PLUMSTED – Two meetings of the township’s Environmental Committee were held recently, one of which focused on the issue of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) contamination and featured guests from Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (JBMDL).
The U.S. Department of Defense is conducting investigations at hundreds of military bases across the country concerning the chemical used for firefighting by the military for decades, but the chemical byproducts of the substance have been associated with health effects for humans and animals for around two decades.
Township Environmental Committee Chairman John Neyenhouse explained the JBMDL Environmental Restoration team were invited to provide a presentation concerning the base’s ongoing remediation efforts as a follow up to a discussion that occurred two years ago.
Representatives from JBMDL provided an overview to the environmental committee to allow them to better understand what the current status of the project was and if there was any health impact to residents of Plumsted.
A multi-community public meeting coordinated by JBMDL concerning the PFOS remediation program is being scheduled in the spring to be based in Pemberton Township, Burlington County, according to JBMDL Public Affairs spokesman Matt Porter.
Press Asked To Leave
The afternoon meeting’s audience was made up of residents and several local high school students but when the press entered the room, the meeting was declared a closed event by Mayor Dominick Cuozzo who was present at the meeting.
This came as a surprise to Chairman Neyenhouse who said he was unaware of the session having been designated as closed as no internal correspondence indicated its status as not being an open session.
This reporter was “uninvited” from the session and requested to leave under threat of being removed by township police. Audience members however, were not asked to leave the “closed” meeting. Deputy Mayor Herb Marinari who serves as liaison to the Environmental Committee, was also present at that meeting.
Mayor Cuozzo demanded to know how this reporter became aware of the afternoon session and was called “uncooperative” when he was not provided a sufficient response.
Evening Meeting
Neyenhouse noted during the evening meeting that the Environmental Committee meets on the last Thursday of every month at 7:30 p.m. “Everyone is welcome, it is a public meeting. I look for input from everybody in attendance. The Environmental Committee has very little authority to make any changes. We are an advisory committee and we make recommendations to the Land Use Board and the township concerning any environmental concerns going on in the town.”
“We have no power to implement any laws or any fines on jurisdictions on any matters. We are strictly an advisory committee,” he explained. He described the body as an all-volunteer citizens group that makes recommendations to township officials on the peaceful, clean and agrarian nature of the community.
Building Concerns
Typically, the environmental committee reviews applications that go to the Lane Use Board concerning any land use concerns. Recommendations are then made to the Land Use Board.
One application discussed was the Maple Avenue Development located at 74-78 Maple Avenue. Neyenhouse said that application was on hold at the time pending a letter of interpretation to be read at the Land Use Board.
Attendees expressed concerns regarding potential basement flooding while the Environmental Committee noted the average water table depth through the property is 4.69 feet.
Questions remain as to how basements will be able to be supported on this development with this high of a water table.
Other applications concerned a light industrial lot on Province Line Road and Route 537 and a reapplication for housing at Kuzyk Road.
Neyenhouse said he previously served as a member and vice chairman of the Land Use Board. “We always had a representative from the Environmental Committee on the Land Use Board.”
He explained that an Environmental Committee member would be present at Land Use Board meetings to read the review letters featuring recommendations to that body and to answer any environmental questions that might come up during those meetings.
Meeting Format
The format of the Environmental Committee meeting was noted regarding the number of questions asked and how the questions were simultaneously presented. It was suggested that a more formal structure be adopted in the future to avoid instances where attendees were shouting over each other.
The credentials and background of members were also discussed and Neyenhouse reminded those present that members are chosen by the Township Committee each year.
“Mayor (Dominick) Cuozzo said it was his discretion as to who serves as chairman and who were the members of the committee so we don’t review applications, resumes or backgrounds to determine who will be on the committee,” the chairman responded.
Also noted during the meeting were concerns of trash and debris within areas of the community and the idea of organizing cleanups in the future.
Environmental Concerns
Issues of possible pollution at Oakford Lake, groundwater contamination, unauthorized soil added to a property in the community and topography impacts were brought up during the meeting.
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Press Director Lawrence Hajna told The Jackson Times that while a permit violation had been confirmed concerning soil brought onto a private farm, there were no agency investigations taking place concerning groundwater contamination.
Hajna said, “anyone concerned that their private well was contaminated should reach out directly to the DEP Contaminated Site Remediation and Redevelopment program for advice on steps to take.”
“The New Jersey Private Well Testing Act requires testing of private wells during property transactions and encourages property owners to regularly test their wells for a variety of regulated contaminants,” Hajna said. He advised those with concerns to visit dep.nj.gov/privatewells/pwta/
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