Ridgewood’s Schedler Property Soil Cleanup Delayed by Weather and Permits
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Efforts to remove thousands of tons of contaminated soil from the historic Zabriskie-Schedler property in Ridgewood, NJ, have hit an unexpected roadblock. What was originally slated as a swift, six-week, $1.7 million remediation project is now facing ongoing delays due to a combination of bureaucratic paperwork and heavy rain.
Originally, Ridgewood Village Manager Keith Kazmark anticipated that the removal of 17,408 cubic yards (roughly 26,571 tons) of contaminated fill would be wrapped up by June 24. However, a weeklong delay by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) in issuing a critical permit, compounded by recent storms, has officially pushed back the timeline.
The Discovery of a ‘Toxic Cocktail’
The environmental issue dates back to fill dirt brought to the 7-acre site between 2018 and 2019. The contamination went unnoticed until May 2024, when the village applied to build a new artificial turf multipurpose sports field just north of the circa-1825 farmhouse located at 460 W. Saddle River Road (off Route 17 North).
Because the landmarked home stands as one of the last remaining wood-frame Dutch structures in Bergen County, any development requires stringent environmental testing. Independent testing conducted by Matrix New World Engineering and reviewed by the NJDEP uncovered several dangerous safety “exceedances” embedded in the soil and an 1,100-foot-long berm along Route 17:
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Mercury and Lead: Toxic heavy metals that pose severe neurological risks, presenting a direct hazard to children who would eventually use the sports field.
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Benzo[a]pyrene: A highly potent carcinogen and common byproduct of combustion found at levels well over the NJDEP’s strictest safety standards.
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Heptachlor Epoxide: A chemical breakdown product associated with banned insecticides, the original source of which remains completely “unknown” in village records.
What’s Next for the Project?
Before the village can move forward with any recreational expansions or athletic fields, every single ton of the compromised dirt must be safely excavated and hauled away.
While the delay frustrates local sports organizers and residents waiting on construction, officials emphasize that fully extracting these hazardous materials is the absolute priority to ensure the long-term safety of the community.
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So, where is the contaminated soil run off going with all of this rain? The Ford company said they were limiting the run off until we discovered it took over the entire Ramapo mountain and into the water. How close are the neighbors well water. How is RW and the consultants monitoring this? Do they need to test to see if it spread? Just saying
They removed the berm to make room for a bigger field.
The Lead sample was 169 ppm.
The EPA’s standard for lead in bare soil in play areas is 400 ppm by weight and 1200 ppm for non-play areas.
The berm is a non-play area and 169 ppm is well below 1,200 ppm.
Why can’t politicians just tell us the truth?