Dear Residents and Neighbors,

ICON Engineering, hired by Bernards Township to participate in the fill investigation at the Millington Quarry, submitted to the DEP its findings on the first phase of the investigation which began October 19 and ended December 4, 2009. During the investigation, ICON collected split samples for independent laboratory analysis. In its report, ICON states that Bernards Township “remains extremely concerned with the environmental conditions” at the site. Noting that the investigations are incomplete and much more is required to adequately characterize the quality of the fill, ICON advised that limited soil, surfacewater, and groundwater testing revealed samples with excessive levels of arsenic, lead, aldrin, chlordane and other contaminants.
Analytical results

Based on samples analyzed by ICON,

· 66% (21 of 32 boring locations) contained one or more contaminants exceeding the Residential Direct Contact Soil Remediation Standards (RDCSRS)

· 100% of the samples at the 32 boring locations contained one or more contaminants exceeding the Impact to Groundwater Soil Screening Levels (IGWSSL)

· 84 of the 87 total samples analyzed by ICON contained one or more metals exceeding the IGWSSL

· in Fill Area A* (consisting of @ 3.14 million CY of fill) one or more contaminants exceeded the RDCSRS at 83% (20 of 24) of the boring locations

· 50% of the samples (33 out of 66) in Fill Area A contained various PAH compounds, including benzo(a)pyrene, and one or more other contaminants exceeding the RDCSRS

*The Quarry has designated Fill Areas A, B and C as the areas of imported soils for investigation with the DEP. The Township and CCSMQ have advised the DEP that the investigation must be broader.

View ICON’s full report and test results.

DEP response:

A DEP source advised us that it will wait for the report of JM Sorge (the Quarry’s hired engineer) to determine the requirements for testing in Phase 2, which the DEP expects the Quarry to begin in April. There is no date certain for the Sorge report. The DEP will make no determination on the need for remediation at this time.

Three monitoring wells were installed in December and two more are to be installed for the next round of sampling to obtain additional groundwater results. The DEP advises that we have a long way to go before the investigation is complete.

News articles on this subject:

The Basking Ridge Patch, Feb. 1, 2010 (High arsenic levels and soil contamination found in initial testing at Millington Quarry)

The Bernardsville News, Feb. 5, 2010 (Excess arsenic levels found in Millington quarry water)

–Citizens for a Clean and Safe Millington Quarry