For Immediate Release
Contact: Jeff Tittel, NJ Sierra Club, 609-558-9100
The Environmental Protection Agency are holding a public information session discussing the clean up plan for the Ringwood Mines/ Landfill Superfund Site. The final decision, in the form of a Record of Decision, addresses contaminants in groundwater at the site by providing for the installation of wells near the Peters Mine Pit and Peters Mine Pit Airshaft, perpendicular to the direction of groundwater flow, to introduce an oxygen-releasing compound into the aquifer to enhance the breakdown of contaminants. Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club released the following statement:
“EPA’s cleanup plan for Ringwood is a sell out to the Ramapough people of Upper Ringwood. The plan to cap the site will continue the toxic nightmare and the health and lives of the community will be impacted. There are serious health issues and high rates of cancer in this community that is living on top of a Superfund site. This has gone on for 50 years when Ford dumped all their toxic waste here. Instead of having a full clean up on this hazardous site, EPA looked the other way. Now they are letting Ford cap the site and save $40 million. EPA cares more about Ford Motor Company saving money than they do protecting the health of the Ramapough people and their environment.
“Over several years, 1,000s of people have made comments to the EPA calling for a full cleanup. The intense opposition of EPA’s sellout plan help to delay the plan. However in the middle of a pandemic, they signed off on it anyway. What’s even worse is the community of Ringwood was left in the dark and could not access records to the actual clean up plan. EPA’s plan completely lacked transparency and was decided behind doors.
“New Jersey should intercede and block this plan. I have been involved in cleaning up this site for over 30 years and this is one of the most disturbing and disgusting days in my environmental career. There is a lot of contamination on or leaking into Ringwood State Park and it is not being cleaned up. If Governor Murphy cares about the public over polluters, then he needs to stop this shameful plan. If he doesn’t then all of his talk about protecting EJ communities, critical drinking water, and public health is just hot air.
EPA reached a $21 million settlement with Ford Motor Co. and Ringwood on a cleanup plan for the Superfund site. Almost 166,000 tons of paint sludge and toxic chemicals from the company's plant are still prevalent.
“EPA cannot let Ford off the hook at the expense of the health of the people of Ringwood. Nearby residents say they have suffered from cancers, kidney ailments and other conditions as a result of the pollution. Contamination from the Ringwood Superfund site has already impacted state land and groundwater. Toxic chemicals from the site, 1, 4 dioxane are coming out of springs into streams that go into the Wanaque Reservoir, which provides drinking water for three million people. These chemicals are going into Mill Brook and Sally Pond in Ringwood State Park. These are C1 streams and Highlands water. We believe the contamination from the mines going into the streams violates surface water quality standards. It also violates RCRA and New Jersey’s own groundwater cleanup standards. It goes against decades of DEP protocol for cleanup. That is why the state must intervene.
“This is an outrageously bad plan to try to get rid of the contamination at Ringwood Superfund Site. There are about many families in Upper Ringwood who are living on top of a Superfund site with vapor intrusion and chemicals impacting their health. This pollution is also in an Environmental Justice Community which makes it even more important for the state to intervene for reasons under Governor Murphy’s Executive Order 23. There has been a tremendous amount of health problems already from the contamination and it will just get worse if not cleaned up. Over three decades of delay and failed policies by the EPA, the people of Upper Ringwood are still living in a toxic nightmare. Governor Murphy needs to be true to his word on protecting EJ communities and cleaning up toxic sites. He needs to step up and stop this plan.”