Consultants find hot spots at Schedler site; manager to recommend $1.5 million for remediation

Consultants from Matrix told the Ridgewood Village Council on March 5 that soil testing at the village-owned Zabriskie Schedler property found contamination in three “grid” areas that the firm recommends excavating and disposing of, and that eight additional grid locations require further delineation before the full scope of cleanup can be set.

Matrix senior environmental scientist and project manager Melissa Fury told the council the firm had completed horizontal and vertical delineation at grids 16, 18 and 26 and "Matrix recommends to just remove the whole berm." Senior project manager Chris Pinerisi said Matrix will draft a work plan for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to review before crews return to the site.

Why this matters: Ridgewood officials and residents have been debating whether and how to develop the seven-acre Schedler parcel for recreation while addressing soil contamination found in parts of the property. The council heard technical details from Matrix and discussed funding and timing for the next steps; public commenters raised health and historic-preservation concerns.

What Matrix reported

Fury said Matrix first sampled the berm in May 2024, then sampled the flat portion of the property in June 2024, identified exceedances in February 2025, and completed delineation work in November 2024. The firm concluded grids 16, 18 and 26 were “fully delineated horizontally and vertically” for compounds that exceeded NJDEP…