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Ridgewood schedules excavation of Schedler property soils; residents press for assurances on dust, wells and bus stops
Summary
Village officials announced the Zabriskie Schedler soil‑remediation will start in late April or early May, run about 6–8 weeks and operate weekdays 7 a.m.–4 p.m.; Matrix New World Engineering, NorthStar and the Ridgewood Police described air monitoring, truck routing and oversight but residents pressed for more real‑time data, private‑well protections and reconsideration of the early start time.
The Village of Ridgewood will begin removing contaminated soils from the Zabriskie Schedler property as soon as late April or the first week of May, village manager Keith Kasmark said, after state agencies approved the scope of work and the contractor was selected. The village said the excavation and off‑site removal is expected to take about six to eight weeks and will take place Monday–Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Kasmark said the decision follows approvals from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection(Bureau of Solid Waste) and the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). "We need to pull the bandage off and get through this," Kasmark said, adding that the project was designed to meet the most stringent standards required by DEP for residential direct contact.
Matrix New World Engineering and the project LSRP, Chris Pitterisi, described a perimeter air‑monitoring program developed with Triumvirate and calibrated with DEP calculators. The team will deploy five monitors (one stationary weather station and four mobile units) and use a tiered response: an internal alert at about 100 micrograms per cubic meter (15‑minute TWA), an on‑site response action at 150 µg/m3 (spraying water, stopping work) and a public notification threshold set at roughly 34,890.5 µg/m3 (half the modeled public‑health risk level of 69,781 µg/m3). "At 150 micrograms per cubic meter any dust will be stopped," Melissa Fiore, Matrixproject manager, said. The Bureau of Solid Waste will have daily representation on site, the village said.
Chief Forrest Lyons and Captain Glenn Ender outlined a traffic and staging plan intended to keep truck traffic off neighborhood streets. The entrance and exit point will be moved south of the historic house so trucks travel a short distance on West Saddle River Road before returning to Route 17; an off‑site commercial property on Route 17 will serve as a queuing area. NorthStar, the remediation contractor, estimated a maximum of about 10 trucks on site at any one time and said each truck typically takes about 10 minutes to load.
Still, residents pressed officials on multiple fronts during a two‑hour question‑and‑answer period: where monitors will be placed relative to yards, whether dust might travel beyond monitored boundaries, how private wells will be protected, whether start times could be later, and how the village will notify residents in real time. Amy McCambridge, a neighborhood resident, said, "We don't trust our local government," and asked who would be responsible if a well were contaminated after remediation. Officials replied that current soil data have not triggered a groundwater investigation under DEP guidance but that groundwater sampling would be performed if site data meet DEP thresholds. Kasmark encouraged residents with private wells to share historical test results with Ridgewood Water for review.
Matrix and NorthStar described mitigation tactics: pre‑wetting excavation areas and equipment, using 1–2 poly water storage tanks on site, misting rather than continuous spraying to avoid excessive runoff and tarping loads before trucks leave. NorthStar said worker PPE will be Level D (hard hat, safety vest, boots) based on current laboratory results; respirators would be added only if alarms indicate heightened exposure.
Several residents requested more accessible, near‑real‑time monitoring data. Matrix said particulate monitors will provide on‑site alarms and that laboratory analyses of collected samples will be submitted to DEP; lab results are not available in real time. Kasmark said the village's IT/OEM staff can issue text, email and reverse‑911 notices if the public‑notification threshold is reached; he also said the presentation and monitoring plan would be posted on the village website the next morning and asked neighbors to sign up with the QR code for alerts.
The village acknowledged archaeological constraints: Richard A. Grubb Associates identified a core archaeological area around the house that will be fenced off and excluded from initial work; any unexpected finds would halt work and trigger further archaeological review. Work in a DEP‑designated wetland area will proceed only after the village secures a wetlands GP6 permit from NJDEP.
Kasmark said the goal is to complete the removal while students are still in school: "I'd rather do this while our kids are in school," he said, arguing the 7 a.m. start allows more daily truck runs and a shorter overall timeline. Officials said they will reassess procedures if on‑site data or community feedback require changes.
The village will post the full presentation and technical documents on its website and said daily field sheets and the final remediation report will be submitted to NJDEP and be part of the public record. The remediation team and the Bureau of Solid Waste will provide daily oversight during the project.
