Published in the Asbury Park Press
By JEAN MIKLE
TOMS RIVER BUREAU
TOMS RIVER -- Local legislators will introduce bills in the state Senate and Assembly within the next two weeks to provide $1.5 million for carbon filtration systems to be installed on two United Water wells here.
Ralph Hahn, director of communications for state Sen. Andrew R. Ciesla and Assemblymen David W. Wolfe and James W. Holzapfel, all R-Ocean, said at last night's meeting of the Citizens Action Committee on Childhood Cancer Cluster that a Senate bill providing the funding will likely be introduced Thursday, while the Assembly version should be introduced next week.
On Sunday, Gov. Whitman promised that the state would pick up the cost for installing carbon filtration systems on wells 22 and 29 in United's parkway well field. The well field, located off Dugan Lane near the Garden State Parkway, has been plagued with pollution problems from a plume of ground water contamination from the nearby Reich Farm Superfund site.
The state Department of Environmental Protection has set a June 9 deadline for installation of the filtration system.
Linda L. Gillick, who chairs the citizens committee, asked Hahn if the legislation could be amended to include money to pay for installing filters on two nearby shallow wells.
Hahn said the bills could be amended if additional filtration is deemed necessary.
In January, state officials gave United Water $50,000 for design studies for the filtration system. Company spokesman Richard Henning said last night that the company has already ordered the carbon filters, which cost $600,000.
Whitman has asked the federal government for assistance in paying for the filtration system, but has so far received no response. Last fall, the governor ordered that carbon filtration be installed on the two wells after trace amounts of trichloroethylene, a suspected carcinogen, were found in Well 29 in the summer.
Also found were small amounts of styrene acrylonitrile trimer, a chemical compound related to plastics production. The trimer's health effects are not known, but toxicity testing on the compound is being conducted.
The trimer was previously found in wells 26 and 28, which are being treated with air-stripping systems to remove volatile organic pollutants like trichloroethylene, as well as carbon filtration to remove the trimer.
Union Carbide Corp. has taken responsibility for the pollution at Reich Farm, but a 1974 agreement with the state prevents the DEP from asking Carbide to pay for the additional filtration systems. Carbide paid the DEP $60,000, and the state then released the company from any additional responsibility for the Reich Farm cleanup.
State and federal environmental officials believe the contaminated plume was pulled into Well 29 when the well was pumped at higher than normal rates to meet summertime use demands.
Craig A. Wilger, Carbide's project manager for Reich Farm, said the company is working with United Water on an agreement that would restrict the amount of water that could be pumped from different wells in the field.
The agreement is aimed at preventing the ground water plume from spreading again. Wilger said controls would be placed on the wells to regulate pumping rates. The controls could be overridden in the event of an emergency.
Carbide, United Water and the federal Environmental Protection Agency are also working on installing an additional well in the parkway field that would intercept the ground water plume before it reaches the rest of the parkway wells.
Source: Asbury Park Press
Published: February 23, 1999
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