

RINGWOOD — Some residentsof the Peters Mine area of Ring-wood are angry about the environ-mental clean-up which began yes-terday in the Borough, and aboutthe safety of the environment in thatarea in general.

A resident of the area, requestinganonymity, placed a call to Sub-urban trends, protesting the clean-up plan. She. said she fears thatpoisionous gases will be releasedinto the atmosphere when the "tox-ic waste" is removed.

"We're angry up here," shesaid. "This whole area is full ofpollution and toxic material. A lotof the residents have lung cancerbecause we're a toxic dumpsite."

Another area resident, also re-questing anonymity, confirmed thatthere is a high incidence 6£ respira-tory illness in the area, adding,"There are a lot of little kids hereand we're worried. We never knowwhat they're going to do up here."

Ringwood Borough Manager

"V I 7* / hCharles De Deyn stated that theBorough clean-up began yesterday,and would last for .approximatelyone month. He also said that flierswere sent to Upper Ringwood resi-dents, informing them of the clean-up plans.

"I want to state that there is noradon in the area, no toxic wasteand no poisionous gases. We arecleaning up leaded paint sludge thatwas dumped there by the FordMotor Company years ago."

One of the anonymous residentsexpressed fear because the workersinvolved with the clean-up will bewearing throw-away suits and res-pirators. •

"Can you imagine what the at-mosphere is going to be like?" sheasked.

De Deyn, however, dispelled thefear. "Those suits and respiratorsare part of #the worst casescenario," he said. "Our Emer-gency Management Team, whichconsists of the Police Department,

(Continued On Page 4)

1988

EPA to monitor Ringwood Ian3fill for 30 years

EXPLAINING PROCEDURE — Geologist Howard Orlean informsthose gathered at the Ryerson Middle School about the EPA'stesting of the Ringwood mine and landfill site.

Linda Baldwin photo

By LINDA BALDWINSTAFF WRITER

RINGWOOD — Two officials ofthe Environmental ProtectionAgency announced on Wednesdaythat long-term monitoring of theborough's mine and landfill sitewould be conducted over a 30-yearperiod.

At a public meeting at the MartinJ. Ryerson Middle School, RayBasso, chief of the Northern NewJersey Site Compliance Section ofthe EPA and Howard Orlean, geol-ogist and project manager of themines and landfill site, spoke to asmall crowd.

Basso, who stated that he hasbeen involved in the site activitiessince 1982, said that hazardous andindustrial waste had allegedly beendumped' in the area by the FordMotor Company in the early 1970s.The waste had been disposed of inthe mine shafts, according to theEPA.

In 1984, Ford consented to aninvestigation of the area, whereby,"samples were collected and 7,000cubic yards of paint sludge wereremoved," Basso explained.

He assured the crowd that a"major source of contaminationwas removed," and re-located toMichigan. "The removal was per-formed under strict EPA guidelinesand supervision," he added. Hesaid that the contamination hadbeen found to be "low-level."

The EPA had proposed five alter-natives for the site, and concludedthat the last, "No Further Action

With Periodic Monitoring," be im-plemented. t"~

Orlean delivered a detailed ac-count of digging and sampling thatwas done on approximately 15 testpits at the site. He listed the cost toFord for removing the paint sludgeat $1.6 million. '

"High levels of zinc and ironwere found in the surface water atthe site, which are the result of thenatural iron mine operations onceconducted there," Orlean ex-plained.

He stated that the EPA wouldconduct a quarterly sampling ofproducts from the site for the first ofthe 30 years. A bi-annual samplingand surveys will then be run. Theestimated cost of the initial phase ofthe program is $150,000, with theyearly operation and maintenancecosts listed as $50,000.

Orlean and Basso assured resi-dents that there was no "immediatethreat to the Wanaque Reservoir."The EPA is scheduled to work withborough officials to "insure theprotection of the public health,"Basso promised.

One resident of the mine andlandfill area told Basso he wantedthe water there to be sampled, sincegarbage had been dumped in thearea over a period of time "with norestrictions." Orlean responded bysaying, "If need be, we may drilladditional wells."

At one point, Basso stated that hewas "disappointed in a way," thatthe EPA did not detect significant

(Continued On Page 4)

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* Main Section — Suburban Trends, Sun., August 21, 1988

OFFICIALS DISCUSS PLAN — Ray Basso, chief of the Northern New Jersey Site Compliance Sectionof the Environmental Protection Agency (left) and Howard Orlean, geologist and project manager of theRingwood mines and landfill site, get set to explain the EPA's plan for long-term monitoring of the minearea. ,

EPA will monitor Ringwoodlandfill, mines for 30 years(Continued From Page 2)

contamination at the site. "Wethought we would find somethingspectacular," he added.

Basso also explained the testingprocedure, saying that different lab-oratories were used and the resultscompared. "We have many checksand balances."

Borough Engineer Ed Haack as-sured those assembled that theborough and the state do "con-tinuous monitoring of area wells."

Basso told the crowd that any

questions or statements on the pro-posed monitoring should be sub-mitted to the EPA before Sejpt. 6.The address to send those com-ments is: Howard Orlean, Project

Manager, U.S. Environmental Pro-tection Agency, Emergency andRemedial Response Division, 26Federal Plaza — Room 737, NewYork, N.Y. 10278.

"*"*" CS; '

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EPA declines actionBy LISA M. LARATTA

STAFF WRITERRINGWOOD — The United

States Environmental ProtectionAgency prefers not to take anyfurther action on cleaning up theRingwood mines/landfill site in theborough.

The EPA has completed its re-view of a remedial investigationand feasibility study, which wasconducted by the Ford InternationalServices, Inc., of the Passaic Coun-ty site. The investigation and studywere part of a four-phase reportwhich evaluated five alternativesfor cleaning up the site, accordingto Howard Orlean, project managerfor the EPA.

In the first phase, a -geologicalworkplace was found where theEPA could drill wells to receivesamples from the water and soil.The wells were drilled and sampleswere analyzed in phase two, saidOrlean.

"Four deep wells and 11 shallowwells were drilled, along with 15test pits for the collection ofgroundwater and seep water.Samples were taken from thesewells and analyzed for their con-tents," said Orlean.

Orlean explained that in phasethree, the EPA went back into diesite and drilled six additional shal-low wells and three more test pits.Samples were taken from these,along with resamples from 10 of theexisting wells, said Orlean. Finally,in phase four, the EPA again col-lected soil samples from sixgroundwater wells, three seep

wells, six surface streams and 12sediment deposits, said Orlean. Inthe conclusion of the report, theEPA determined two ground waterlevels at the site.

"In the upper level, a glacialoverburden was found. There was

mines60 feet of soil over rock. A low-permeable material was found inthe lower level. By low-permeable,I mean that the water doesn't flowfreely through. The reason is be-cause where the rock, which isgneiss, is fractured, it is filled withgeographical material," continuedOrlean. "The quality of thegroudwater did not contain a con-taminated material."

According to the EPA, itsfeasibility study evaluated five al-ternatives for the clean-up of thissite. The first was to grade downthe surface with Caterpillar bull-dozers to a flat level and then use ahorizontal clay cap or wall to pre-vent any groundwater from seepingin to the soil around the Peter'sMine area and the former O'Connorlandfill.

The second alternative was againto grade down the surface and capit, but in addition, the EPA willconstruct slurry walls, which arevertical and prevent lateral seepingin the Peter's Mine area.

A third alternative was to usegroundwater interception and treatthe water by an activated carbonsystem in the Cannon Mine area.

"Groundwater interception is thedrilling of a series of V-shapedwells in order to purify the waterand put it into a surface streambecause then it will be drinkable.

The water is purified by an ac-tivated carbon system in which acarbon filter is put into the well toadsorb the chemical benzine. Thefilter is then disposed of at a hazardwaste facility outside of the area,"explained Orlean.

The fourth alternative was thesame interception and treatment ofthe groundwater that would be donefor the Cannon Mine area, be doneto the Peter's Mine area. The fifthalternative, not to take further ac-tion, was the one favored by theEPA.

''We'd like to monitor the area

wells and surface water," said Or-lean. "We'll drill additional wellsif we have to." By monitoring theon-site and off-site groundwaterand surface water quality, the EPAwill be able to ensure the protectionof public health and the environ-ment.

On Aug. 17, at 7 p.m. in themini-auditorium of Ryerson MiddleSchool on Valley Road, the EPAwill hold a meeting to answerquestions and concerns the publicmight have. In making its finaldecision, the EPA will considerpublic comments from the meetingand any written comments, post-marked on or before Sept. 6.

Written comments can be sent toHoward Orlean, Project Manager,U.S. Environmental ProtectionAgency, 26 Federal Plaza, Room737, New York, N.Y. 10278. Also,copies of the feasibility study andother site-related documents areavailable at the Ringwood PublicLibrary.

*¥iv:!&*.,

NO FURTHER ACTION — At the Ringwood mines/landfiil site in Ringwood, EPA authorities prefer notto take further action to clean it up. T r e n d s file p n o t o

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EPA surprises Ringwood withbig bucks for mine site proj

By LINDA BALDWINSTAFF WRITER

RINGWOOD — Monies fromthe Environmental ProtectionAgency to clean up the RingwoodMines area have come as a surpriseto borough officials. ;• .

Mayor Ernest Schwesinger statedon Thursday evening that he was"surprised" to hear about the mon-ey (approximately $1.6 million)which will be used to clean up the500-acre tract of land in the upperRingwood area...

"I didn't know anything aboutthe money coming in until someonementioned it to me," he said. The

mayor added that 'he then informedBorough Manager Charles De Deynand Borough Clerk KathleenCenicola about the corning funds. '"They also stated, that they don'trecall having been . notified ont h i s . " :; . . • . ' • ; .

Approximately two months ago,officials from the EPA came toRingwood and stated that the agen-cy would be monitoring the minearea for 30 years. > •••.-..

The Ringwood Mines area in-cludes various mine shafts, surfacepits, dumps and an inactive landfill.There are also as many as 50 homeslocated there.

(Continued On Page 4)

UCT 1988

Ringwood mines(Continued From Page 2) •

The area was used years ago as adumping ground by the Ford MotorCompany to dispose of car partsand paint sludge. Ford subsequently

^removed a good portion of thecontaminants. . . -"

EPA officials say they plan tomonitor the ground water in thearea. Several upper Ringwood resi-dents have, in the past, stated theirfears that the paint sludge and •solvents dumped in the area arehealth hazards. However, RayBasso, chief of the Northern NewJersey Site Compliance Section ofthe EPA, stated that the contamina- ,tion had been "low-level."

fllifr

Suburban Trends^ Sun., August 27, 1989 — Main Section './ 3

Ringwood area plagued by dumpersBy LINDA BALDWIN

STAFF WRITERRINGWOOD — The upper

Ringwood area of the borough hasbeen plagued by dumpers and theresult is a section of town strewnwith everything from old appliancesto tires.

Many residents, as well as coun-cil members and police have voicedtheir concerns over this matter. Oneresident took the issue so far as tomail to Trends several photographsof illegally-dumped items, as wellas a two-page, typed letter, voicingthe same concerns.

The resident is hoping that byfurther publicizing the matter, peo-ple will be more aware of what isgoing on. Furthermore, the residentalso feels that homeowners whoknowingly use garbage disposalfirms that do not take refuse to theproper facility but instead dump itillegally should be fined.

The lack of available landfills forthe disposal of garbage has greatlyincreased the cost of such disposal.Landfills in Pennsylvania and.elsewhere have been used for thedisposal of New Jersey refuse.

In addition, the state recentlymandated that all municipalitiesparticipate in a recyling program.While most residents appear to becooperating with it, some still dis-pose in the trash of items they nolonger want, while others apparent-ly think nothing of throwingfurniture and other large itemsalong roadways and in woodedareas. Ironically, the borough Po-lice Department is also located inupper Ringwood, not far from thedumping sites.

"My family and I spend quite abit of time in the outdoors in theNew Jersey area and I am seeingmore and more garbage beingdumped on the side of dirt roads,"

. the resident wrote.Mayor Ernest Schwesinger has

addressed this matter several timesin the past. "We have problemswith dumping and I urge anyonewho sees people illegally dumpingto notify police and get the licensenumber of any vehicles involved,"he stated.

The borough has on the books anordinance designed to curtail illegaldumping. The ordinance states "itshall be unlawful for any person todiscard or dump along any street orroad, on or off any right-of-way,any household or commercial solidwaste, rubbish, refuse, junk vehicleor parts, rubber tires, appliances,furniture or private property, exceptby written consent of the owner ofsaid property, in any place notspecifically designated for thepurpose.of solid waste storage ordisposal." The penalty for suchdumping is $500.

. The resident who took the time towrite to Trends also took the time toinvestigate the proper way to re-move waste materials. "Each truckinvolved must be registered with',the state Department of Environ-mental, Protection and must have asticker, with a registration numberon the left front fender of thevehicle," the letter states. . \ / ,

The resident added that a similarletter' and photos were sent to theDEP, saying, "I have not seen anyevidence of them coming to in-vestigate the area to attempt to putan end to this problem."

The resident hopes' that thoseliving in town will realize the extentof this problem and do somethingabout it. "Hopefully, the elected

- town officials will put their headstogether and come up with a solu-

tion to the problem.. ~"

EVERYTHING BUT THE KITCHEN SINK— Items of refuse rangingfrom old bicycles to furniture seem to end up in the Peter's Mine,areaof Ringwood, much to the dismay of many residents!

TIRES GALORE — Dirt roads inihe Peter's Mine area of Ringwoodare targets of illegal dumpers, as this photo, sent by an arearesident, attests. Jires appear to be favorite items of such" dumpers:

OEC 0 8 ]oOT

Ringwood minesmay lose priorityBy MAUREEN WOOPStaff Writer

RINGWOOD — The UnitedStates Environmental ProtectionAgency (EPA) has proposed thedeletion of the Ringwood Mines/Landfill Superfund site from theNational Priorities List (NPL) ofhazardous waste sites and wantspublic comment on the proposal.

From the 1700s until the early1900s, the 500-acre site was used foriron mining and portions of theproperty were subsequently used forrefuse disposal. In the late 1960s andearly 1970s waste solvents and paintsludges were disposed of at the site,along with garbage. The solventsand paint sludges contaminated thesoils with heavy metals, such as leadand cadmium, and volatile organiccompounds.

In 1965, Ringwood Realty, awholly owned subsidiary of the FordMotor Company, purchased themines and used it to dump wastes

from the old Mahwah motor plant,said Lance Richman, ERA RemedialProject Manager for the RingwoodMines. The EPA said they issuedfour orders to Ford InternationalServices Inc. to clean up the site,between 1984 and 1989, under EPAoversight.

In 1987, Ford and its contractorsexcavated and removed 7,000 cubicyards of surficial paint sludge anddisposed of it at an out-of-statefacility in compliance with State andFederal regulations.

Additional paint sludge was dis-covered in October 1989 in thesouthern section of the O'ConnorDisposal Area within the site. Ex-cavation of this additional paintsludge began in January .1990,where a total of 61 drums werediscovered containing liquid andsolid waste. The drums and 727 tonsof additional paint sludge weredisposed of off site, said the EPA's

(Continued On Page A11)

Ringwood mines may lose EPA priority(Continued From Page A1)release.

Paint sludge was discovered in thearea of Peter's Mine and theO"Connor Disposal area off Peter'sMine Road. It was also discovered inthe area of the Cannon Mine shaftsand pits off Van Dunk Lane andMargaret King Avenue. About 50residential homes and the municipallandfill are located between thesemines.

The EPA has decided to delete thesite from the NPL because theagency feels the site is no longer athreat.

An EPA release said that post-excavation confirmatory samplinghas verified that all appropriatecleanup levels for the removal ofpaint sludge were met. They alsosaid that extensive geophysical stud-ies along with exploratory test pit-ting operations did not uncover anyfurther contaminated soils/sludge,or barrels of hazardous substances.

EPA officials feel a conservativeassessment of risk attributable to thesite indicated that the current riskposed by the site is within "anacceptable range." The release bythe EPA also stated that a long-termmonitoring program has been estab-lished which provides further as-surance that the site will no longerpose any threat to human health orthe environment. The EPA did notfeel that there was any migration ofthe ground-water contamination.

Richman said that this was anotice of intent to delete the site andencourages public comment. Hesaid that all comments would beevaluated before a decision is madeto delete the site or to do somethingfurther about it. He also said that thestate is behind the EPA in this issue.

"If someone provides us with a

good reason not to take the mine offthe NPL list then we will evaluatethat," said Richman. "We have torespond, on the record, to everycomment that is made."

"They have cleaned up the sur-face but not the mine shaft," saidJeff Tittel, a borough environmen-talist and former member of Ring-wood's Environmental Com-mission. "The mines are as clean asthey are going to get without spend-ing a lot of money."

Tittel said that the EPA figuredthat the polluted waters in the minesare not moving and that they feel it'sa stable situation, but he feels thereis still a lot of waste left in the mines.

"Hopefully it will never move,"said Tittel of the pollution in the

•mine's waters."I just found out about it myself,"

said Gail Lubot, chairwoman for theRingwood Environmental Com-mission. "My main concern is forthe people in that area, that they aresafe."

Members of the Borough Councilhad just gotten word of the proposeddeletion and did not have enoughinformation to comment this pastweek.

"I didn't know they even hadplans to take it off the list," saidMayor Giles (Casey) Casaleggio. "Ireally don't know enough about it atthis point.

"They are no longer consideringit a priority, but that doesn't mean itwon't be monitored," Casaleggiosaid.

"I had heard, in a round-aboutway, that the site was falling on thepriorities list, going down the ladder.This may be the final result,"Ringwood Health OfficerChristopher Chapman said. "Ithasn't been widely publicized.

However, I would like to see theEPA's closeout sheet. I would like tosee what the criteria are that theysaid have been met, what the studyresults are and what they consider tobe an acceptable range. It doessound to me like the situation isunder control and will bemonitored."

"I understand that some of theenvironmentalists are upset aboutthis, but as a council member I viewit as positive," said CouncilmanErnest Schwesinger. "It removesthe ecological stigma from Ring-wood. We may never really knowwhat is buried in that mine shaft. Itis being monitored and that is thebest that can be done, to make itsqueaky clean would be difficult.We have to let mother nature take itscourse."

Deletion of the site from the NPLdoes not make the site ineligible forlater response actions, according tothe EPA. Actions can be taken on thesite, if it is found necessary, withoutrenorninating it the NPL. The sitecould be put back on the list if it islater found to pose a threat to humanhealth or environment, the EPA said.

Ford has implemented the En-

-S:,/- ,-"56

vironmental Monitoring Program,under EPA oversight, a five -ear,long-term surface water and groundwater monitoring program. After thefive years, the EPA will re-evaluatethe results to ensure the water doesnot pose a threat to human health orthe environment.

Long-term monitoring of theground waters could continue up to30 years, depending on this re-evaluation. The EPA said that staterestrictions on shallow wells shouldremain in effect for the foreseeablefuture.

The EPA wants the public tocomment on the proposed decisionto delete the site from the NPL. Thepublic may comment through Dec.29. Written comments must bepostmarked by no later than Dec. 28and should be addressed to Lance R.Richman, Remedial Project Man-ager, USEPA, Region II, 26 FederalPlaza, Rm:13-100, New York, N.Y.10278.

A local information repository hasbeen established to provide detailedinformation concerning this site atthe Ringwood Library on SkylandsRoad.