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Residents urge full cleanup, monitoring and direct aid after DuPont settlement
Summary
Residents pressed the Pompton Lakes Borough Council to secure a share of state funds from the recent DuPont settlement and demanded cleanup to residential standards, vapor‑intrusion systems with regular testing, backup power, relocation options at market value and tax relief for plume residents.
Residents at Monday’s Pompton Lakes borough council meeting urged elected officials to press state and federal agencies to direct DuPont settlement funds back to the town and to guarantee hands‑on protections for people who live in the contamination plume.
At public comment, Helen Watkins, speaking for the Pompton Lakes Community Advisory Group, said the community supports a package of measures she described in a prepared list. “Clean up the soil and groundwater contamination on our sites and the contaminated neighborhood must be to residential standards and not industrial standards,” Watkins said, urging quarterly air testing, broader vapor‑intrusion mitigation and options for independent contractors to test and install systems. She called for backup power for mitigation systems and for residents who want to move to be offered fair market value for their homes.
The mayor and staff acknowledged press accounts about a multi‑site settlement and set‑asides for cleanup but said the borough does not yet know how much Pompton Lakes will receive. Administrator Michael Carrelli told the council the state and federal agencies (DEP and EPA) lead the cleanup process and that the borough’s role is to advocate for the town’s share. “We don’t know how much we’re getting here in Pompton Lakes yet. We don’t know how the cleaning’s gonna go yet,” he said.
Several other residents recounted years of local advocacy. Ruth, a longtime local organizer, thanked state leaders and a long list of local volunteers and experts for helping advance the lawsuit and the subsequent settlement. Multiple commenters warned that the settlement is a one‑time chance to require thorough remediation and urged the council to demand a role in defining cleanup standards and ongoing monitoring.
Council members said they would continue to press state officials and to keep residents informed. The meeting record contains a printed copy of the advisory group’s recommendations that the speakers asked the council to enter into the official record.
The council did not take a formal vote on any local remedies that night; members characterized the meeting as an opportunity to collect public input and said they would pursue meetings with DEP, EPA and appropriate legislators to press the borough’s priorities.
