Member wants commission
to support 4-acre zoning
Says impact on Upper Freehold’s resources
must be accounted for
By jane meggitt
Staff Writer
UPPER FREEHOLD — Environmen-tal Commission member Sue Kozel introduced a resolution at the Sept. 9 Environmental Commission meeting urging the commission to support 4-acre zoning with a cluster option to protect the township’s environment.
The resolution crafted by Kozel pointed out that the township planner recommended that this zoning was "the minimum zoning to protect the water quality and the rural way of life" in Upper Freehold.
Also noted was the fact that in February of this year, the late William Metterhouse, then chair of the Environmental Commission, called for a moratorium on development until the township understood the impact of the drought and declining water resources on the current population.
According to Kozel, "The drought has drained [more than 60] wells in neighboring Millstone, and this detrimental action highlights the consequences for Upper Freehold if increased development strains our well water."
Upper Freehold’s environmental landscape is fragile and cannot sustain increased development, which would further strain its water-carrying capacity and lead to suburban sprawl, she said.
The resolution requests a vote to support Metterhouse’s call for a moratorium on development until an analysis of the drought’s impact on current wells is conducted, and for a joint meeting of the Environmental Commission, Planning Board, Monmouth County Board of Health, Monmouth County Planning Board, and other agencies to "present their understanding of how our availability of well water will be impacted by further development and explain what will happen to our township’s rural designation under the state plan if new sewers and/or a new freestanding municipal sewage/water treatment plant are built to support more commercial development."
David Perlman, who was vice chairman of the commission and has been tapped by the mayor to replace Metterhouse, said the resolution was not voted on because "we need a legal opinion on whether we can act upon it."
He declined to give his personal opinion on the resolution, saying he did not want to influence any other Environmental Commission members.
He commented, "These wells have gone dry for years. Most are shallow. You can drill a deeper well, or you can move [the well] a hundred feet and produce [considerable] numbers of gallons. They could be lousy wells to begin with."
Although many of the wells that have gone dry in neighboring Millstone are shallow, at least one well at a depth of 170 feet has stopped drawing water.
Perlman added that the state recently permitted Six Flags Great Adventure to drill new wells, so the state couldn’t think it was that significant a problem.
"Conserving water is the best defense against the drought," said Perlman.