FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sayreville, NJ – Arthur Rittenhouse a candidate for Mayor of the Borough of Sayreville, former Councilman and resident of Main Street Townhouses has been trying to find out if the soil that has been being deposited since 2014 at the Fulton’s Landing (Mocco Property) located on Main Street has been tested for contaminated material. Rittenhouse was told by the Borough that Freehold Soil Conservation District was in charge of checking the site.

In April, Rittenhouse filed Open Public Records Act (OPRA) requests in April 2019 to get the answers after Freehold Soil Conservation District said they do not test soil they only tell the developer where to place it. Rittenhouse tried to find out who tests the soil. The area in question is covered under a Mining Act because many years ago it was a mining operation. The agency in charge of that is the NJ Department of Labor and Work Force Development. That department said they only issue permits but do not test soil. After the OPRA requests were filed the dumping of dirt stopped.

Rittenhouse also went to the following agencies to find out who would check the soil and has received no answers as to who checks the soil. These agencies include NJ DEP, Borough of Sayreville and most recently the State Commission of Investigation.

The concern comes from the fact that some residents of Main Street Townhouses are having discolored water in their sump pumps in their basements and water in some basements that was never there. Also, the Freehold Soil Conservation District representative told Rittenhouse that there was contamination from an adjacent lot flowing into Burts Creek which is located on the Fulton’s Landing property. This creek runs under Main Street and behind three streets of Main Street Townhouses which overflows into backyards with heavy rain. DEP cannot give Rittenhouse an answer if contamination is flowing in the creek and onto people’s lawns.

Rittenhouse has brought this to the Borough Council and they have not acted. They said in September the Sayreville Economic Redevelopment Agency (SERA) will address the soil. Rittenhouse contends if there is contamination it could be affecting the 300 plus households in Main Street Townhouses.