DEP: Ridgewood High School Fields Are Fine

The Ridgewood school district has properly maintained its athletic facilities and is in full compliance with its flood hazard permit, according to a ruling issued by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Wednesday.

On March 8, that the district did not adequately clean silt from underneath the turf; the fence surrounding RHS Stadium exacerbated flooding; contractors had improperly blown rubber into the Ho-Ho-Kus Brook; the turfed field complex increased drainage issues; and recognized issues with the closed footbridge contributed to drainage issues.

The NJDEP Chief of Coastal and Land Use Compliance and Enforcement, Lawrence J. Baier, wrote in his April 11 letter that the fields and property meet full compliance with the permit, which the .

The news that the district's had met state standards didn't shock the district's top school administrator.

"Although this news from the NJDEP comes as no surprise, it is nevertheless a very positive confirmation that the district’s artificial turf fields are fully compliant with the original permit," said Superintendent Daniel Fishbein in a written statement.

"Most especially, I am pleased with the report that our fields maintenance program, which has come under some scrutiny, has been determined to be an appropriate protocol," Fishbein said. "The inspection report also included some recommendations for refining a few of our procedures. We will be taking a closer look at those ideas in the upcoming weeks with the goal of continuing to fine-tune our fields maintenance program."

According to the letter, the DEP recommended the district:

• After major storms flap gates on the field drain outlets should be inspected and cleared of any silt to allow them to work freely.
• If marshalling areas are to be used for silt and crumb rubber removed after flood events, material should be placed on a tarp if possible to assist in clean up after silt is transferred into dumpsters for disposal, or the catch basin should be protected.
• Dumpster delivery for silt and debris removal should be coordinated so material cleaned from the field is not stored on the ground in an unsecure manner for more than 24 hours.
• Temporary plastic construction fence is presently attached to the railing on the bridge, which was part of an earlier attempt to control access. This fencing should be removed since it is unnecessary and may impede the movement of flood waters.

The fields suffered through record rainfall in 2011. Some district officials contend the weather – which included Tropical Storm Irene, constant spring rain storms and heavy winter snowfall – was an anomaly, further stating that the referendum work is an upgrade over the former "mud bowl" fields. At least kids can use the fields now, they argue.

Others say the freak weather could just be the start of a trend and note that the turfing decision could prove to be a financial boondoggle. There's no way to control the weather, they say, noting the district already spent over $150,000 on field repairs in the first year alone.

The district to repair the abutments to the damaged RHS footbridge, which has been closed since November after engineers determined structural damage had worsened.

Although the bridge is expected to be fixed to allow for pedestrian and vehicular traffic, it will remain at its current elevation level. Flooding issues are likely to remain, but for now the district can breathe a sigh of relief.