Contamination Sparks Fear In Locals

By Stephanie Faughnan

HOWELL – Dozens of Howell and Farmingdale residents showed up at a meeting with fervent attempts to uncover details regarding the discovery of unknown toxic materials found at 15 Marl Road.

Compounders, Inc., owns the 7.7-acre newly fenced-off site located just south of the Farmingdale border adjacent to the railroad near the intersection of Preventorium Road and Railroad Avenue, and Marl Road.

The informational session hosted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) included representatives from both the federal agency and members of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Local officials also did their best to provide answers as residents voiced their concerns and grievances.

Decades ago, the property was approved for compounding mate-

–Photo courtesy EPA rials used to produce adhesives. The site was classified as an asphalt

The EPA is overseeing the cleanup of 15 Marl Road after deteriorating drums with unknown toxic materials were discovered onsite.

Nearly 400,000 Pieces Of Trash Removed From Beaches In 2022

By Alyssa Riccardi LONG BRANCH –

Everything from cigarette butts to a giant 3-foot teddy bear were among the thousands of pieces of garbage collected off our beaches during Clean Ocean

Action’s (COA) 2022 beach sweeps. The Long Branchbased environmental organization recently released their 2022 Beach Sweeps Report. Volunteers rallied together last year to pick up a total of 376,969 pieces of trash, according to the organization.

Some of the most common garbage items included thousands of plastic bottle caps and lids, over 37,000 food (Beaches - See Page 2) and tar manufacturer in 1979, which involved cooling liquid asphalt and tar and storing it in drums. Other operations on the site have included wax and resin melting, as well as Xylene/

Xytol and gum resin. Three separate fires

(Locals - See Page 3)

Plan Forming To Preserve Farmland

By Mark Bator

–

As part of their continuing implementation of the township’s Master Plan, members of the Farmers Advisory Committee (FAC) hosted an open public forum at the town hall on March 23 to discuss the 2023 Farmland Preservation Plan (FPP).

HOWELL

The meeting was chaired by the township’s Director of Community Development, Matt Howard, with advisory input from Christine Bell of the Leon S. Avakian engineering fi rm.

“We’re here now to present the preliminary draft of the comprehensive permanent preservation plan,” Howard stated at the onset of the meeting. “The Township has a Master Plan and it contains several elements, everything ranging from land use, circulation, open space and recreation, [and] environmental resource. One of those is the comprehensive Farmland Preservation Plan.”

The plan, which is currently in the drafting stage, is available as a public document on the township’s website, along with a color-coded

(Farmland - See Page 5)

Beaches:

Continued From Page 1 and candy wrappers, and more than 22,000 cigarette filters.

Amidst the garbage was the “Roster of the Ridiculous,” as COA calls it, which is the most outrageous finds during a beach sweep. Some of these wacky items included asparagus, a car muffler, handlebars from a bike, Legos and more.

COA’s Beach Sweeps are held twice a year with a goal to clean the environment while recording debris for data which helps with federal and state legislation.

COA’s advocacy campaign manager Kari Martin said the data has helped push the state’s ban on single-use plastic bags and plastic-foam takeout containers, which have decreased nearly 38% since the ban.

According to the report, volunteers re- moved 5,833 plastic bags; 21,216 straws and 1,689 plastic food containers in 2022. “We’re able to turn all of that effort into a legacy of information that we can use to change policies and to make the changes that we need to reduce litter that gets into our ocean and into our waterways,” said Cindy Zipf, executive director of Clean Ocean Action. “It’s is not just ugly on the beaches, but as many of you know it’s lethal or harmful to marine life.”

During a recent press conference, COA staff explained that the amount of garbage pulled off New Jersey beaches last year dropped from 2021.

Disposable face masks decreased by 40%, disposable wipes also decreased by 40%, and plastic bottle caps and lids dropped 29%. Other items such as e-cigarette cartridges, dog waste bags, and disposable gloves all saw a significant decline.

During the Q&A session, one person questioned the restriction of outdoor balloons. COA said they are currently working to find a sponsor, as balloons and their ribbons are a great threat to seabirds, sea turtles and marine mammals, COA said.

“We really need to change the public awareness about balloons. They’re beautiful. They’re fun, but they’re inside toys or things to be very careful with.,” Zipf said.

This Year’s Sweep

The press conference relaying last year’s information had another purpose: to bring attention to this year’s clean-up.

If you’d like to be a volunteer in the organization’s 2023 Beach Sweeps, it will be held on April 1 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. across the Jersey Shore. For a list of locations, visit cleanoceanaction.org/aboutbeachsweeps.

Bradley Beach Green Fair Seeks Vendors

BRADLEY BEACH – The Annual Borough of Bradley Beach Green/Environmental Fair will take place on Earth Day, April 22, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Riley Park, Bradley Beach. The event is free and teaches people of all ages about the local environment.

The fair will feature a wide range of activities including a free Earth Day yoga class, live music and food. Visitors can expect to learn about local resources and eco-friendly products and services.

There are still vendor spaces left for this year’s fair. Any environmental groups or organizations are offered a free table. If you’re interested in being a part of the fair, please visit the web site at bradleybeachnj.gov or contact the Borough at communications@ bradleybeachnj.gov

Locals:

Continued

From Page 1 have occurred on the property over four decades, with the most recent one on February 9 causing alarm.

“Howell firefighters dispatched to the site found materials were being burned and found an old metal silo in the back of the structure,” said Matt Howard, Howell’s Director of Community Development and Land Use. “There was a really strong chemical odor at the time, and 200-300 drums were observed on the site.”

According to Howard, the drums are in poor condition, with many not only bulging and leaking but also rusted and dented. Reports indicate that smaller containers were also present in addition to the 55 gallon drums. Some of the drums were open, and there was evidence of spills and solid waste on the site.

The standard protocol called for reports made to the Monmouth County Board of Health, which alerted the DEP of the potential gravity of the situation. The EPA subsequently took over as the lead agency.

Preliminary steps taken by the federal agency include arranging for 24-hour security service to avoid the possibility of someone tampering with the containers. In addition, repairs to breaches in the front fence are intended to keep out trespassers and further remove the risk of imminent danger.

With the site secured, the next step is to remove the deteriorating drums from the property. Compounders, Inc., the potentially responsible party, has the option to conduct the removal action themselves.

“They’ve been very cooperative, and they’re working with us to secure the fence at this time,” said Michael Mannino, On-Scene Coordinator for the EPA. “They are currently reviewing a couple of cost estimates for removal contractors to make sure that people who are doing the work are properly certified and trained to do such work.”

The EPA has not yet entered the assessment phase of the project that would identify what compounds were present on the site. While some of the drums are labeled, Mannino said the information was decades old and not necessarily reliable.

“We don’t want to make an assumption based on old information,” Mannino explained. “We’re going to conduct an assessment with a potentially responsible party, Compounders, Inc. And we’re going to collect lab samples submitted and analyze it so we know exactly what the chemicals are that we’re handling or disposing of and will be providing those through community updates.”

The entire remediation process also includes working with the DEP to identify threats of contamination in the soil and groundwater.

Public Fears

There was an overwhelming sense of desperation as some residents sought answers that would bring them peace of mind concerning their health and safety.

One woman said she’d moved to the area from Toms River and recalled the trauma of living near the Ciba-Geigy Superfund site. Another gentleman contemplated whether his evolving health issues were related to contamination on the property. He also suggested his feline companion’s illness might be due to the cat licking its paws if dangerous substances were airborne or on the ground.

Authorities did not have answers regarding whether the site’s contaminants were airborne or had impacted groundwater or the soil. These are subject to investigation and analysis.

Other residents questioned whether a deadline had been set for the removal of the drums from the property. The short answer is that there are none. Federal law requires allowing the potentially responsible party to do the work. Enforcement mechanisms are in place if they do not conduct the process safely or correctly, which would result in the EPA taking over the site.

Several individuals expressed disappointment that they did not get what they considered adequate notice of potentially hazardous conditions – beginning with the chemical fire itself.

“I’d like to know why we weren’t notified by a robocall of people in that area,” said Ramey Allen of Farmingdale. “And had to find out – by someone at the grocery store.”

Howard said the township set up a separate page on its website to disseminate information about the site and made announcements on both social media and local newspapers. Other residents reiterated their distress about the notification process.

“We should be going to our local news stations,” Elizabeth Biernacki of Farmingdale suggested. “We should be aware of where to contact even if the robocall said take precau- tions and follow the website. It’s just kind of common sense.”

Shereen Kandill, a Community Involvement Coordinator for the EPA, said that she was happy to listen to suggestions regarding the best methods of communication from the federal agency. She volunteered to knock on doors or show up at grocery stores to keep people informed.

Information regarding the site and continuing work can be found at response.epa.gov/ CompoundersInc or on Howell’s webpage.

Evacuation Route Established

Although federal and local authorities do not believe there is a threat of imminent danger, an evacuation route has been established. Details can be found on the township’s website.

Victor Cook, Howell Emergency Management Director, stressed that the implementation of the evacuation plan was intended to be proactive to prepare residents in the event something did happen.

The one-mile radius around the contaminated site includes three public schools and two day care centers.

“We have been in touch with the schools,” reassured Cook. “They have a reunification plan in place for their schools. We also have places in the township where we are going to set up to reunify families and to check in if people need to leave their houses.”

Cook said that the township has also made arrangements with the Monmouth County Office of Emergency Management to secure buses should an evacuation plan become necessary.