NPDC cleanup concerns remain a messy topic

Burden of site’s environmental condition remains in question.

By: Kara Fitzpatrick
   MONTGOMERY — As the township and the state Department of the Treasury reach a formal agreement over the ownership of the former North Princeton Developmental Center — something township officials say likely won’t unfold until later this year — the burden of the site’s environmental condition continues to gain consideration.
   Questions that are likely lingering in the minds of residents relating to the cost and process of the cleanup of the 250-acre site also concern township officials as they begin to ponder the cleanup procedure.
   "Right now, the most important thing to keep in mind is the property still belongs to the state," Mayor Louise Wilson said. "Until we take title, people won’t see anything happening on the property."
   Last month, the township and the state announced that they had come to an informal agreement for Montgomery to purchase the property for $5.95 million and, along with it, the obligation to clean up the site. The environmental status of the tract has, for years, been the focus of township-wide concern.
   Township Committee members have said they intend to work with redevelopment partners to assist in cleanup costs. But as of now, that cost is a relatively elusive figure.
   In 2003, the township hired TRC Omni Environmental Corp. to conduct an evaluation of funds needed to clean up the site, which was vacated by the state in 1998. The estimate reached by Omni — $9.9 million — reflected the price tag of environmental cleanup, as well as necessary infrastructure improvements.
   The company’s estimate took into consideration building demolition — and the associated lead paint and asbestos abatement — as well as repair of the onsite sanitary sewer trunk line and wetland restoration of Sylvan Lake.
   In addition, Omni included the cleanup of land surrounding an onsite powerhouse, demolition and cleanup of elevator pits and greenhouse pits where elevated levels of arsenic were detected, groundwater remediation, and mitigation of residual pesticide contamination — the result of pollution from an adjacent orchard.
   Mayor Wilson said weighing the impact of the 10-acre Skillman landfill — which, she said, is located just off the site and will remain in possession of the state — is a crucial element to a thorough site cleanup.
   In the past, the landfill has been known to leach undesirable chemicals, Mayor Wilson said.
   "We really, really need to understand what is happening with the Skillman landfill," she said. "The impact of the Skillman landfill is a big unknown."
   Another area of concern, Mayor Wilson said, is the land surrounding the powerhouse — as cited in the 2003 Omni evaluation.
   "It was used for many, many years to generate a lot of power," she said, adding that there was a "fair amount of dumping." The Omni report estimated 5,000 cubic yards of boiler slag and cinders are located near the powerhouse.
   The first steps toward remediation of NPDC will be to consider all environmental data, Mayor Wilson said. Then, environmental consultants — hired by the township for their expertise in brownfields, environmental cleanup and insurance — will recommend a course of action, Mayor Wilson said.
   Environmental Commission Chairwoman Gwen Farley said she hopes the commission has the opportunity to "oversee the cleanup and monitor the process, much like we’re doing at 3M." Runoff from the 3M quarry near Belle Mead has polluted area streams, but a plan to contain the mineral fines that cause the pollution has been put in place.
   Ms. Farley and Environmental Commission member Alan Bookman are both members of the Township Committee-designated task force — composed of about 30 residents with diverse backgrounds — that will collaborate on developing a plan for the future of NPDC. "We intend to be involved in the process through that task force as well," Ms. Farley said.