West Amwell sets hearing on well-protection plan

By Linda Seida
   WEST AMWELL — A public hearing delayed for four months will be held next week to discuss a proposed ordinance to protect drinking water aquifers.
   Residents will be able to ask questions and submit comments during the Township Committee meeting Wednesday. The meeting will begin at 7:45 p.m. at the township building, 150 Rocktown-Lambertville Road.
   Committee members may vote on the ordinance immediately after the public hearing.
   Among the businesses and land uses that could be affected by the proposed regulations are some forms of agriculture, dry cleaners and gas and service stations.
   ”This is to protect private wells from nearby potential sources of contamination from commercial activity,” Deputy Mayor Ron Shapella said. “It could be anything, any kind of activity that has chemicals stored nearby.”
   The regulations would be triggered by an application to the Planning Board or the Zoning Board of Adjustment. The application would include a checklist of chemicals and hazardous materials that might be stored on a property.
   ”If any show up, they have to assure they are protected from contamination and use best management practices,” Mr. Shapella said.
   The ordinance was introduced in May, but it had been under discussion by the Board of Health for about two years, according to Mr. Shapella.
   The public hearing and vote by the committee was delayed because the township’s Planning Board wanted an opportunity to review and comment on the ordinance. The board is expected to discuss the proposed regulations at its meeting Tuesday.
   The proposed regulations are less restrictive than those originally discussed, officials said in May. In the earlier discussions, a 500-foot radius had been proposed around drinking-water wells, with a stipulation that property owners would store their hazardous materials outside the radius.
   As proposed now, the regulations call for “best management practices” in the handling of chemicals and hazardous substances.
   ”The radius idea is out of the ordinance,” Mr. Shapella said. “There are a number of recognized ‘best management practices’ that the state recommends for preventing runoff from hazardous chemicals. Mostly they entail storage in an enclosed area on an impervious surface like concrete with some form of containment around the area.”