any septic systems in the area," said Stanley J. Sickels, borough
administrator.
Borough officials said they've cooperated with the state Department of
Environmental Protection since a preliminary report in October, and one sewer
line responsible for a pollution hot spot in the river has already been fixed.
By the next round of testing, "we should have identified major sources of the
contamination and addressed them," Sickels said. "Our goal is to do it as soon
as possible."
The report, detailed at Wednesday's meeting of the Navesink River Municipalities
Committee, was attended by about 50 people, including fishermen, recreational
boaters, environmentalists, residents concerned about the waterway and borough
officials.
The report, delivered by Eric Feerst, section chief of the DEP's bureau of
marine water monitoring, reflected the findings of the fall DEP report.
The report found fecal coliform levels at four locations off the borough's shore
spiked during and after heavy rainstorms to almost 16 times the level considered unsafe for swimming.
Noticeable odor
"We have detected sewer smells when we have our kids on the river," said Kay
Vilardi of the Navesink River Rowing Club, which runs high school programs on
the river for 200 students. "We smelled something last summer."
Analysis of samples taken after an October storm from 41 areas in the river came
back with the same results as three previous samplings, which showed high fecal
coliform bacteria levels at the four locations, Feerst said
"If you eliminate the source, that bacteria will go away," he said.
DEP officials met with borough officials about the results last week, Feerst
said.
Such a problem is not unusual for older coastal communities with aging
infrastructure, and DEP officials have encountered similar conditions in Seaside
Heights, Atlantic City and municipalities in Cape May County, Feerst said.
Remediation of a similar problem found in a cove off Barnegat Bay in Seaside
Heights in the late 1990s appears to be working, Feerst said.
Video inspection of 12 municipal storm sewer lines showed a problem in one line
which has been cross-connected with a sanitary sewer.
"They're at the point where they're done with corrective action," he said.
"We've seen improvements in the cove."
One solution in Red Bank includes inspecting storm water pipes, working inland
from the river, to check for leaks or illegally connected sanitary sewer lines.
Sickels said water utility records will be checked to determine which properties
are served by septic systems. Those systems' data will be checked to see if they
need to be tested for failure, in which case the properties would have to
connect to the sewer system, he said.
"Red Bank is committed to finding this pollution and correcting it," Borough
Engineer Richard Kosenski said.
Steps already have been taken through the borough's annual road program, which
includes inspecting and repairing or relining cracked sewer lines before roads
are rebuilt and paved, Sickels said.
Fishermen weigh in
Both fishermen and recreational river users expressed concern about the
contamination.
Several fishermen said the pollution reduces their opportunity to earn a living,
noting that clams taken from the river have to undergo a cleaning process, which
reduces the dock price paid for them from 15 cents to 7 cents each.
"I appreciate what they're doing, but guys have lost 40 percent of their income
to dirty water," said Dennis Kavanaugh of Keyport, who fishes the Navesink part
time.
Fisherman Jason Verity of Sayreville's Parlin section said he can make more
money harvesting clams in Long Island.
"I understand they can't open up more water because it's polluted, but it's
hurting me," Verity said. "I'm borderline. Do I go back to Long Island? I like
New Jersey."
Laura Bagwell of Red Bank said she came to the meeting because she kayaks on the
river and is an Environmental Commission member.
"I still will kayak. I'll make sure not to go out after storms and do cleanup of the kayak and myself afterward," she said later.
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