The source of heavy metal contamination in Wampum Lake in Eatontown remains a topic of debate among officials involved in the redevelopment of Fort Monmouth. According to Frank Barricelli, a member of the Fort Monmouth Restoration Advisory Board (RAB), the metals found in the lake are not uncommon, and he said there is no evidence that one specific source of contamination is to blame.
“There is non-point-source of contamination to Wampum Lake,” Barricelli said in a presentation at the April 5 RAB meeting. “It is a cumulative effect of many sources over the years. Common practices of everyday living produce environmental contamination.”
Citing a study done by the Monmouth County Health Department of 20 lakes and personal research, Barricelli showed that the same metals were found in other lakes nearby and could have come from all of the areas surrounding the lake as well as Fort Monmouth.
Using the same 20-lake study by the county health department, Ed Dlugosz, chairman of the Eatontown Environmental Commission and a member of RAB, said the metal levels in the lake do not compare to those present in the other two water bodies Barricelli cited.
“[Contamination in] Swimming River and Shadow Lake are less than a quarter of the intensity of Wampum Lake,” he said.
Bill Simmons, environmental health coordinator for the Monmouth County Health 19 Department, explained to the board that the Fort Monmouth sewer plant is another point source.
“In addition, the second largest source of metals is sewer,” he said.
The contamination of Wampum Lake has been an ongoing concern for local environmental groups who are now seeking funds to conduct an independent study of the lake located in Wampum Park on West Street and Route 35.
According to Dlugosz, three streams pass through Fort Monmouth and empty intoWampum Lake.
All three streams show contamination of heavy metals including beryllium, cadmium, zinc, lead, arsenic, nickel, and chromium, Dlugosz told the environmental commission on March 15.
To get to the bottom of the contamination issue, members of RAB voted to apply to the U.S. Army for a grant last year.
Wanda Green, environmental coordinator for the federal Base Realignment and Closure Commission, said the $25,000 grant would pay for an independent professional to come in and explain Army reports and whether any operations on the fort impacted Wampum Lake.
To date, the application is still undergoing review, she said.
Members of the board asked that if the grant is awarded, the Army provide a professional who has no connection to Fort Monmouth.
“We want an independent person that has no involvement … that could come in, look at all of the studies and all the information and can say this is what the information is,” Jonathon Cohen, of the Tinton Falls Environmental Commission, said. “That is what we are asking for this money to pay for.”
Barricelli argued the grant is not needed.
In his presentation, he explained that the same metals present in Wampum Lake were also found in Shadow Lake and the Swimming River Reservoir and that research has shown most of the metals are found in motor oil and runoff from roadways.
“The tire surface that hits the road isn’t pure rubber, it’s rubber with zinc or copper and other metals. Your tires have to wear, and all that tire wear ends up on the roads and in the gutters and the lakes and streams,” Barricelli said. “Your brakes and brake pads are metallic. Every time you tap your brakes they wear and brake dust falls on the road and into the lakes and streams.”
He added that some metals such as arsenic are found in many agricultural pesticides.
During a brief history of Eatontown and the Fort Monmouth area, Barricelli explained that the area was a crossing point for railroads, which stimulated residential, commercial and industrial growth.
“Intensive steam-powered railroad operations began in 1861 in the near vicinity of Wampum Lake and continued in the 20th century,” he said.
There was open coal storage adjacent to the rail line and there was open disposal of ashes from commercial and domestic uses, he said, adding that coal contains some of the metals detected in the lake sediment.
“The long urban history in the vicinity ofWampum Lake, as well as its small size, contribute to … metal contamination levels. The sediments in the streams as they leave Fort Monmouth don’t have those high levels of total metals that are found in the lake sediment,” Barricelli said.
While Dlugosz acknowledged that the metals could be found in other runoff, he said the metals are also found in batteries and electronics, which were a major component of the fort operations.
Brian Charnick, of the Eatontown Sewage Authority, asked if there is any information regarding the sewage pipes throughout Fort Monmouth, which he said are broken.
“The pipes in the ground are broken,” he said. “If rainwater is coming in, it is washing out sanitary waste.”
Green argued that there is no evidence that the pipes are compromised.
“You’re making a lot of assumptions. You can assume the pipes that are leading from the Meyers Center are broken. You can assume all these things, but we don’t have anything that shows that. FMERA [Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Authority] has the study of the actual sewer line.”
She explained that theArmy did an analysis of the system, and samples taken at the sewage treatment plant did not show metals in the sewage system.
“Whether there is water going in or out, what this is saying is that we do not believe that there is any contamination in the sewer lines,” she said. “If there is piping that is broken and there is contamination coming out, it would have been identified.”
When asked about the reports of increased sewage flow now that the fort is unoccupied, Green said that she has not received any such reports.
“We get a bill, that is all we get,” she said.
Chartnick argued that reports from the Two Rivers Water Reclamation Authority show that the sewage flow has increased after the base closed, specifically during rainfalls .
Members of the public at the meeting argued that Barricelli’s presentation could not be used as a viable source of evidence because it lacks scientific data.
“I am really offended by this Wampum Lake report,” said Sara Breslow, a member of the Eatontown Environmental Commission. “It is the most unscientific presentation. I don’t understand how anyone could put that up, since it is practically opinion versus proper testing and scientific testing.”
Anthony Talerico Jr., president of the Eatontown Borough Council, added his own concerns.
“I think some people may say that this study is not scientific. My concern as a member of the governing body, I would like to see some indication that there is more upstream testing,” Talerico said. “If there is more testing, please be a little bit more open and share the information. I have advocated at the local level to have … a lot more people involved to present this information.”
The RAB members agreed to allow Dlugosz to make a presentation on Wampum Lake at the next meeting in July.