A letter to the editor when I found out the guy who owned Southern Ocean County Landfill had been dumping drums and drums of chemicals. Was surfing my old files, thought you migh get a kick out of a rash 30 year old me.
"My God! -- What have we done?
That should be the expression all NJ citizens exclaim when they ponder the consequences of allowing thousands of gallons of chemicals to be poured onto the ground at the Southern Ocean County Landfill in Waretown. And now we are allowing industry and the state government to scratch their dirt over the whole mess as a cover-up, just like a mongrel dog who covers up his own recent dirty business.
We should be ashamed of ourselves. Lets consider just for a minute what is going to happen down the road. Those chemicals are in the ground mixed between grains of sand deposits. If you think they’ll stay there in the same location forever, think again.
When our Pine Barrens receive rain, half of it percolates quickly through the sandy soil, and then begins to move horizontally under the ground at a rate of about 160 feet per year. Naturally, it moves toward lower elevations, in this case, the Oyster Creek watershed. Now, it must be understood that this watershed is presently pristine, not some half-polluted Raritan River tributary, attempting to survive its own tortuous course through suburban development. The Oyster Creek supports a plethora of habitat diversity, including endangered animals and wildlife. Its path to the bay, with its cedar-lined banks and tea colored waters, should be revered as a New Jersey treasure, as many Pine Barren streams are.
However, the cleanliness of this stream will be only an old piney’s memory in the near future. The rain water is mixing with and picking up the noxious chemicals like a guy picking up his friend on the way to work. At the rate of 160 feet per year, the first whiffs of this deadly stew will reach the streams entering the town of Brookville and Wells Mills County Park in about, oh, 18 years (about the year 2000). What’s that you say? Chemicals have already been detected there? Then lets get busy!
What should we do about it? Well, I don’t know about you, but I were made King of New Jersey I would have construction crews down there immediately, with strict orders to dig it up, and dig it up fast. I would have rows of blazing lights placed in strategic locations, for working around the clock. The Pine Barrens would live in perpetual daylight till the job is done. Monitoring wells? They should only be used to tell if you’ve done a thorough job of cleaning up, not to monitor impending disaster.
How would I pay for it? I would tax you, and you, and you over there. And if you complained, I’d tax you again. But by God, I’d clean it up!
It is way too late to point the finger at any one. We are all to blame. I live in the area, and I’m quite sure if you dug down far enough you would find empty plastic containers of motor oil I threw out in 1983. Everyone shoulders blame for the chemicals, and everyone is to pay. No more hiding, no more lawsuits, no more digging up the past, unless we do it for real."
Bob Moyer,
Bamber Lake
"My God! -- What have we done?
That should be the expression all NJ citizens exclaim when they ponder the consequences of allowing thousands of gallons of chemicals to be poured onto the ground at the Southern Ocean County Landfill in Waretown. And now we are allowing industry and the state government to scratch their dirt over the whole mess as a cover-up, just like a mongrel dog who covers up his own recent dirty business.
We should be ashamed of ourselves. Lets consider just for a minute what is going to happen down the road. Those chemicals are in the ground mixed between grains of sand deposits. If you think they’ll stay there in the same location forever, think again.
When our Pine Barrens receive rain, half of it percolates quickly through the sandy soil, and then begins to move horizontally under the ground at a rate of about 160 feet per year. Naturally, it moves toward lower elevations, in this case, the Oyster Creek watershed. Now, it must be understood that this watershed is presently pristine, not some half-polluted Raritan River tributary, attempting to survive its own tortuous course through suburban development. The Oyster Creek supports a plethora of habitat diversity, including endangered animals and wildlife. Its path to the bay, with its cedar-lined banks and tea colored waters, should be revered as a New Jersey treasure, as many Pine Barren streams are.
However, the cleanliness of this stream will be only an old piney’s memory in the near future. The rain water is mixing with and picking up the noxious chemicals like a guy picking up his friend on the way to work. At the rate of 160 feet per year, the first whiffs of this deadly stew will reach the streams entering the town of Brookville and Wells Mills County Park in about, oh, 18 years (about the year 2000). What’s that you say? Chemicals have already been detected there? Then lets get busy!
What should we do about it? Well, I don’t know about you, but I were made King of New Jersey I would have construction crews down there immediately, with strict orders to dig it up, and dig it up fast. I would have rows of blazing lights placed in strategic locations, for working around the clock. The Pine Barrens would live in perpetual daylight till the job is done. Monitoring wells? They should only be used to tell if you’ve done a thorough job of cleaning up, not to monitor impending disaster.
How would I pay for it? I would tax you, and you, and you over there. And if you complained, I’d tax you again. But by God, I’d clean it up!
It is way too late to point the finger at any one. We are all to blame. I live in the area, and I’m quite sure if you dug down far enough you would find empty plastic containers of motor oil I threw out in 1983. Everyone shoulders blame for the chemicals, and everyone is to pay. No more hiding, no more lawsuits, no more digging up the past, unless we do it for real."
Bob Moyer,
Bamber Lake
