A Perfect Storm
It almost looks like there’s a perfect storm brewing in Atlantic Highlands, with so many major issues ongoing.
There’s that all of a sudden rush for a vote on the school regionalization question which has been studied, talked about, and delayed for years, to say nothing of money paid for experts to say what’s best for education and the economy… A Perfect Storm is brewing
There is that litigation over faults in construction of a building that the borough previously approved and paid for a couple of years back… A Perfect Storm is brewing
Then there is the litigation surrounding the denial of reasonable accommodation requests … A Perfect Storm is brewing
There is that second high rise apartment complex being planned for right smack door to the one nearly completion…A Perfect Storm is brewing
There are the ongoing problems of too much traffic on First Avenue, and not enough parking to enjoy the borough’s wonderful shops and restaurants… A Perfect Storm is brewing
There is still the wonder of what, if anything, is ever going to happen to the Mother Theresa school property and how plans for that will impact or change a residential neighborhood… A Perfect Storm is brewing
Then of course there is also cannabis and whether shops should be allowed in town which has not even been addressed publicly by the borough fathers and mothers yet… A Perfect Storm is brewing
And it’s the beginning of what promises to be an interesting local election cycle in September and November not only for the Borough Council but also the boards of education…A Perfect Storm is brewing
In the midst of it all, Mark Fisher, probably the best watcher and documenter of everything going on in town, is knee deep, pun intended, in what could also be a very serious problem not only in the borough but in Sandy Hook Bay and beyond. In spite of the urgency of it all, Mr. Fisher hasn’t gotten the cooperation of the powers that be, who better start paying attention to the necessity to protect our natural resources. A Perfect Storm is brewing
Not only does Mark record every detail of every problem he sees, but he is resourceful, hard working, and determined to correct wrongs and problems wherever he can. He knows the things he cannot accomplish on his own, so he depends on the powers that be to do something; in fact, he gives them all the leads, help, photos, samples and anything else they need simply to do their job.
The latest is the Denholtz project on the McConnell tract off Ave, D, Years ago, when the construction of large homes on the site came before the planning board, Mark reminded everyone the property is an active DEP remediation site.
Seems that back in the 40s and 50s, the 60s as well, there was an active petrochemical storage tank and fuel oil truck terminal going on there. So there are hydrocarbons chemicals and carcinogens showing up on when the wells on site are monitored. Mark reminded the governing body of all of this and suggested that with these things all present, messing with the land would make it move around. Not a good thing.
And that’s what appears to be happening.
So Mark fired off an e-mail to the mayor, the council members, the Atlantic Highlands Environmental Commissioner and the business administrator who has been responded to Mark’s “sniff tests” of what he has dug up. He had a bunch of questions for a regular meeting of Council, which would have been last night. But since there is only one meeting in July, even these questions have to wait for any action, so Mark wrote everybody instead.
Here’s Mark’s letter. It went to everybody on council, the administrator and the AH Environmental Commissioner…A Perfect Storm
After hearing AHFD being dispatched over county radio on Monday, and following the heavy rain storms Tuesday afternoon, I thought this morning [Wednesday] would be a good time to walk the shoreline north of the Denholtz redevelopment project at low-tide to determine for myself if I could see or smell any obvious environmental contamination issues.
As you may recall, the Denholtz redevelopment site was formerly an active petrochemical storage tank facility and fuel oil truck terminal operation during the 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s. Currently, there is “ongoing site remediation” under the supervision of the NJDEP through a Licensed Site Remediation Professional (LSRP). Remediation of the site’ contaminants is by “natural attenuation”; there is no current, nor previous, physical removal of sub-surface liquid contaminants and soil.
There has, however, been recent extensive site regrading to accommodate the construction of 16 new homes on the site. Establishing underground utilities infrastructure began yesterday, with trenches being dug near Ave. D, a road bed will be installed with the excavations for the home foundations next and eventually, a public boardwalk along the water.
I accessed the beach bordering Sandy Hook Bay [on Wednesday] through the public access path from Center Avenue Park, proceeded through the catamaran club/public beach and walked east along the shore line in front of the construction area. About 100 yards east of the cat club, I detected a very obvious hydrocarbon odor.
The area where I detected the odor, as a landmark, is where there are two deteriorated steel pipes running in a north/south direction laying half exposed in the sand. These two pipes, in decades past, were used to transfer the oil products from barges tied-up a few hundred yards off-shore into the onshore holding tanks. Nothing is coming from these two pipes you will see in the pictures below, the “pipes” are now just shards of metal.
Parallel to the shoreline is a dilapidated timber retaining wall that runs along the entire length of the Denholtz north property line. This wall in most locations, holds-back the sand/gravel from the elevations above; the predominant project grading above and to the south of that area is perhaps 10-12 feet higher than the shoreline sand.
It should be noted that at no time during my walk along the shoreline did I witness any evidence of oil sheening in the water.
Being that my purpose for this trip north of the site was to determine if there are any ongoing environmental issues influenced by the many inches of rain experienced 18-hours prior, I brought a small jar to take a sample; if I saw sheen, it would have been a bay water sample. However, seeing no sheen, I chose to take a soil sample. The soil in this area is very large-grain beach sand and a high percentage of small pebbles.
I stood where the hydrocarbon odor was the most obvious, and at about waist-high level behind the timber retaining wall, was very wet soil. I took a small piece of driftwood and scraped down about 2-inches and scooped up a sample of the soil into the sample jar and capped it. Low tide [Wednesday] morning was at 0806, I noted the time of the sample at 0836. I took pictures of the area where the sample was taken and walked back to my car parked at Center Ave. Park, uncapped the jar and, not surprisingly, there was a very heavy smell of hydrocarbon (oil).
On my way home, I asked the Business Administrator if he had a moment to also witness the odor of the sample taken for himself outside of Borough Hall, he confirmed a hydrocarbon smell as well and suggested that I file a complaint with the NJDEP.
A formal notification was made with the NJDEP at 9:21 am, I gave the information to “Operator 58”. The NJDEP Case # is 23-07-26-0921-35. From what I understand, this is not the first complaint filed with the NJDEP about issues at the Denholtz property. I have retained the sample and am willing to let anyone who wishes stick their nose in the jar; it will leave no doubt that there is an ongoing environmental situation at the Denholtz redevelopment property.
It is of my opinion that this hydrocarbon, at some point during the twice-daily tidal cycles, is actually getting into the water of Sandy Hook Bay…how can it not?. The water is 4-feet higher at high tide, the shore line in this specific area is inaccessible to the public as it is located on a site secured by a chain-link fence and locked gates. Perhaps sheen could be detected at high tide in this area, but the area can only be accessed by the public at low tide.
It appears the regrading of the area has caused the known underground hazardous contaminants to actively move toward the bay, Tuesday rains helped push it there. The LSRP, county HAZMAT and NJDEP should come to the site — AT LOW TIDE — and take their own soil samples at the foot of the hill all along the timber retaining wall (at the approximate high-tide level) and decide a path-forward to mitigate the hazardous contaminants, rather than continuing passive “natural attenuation”.
The Borough has indisputable evidence, proof that there is an ONGOING AND CONSTANT environmental situation that directly affects the waters of Sandy Hook Bay, to some extent, with every tidal cycle; if there are hydrocarbons in this small random sample taken at the water line, there is some amount of hydrocarbons getting into the water with every cycle through high tide. Many noses have gone into that sample jar in the last two days, and every person agrees it has an oily smell.
While the Denholtz redevelopment project is located on private property, and the Borough officials may feel that their hands are tied legally and procedurally, ALONG WITH THE PUBLIC PERSONALLY NOTIFYING NJDEP, ALSO STEWARDS OF PROTECTING ALL OF THE GOD-GIVEN NATURAL RESOURCES OF THE BOROUGH, CAN’T NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT THIS.
Everything that I warned the Planning Board, developer and the public about four years ago is happening, I have evidence proving it is happening. The Planning Board approved this project, now the Borough owns the problem.
Subscribe to Mark’s group at AHNewsByMarkFisher@gmail.com. He even includes the tide tables in case you don’t to go down and see things for yourself, sniff the air or water, and perhaps do something to help.
Maybe you want to ask the question Mark’s asking:
Today is Thursday, two business days after the soil sample was taken and Borough officials notified of the contents. What is being done about it?
A Perfect Storm is brewing, and we might all want to take cover
