Has Airmont Given Up? Upper Saddle River Might Find Out

Changes in Airmont of alarming consequences for Upper Saddle River.

Hello…. and we’re back. And there is a lot to catch up on.

Upper Saddle River continues to experience significant changes arising from it’s own choices and questionable council decisions. The destructive legacy of Mayor Minichetti will reverberate for decades. And now with an unelected mayor who may only be a figurehead residents might want to keep alert to ongoing issues both in town and beyond.

Meanwhile in Airmont things seem to be literally going down the drain. As this impacts Upper Saddle River residents near the border with Rockland and deeper much into town paying attention would be good. Thankfully CUPON Airmont and CUPON Mahwah are being super vigilant. Both groups have full and detailed Facebook pages with updated information on what to pay attention to. Some highlights follow.

Cupon Airmont

Thursday April 27, 2023 Meeting

LINK FOR AGENDA

It is worth noting a recent decision that Airmont made

Which led to this

What could possibly go wrong? A new school, a mikvah?

CUPON Mahwah

Meanwhile CUPON Mahwah shared this on Facebook from an article in the Rockland Times

Here is the latest column published in the Rockland County Times

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. What happens in Rockland does not, unfortunately, stay in Rockland. A CUPON member and Upper Saddle River resident is deeply concerned about the impacts on Upper Saddle River water resources that may be caused by the mikvah and high-density cemetery on Hillside Avenue in Airmont, right at the NY-NJ border. Last week, he offered carefully researched information at the monthly town meeting about possible adverse effects of developments on Hillside Avenue. He described three risks to Upper Saddle River and Rockland residents’ water.

Risk one: The water table may be lowered once the new Hillside mikvah (ritual baths) is fully operational in 4 to 8 months from now. Area homeowners’ wells have run dry in the past when a resident filled a swimming pool. If the water table drops below residents’ water well depths, it could require a new well or installation of a cistern in each home plus regular water tanker deliveries. On the news, you’ve seen this happen in South Africa and in India; could our area be next?

Risk two: There is a high potential for contamination of the Saddle River from raw sewage overflows, once the Hillside mikvah is fully operational. The mikvah will add substantial output to the sewer line along Hillside—and it’s already at capacity. During heavy rain events, raw sewage gushes up from manholes near the sewer pumping station just downhill of the mikvah, and flows directly into the Saddle River; it enters the river a few yards from a pumping station that supplies Rockland residents with drinking water. The Saddle River is also a protected waterway, classified by the NJ DEP as a Pristine Class A Waterway; it is a backup water supply for Bergen county, a trout fishing stream, and a place where kids play. Sewage overflows into the Saddle River watershed in Rockland County have been increasing due to climate change, extensive development and illegal stormwater hookups into the sewer system: these all add load to an aging system designed in the 50’s for single-family homes on large lots. The last system-wide assessment of the Rockland sewer system recommended a minimal level of repairs and upgrades estimated at $170MM. To our knowledge, only a few minor upgrades have been done. Not nearly enough to support the 3 large developments being proposed on this same sewer line. What is that floating in your water?

Risk 3: The local aquifer may become contaminated. Rockland and Upper Saddle River residents who use well water may face pollution of their sole supply of drinking water. The largest Shabbos-owned cemetery in the US is now operational on Hillside Ave. Multiple studies from the US and overseas describe risks from cemetery contaminants to water sources. At issue here is the very high density of burials into disturbed soil in this cemetery versus the typical cemetery practice of burial into virgin soil. Before the cemetery was opened, extensive earthworks re-graded the soil up to a depth of twelve feet. Imagine you shred the paper filter into tiny little pieces for your morning coffee, and then pour your steaming brew over it. The coffee is essentially unfiltered. A typical cemetery makes well-spaced burials into virgin soil—that’s like an occasional cup over an intact coffee filter. In this cemetery, burials will be tightly packed into disturbed soil–that’s like pouring many cups of coffee through a completely shredded filter. You’re not going to enjoy that cup of Joe. The three scientists consulted agreed that this is a red flag; in-depth soil and percolation analysis is needed before the damage is done. This is not something you can fix after the fact. In the words of one expert, “When you disturb soil in this way, all bets are off (about the soil’s ability to filter)”. Pathogenic bacteria and increased nitrogen levels would require a specialty water filtration system plus annual maintenance in every affected home. This is going to cost more than a few cups of coffee!

With thanks to CUPON Airmont and CUPON Mahwah for their diligence and effort to keep Upper Saddle River and surrounding areas flowing with clean water and a safe quality of life.

Background here

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