RINGWOOD RESIDENTS WANT REVIEW OF NEW TESTING ON TOXICS

RINGWOOD -- Residents are calling for a meeting of the Ringwood Mines Superfund Community Advisory Group to review early 2017 groundwater test results from Ford Motor Co.'s former dumping grounds.

The results indicate that levels of contamination are consistent with historical data in Upper Ringwood, where soil laced with toxic waste continues to linger from industrial waste deposited at the site in the 1960s and 1970s, records show. Cornerstone Environmental conducted the tests at Ford's request and released its report in March.

However, some CAG members are demanding further sampling for a likely carcinogen called 1,4-dioxane using an alternative method not mandated by Environmental Protection Agency requirements. The highly soluble solvent, thought to degrade the kidneys, liver and central nervous system, was first discovered on the site last year, renewing fears of its impact on local water sources that supply millions of state residents.

The Edison Wetlands Association will conduct the tests for the chemical, said its executive director, Robert Spiegel. The group will be submitting comments on what Spiegel called "many fatal flaws that warrant significant explanations and changes" in the March report.

If any errors are discovered, the "EPA will require the correction of such errors and the preparation of a revised report," EPA Project Manager Joseph Gowers said in an email on Friday.

Current plans for the Upper Ringwood site involve capping the three primary areas that contain pollutants including arsenic, benzene and lead. A new recycling center, with a public-accessible recycling area, office space and oil disposal, is due to sit atop the O'Connor Disposal Area, one of the three sites. That area was once a municipal landfill used by Ford for disposing paint sludge and other industrial waste from its Mahwah plant. The nearby Cannon and Peter's Mine pits were the other two.

Originally, the EPA supported the removal of 166,000 tons of soil from O'Connor using an estimated 8,500 tri-axle trucks. The plan brought about its own concerns over the potential to spread contamination through transport. EPA and borough officials have said studies show the contamination is contained. Nonetheless, many locals want to see the lot excavated and the problem removed.

The pollution at O'Connor, a landfill owned by the borough in the 1960s and 1970s, is the responsibility of Ford and the borough, according to the EPA.

Nearby residents, many of them members of the Ramapough Mountain tribe, say they have suffered a high incidence of cancer and other health problems due to the pollution. They also maintain that prior EPA officials promised the full restoration of the land to permit hunting and other activities.

The Edison Wetlands Association is requesting that the next CAG meeting take place at Ryerson Middle School. The group plans to conduct the public notification as well as supply all necessary equipment and handouts needed, Spiegel said.

Last month, borough officials approved the recycling center project after a 10-month work stoppage due to the discovery of the 1,4-dioxane. In the interim, Ringwood CARES, an environmental group advocating for a full cleanup, unsuccessfully pursued a public question giving voters the chance to cancel the recycling center project outright.

After ending the moratorium, the Borough Council directed the town manager to finalize an agreement with Ford to fund the recycling center project's estimated $5.4 million cost. It also directed further negotiations to ensure that the costs associated with the long-term operation and maintenance of the engineered caps for Peter's Mine and Cannon Mine pits are also covered by Ford, records show.

Spiegel said the borough has lagged too far behind the project's proposed timetable and should have no other option but to excavate the area.