Monmouth County Water Quality

SUCCESS AT THE DEC. 14, 2023 COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS MEETING!

The cry for more environmental oversight of this project is getting louder and louder. To bring you up to date, the applicant requested an Amendment to the Monmouth County Water Quality Management Plan. The final decision on whether this amendment will be granted, or not, is squarely in the hands of the Monmouth County Board of Commissioners.

We attended recent County Commissioners’ meetings and have presented them with new information from the DEP that the proposed wastewater system will not remove fecal coliform bacteria to DEP standards. We issued a formal request that the Commissioners follow their own procedures on Amendments to the Monmouth County Water Quality Management Plan and send the project back to the County Planning Board for reevaluation.

At the well-attended December 14 meeting of the Monmouth County Board of Commissioners, Director Arnone announced that the Commissioners agreed that the environmental report presented by concerned citizens warranted reevaluation and further inquiry before any decision is made to amend the County’s Water Quality Management Plan. “Professionals from the county will dive deeper” Arnone said. Independent professionals will reevaluate the application and also consider the environmental information to make a recommendation to the entire County Planning Board which will then be conveyed to the Board of County Commissioners for a final decision. In receipt of the Commissioner Director’s directive, the Monmouth County Planning Board then voted to send the application for amendment to the County Planning Board Amendment Review Committee to have it scrutinized by County professionals.

In applauding this decision, many residents and environmentalists provided support. Those who are involved in monitoring this application include the Sierra Club, The League of Women Voters of Monmouth County and citizens from the many towns in Monmouth County whose drinking water is at risk, including, Holmdel, Middletown, Shrewsbury and Tinton Falls and others.

We would appreciate the public’s attention as this application will now be reconsidered by the County Planning Board’s Amendment Review Committee This is the Committee that has the resources, paid for with your tax dollars, to reevaluate all the information presented by the citizens. It will then make a recommendation to the entire Planning Board on whether or not to proceed with the amendment. The ARC is meeting February 6 and, assuming we are put on the agenda, we hope to see citizens in attendance who will be witnessing their tax dollars at work!

Rose Ann Scotti