The Hammonton Gazette 05/25/22 Edition | Page 5

Page 4 • Wednesday , May 25 , 2022 • The Hammonton Gazette

PWTC discusses contamination in Cypress Court well

PWTC , from Page 1
“ We ’ re waiting for those results . We did talk with representatives from the county , and we talked to the Spill Fund coordinator from the state . Basically , the first test — whatever the cost of a well test would be — is the responsibility of the homeowner ,” Vettese said .
Vettese said that Municipal Utilities Superintendent Anthony DeCicco was in the process of obtaining prices from “ the person who does the well testing for the town .”
“ He did give him a test for running three parameters , and he ’ s going to get a test for a full set of parameters . This way , you ’ re not just testing for the PFAS [ Perfluoroalkyl substances ]; it would be whatever ’ s out there ,” Vettese said .
Vettese said that state representatives told him that , if it is determined that there is contamination in individual wells , the affected person can make an application to the state .
“ If they ’ re qualified , they ’ ll put a POET [ Point-of-Entry Treatment ] system in , including testing and monitoring of that over a period of time , until there is either three years of no contamination — when they would stop doing the test — or if the town comes up with a solution ,” Vettese said .
Vettese also discussed possible further testing by the state .
“ If we have , say , 50 residents out there , and we get a number of tests within a certain radius , the state would then do a research and plot those . It ’ d take a two-year study , because they look for the person or the area that is causing that contamination ,” Vettese said .
Vettese said that the affected homeowner had discussed with him the possibility of hiring a plumber to tap into the water main at the corner of Holly Lane and Cypress Court as a means of bypassing his well entirely . Councilman Steven Furgione commented on the matter .
“ If we ’ re going to go that route , I ’ d rather go from the corner of Holly and Cypress , run it down that one side , come up the cul-desac and come back up to Holly to tie it in ... We can go in the rightof-way for the whole thing , couldn ’ t we ?” Furgione said .
Vettese affirmed that assessment .
“ You can do that ; I know there are a lot of concerns for cancer on that one street , so it might be the wise thing to do for now . You might want to also see about sending a letter to all the residents in the Lakeview Gardens are to see if they ’ re interested in testing wells ,” Vettese said .
Councilman Edward Wuillermin said that , in light of the expense of the testing and the POET systems , it “ might just be cheaper to run the water lines .”
“ I ’ m talking about the total expense , globally , for all the people involved ,” Wuillermin said . Furgione commented further . “ They would have to agree to hook up , one . Two , they ’ d have to seal their well . Because it ’ s PFAS , they can ’ t put in a new well for irrigation ; that would be the stipulation ,” Furgione said . Vettese echoed his sentiments . “ The state says that the town would have to adopt a policy that they would want them to seal the wells so there wouldn ’ t be any potential for cross-contamination ,” Vettese said .
Wuillermin said that it would be advisable for further testing in the area to assess the extent of the contamination .
“ I know it would be on the residents , unless the town intervened ... I think that is something for the full council to consider , but I think that area really needs some additional focus ,” Wuillermin said .
Vettese said that such testing should be broad-based , with more parameters , and Wuillermin concurred , noting that the tests are necessary to determine the next steps forward .
“ You ’ re doing the test to establish whether or not you really do have a problem there that needs to be dealt with immediately ,” Wuillermin said .
Wuillermin asked Furgione ’ s opinion as to financial responsibility for the tests .
“ What would be your suggestion , just for that one area to begin with ; do we pick up the tab for the tests ?” Wuillermin said . Furgione replied . “ I think , given the circumstances , we may have to ,” he said . Wuillermin commented further . “ I think the incidents that we have there really require our due diligence ,” he said .
Furgione said that he would like to address the issue “ sooner than later .”
“ I do want to notice the residents of what ’ s going on . We probably should have some sort of public meeting to go over all this . There ’ s a lot of moving parts to this they ’ re going to need to understand ,” Furgione said .
When discussing the contamination , Wuillermin said that the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection ( NJ DEP ) has a standard for PFAS of no greater than 14 parts per trillion .
“ That sample came up one-trillionth in excess of the standard — which , from what I understand , is like one drop in an Olympic-sized pool , but still it registered in exceedance , and the lab notified
them ,” Wuillermin said .
Furgione noted that the sample came from the water tap inside the home .
“ That means , whatever filtration system they have filtered out some of this . Ideally , you ’ d like to see a raw sample before it got through the tap ; that ’ s not what we have , but if we ’ re going to move forward with any kind of project , we want to see raw samples . At this level , you could alter whatever they have for treatment and they ’ d be fine , but we need to see what we ’ re dealing with , raw-wise first ,” he said .
In other news , Vettese spoke about repairs to the sidewalk at Hammonton Veterans Memorial Park .
“ The concrete work is done . They ’ ve got to come back and do some restoration of the lawn and mulch , and stuff like that ,” Vettese said .
Vettese also gave an update regarding proposed work on the railings and steps at the Historical Society of Hammonton Museum , noting that he was set to meet with society representatives on May 24 .
“ We had gotten some information related to the railings ; it ’ s aluminum or steel . Steel ’ s going to be a little more expensive , but it ’ s more sturdy . We ’ re meeting with them to get their final thoughts on that before we put any requests for price quotes out ,” Vettese said .
During his report , Town Engineer Mark Herrmann — of Adams , Rehmann and Heggan Associates ( ARH )— gave updates regarding pending roadwork on Vine Street / School House Lane and Valley Avenue , noting that a preconstruction meeting had been held the week prior .
“ We are looking to probably start in six weeks or so ; maybe a little less . I did approve a lot of shop drawings for material orders ,” Herrmann said .
Herrmann said that he wanted to have another meeting regarding the project , closer to the start date .
“ We ’ re working with a schedule . We ’ re going to try to find things we can do to get things going , like tree clearing or any demo we can do now to keep it prepped , so when the material comes in we can hit the ground running ,” Herrmann said .
Furgione asked about continuity of work .
“ Once they get started , they ’ re just going to see it through ? We ’ re not going to get hit with remobilization if they can ’ t get pipe ?” Furgione said .
Herrmann answered in the negative .
Furgione also asked if pipes had been ordered for both projects , and Herrmann answered in the affirmative .
“ The plastic pipe is the problem on the supply side . It ’ s pushing it back ridiculously ,” Wuillermin said . Herrmann concurred . “ These materials , it ’ s crazy to hear what the lead times are ,” Herrmann said .
Herrmann also discussed the upcoming water main project on Route 54 , noting that Rich Heggan of ARH has been doing office work and beginning easement descriptions .
“ He should be getting out in the field soon ,” Herrmann said .
Vettese said that he talked with representatives from the New Jersey Department of Transportation ( NJ DOT ) regarding a timeline for the work .
“ They are unsure of the schedule . It might push everything back
See VETTESE , Page 20