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Top Interesting Things You Should Know About Water Treatment

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One of the most important processes in our lives is water treatment. Without it, we would not have access to clean and safe drinking water. From city-wide systems to small-scale home treatments, there are a number of ways that water can be treated for use. Here are four interesting facts about water treatment that you may not know.

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Fort Lee Hit With “Parkgate” as Mayor and Council Eye Historic Park for Parking lot and Turf Fields

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Fort Lee NJ, recently, the residents of Fort Lee discovered by accident, that their passive park is at risk of being turned into a 100 car parking lot, a softball field, and a soccer field.  The park is home to thousands of trees that fight both air pollution, noise pollution, provide shade to walkers/runners and home to so much wildlife.  All of this planning has been done without any notice to any residents.

Continue reading Fort Lee Hit With “Parkgate” as Mayor and Council Eye Historic Park for Parking lot and Turf Fields

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New Year But Same Old Runoff Problem for Upper Saddle and Saddle River Communities

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photos by Derek Michalski

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Upper Saddle River NJ, A New Year, but the same old problems for Upper Saddle and Saddle River communities. Apparently brown Wonka water is good for home values in one of the richest zip codes in the United States 07458. Of course I am being facetious. All kidding aside have you checked your home value lately?

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Why Keeping Indoor Air Is Good for You (And How You Can Do It)

h2o 750ml capacity ultrasonic air humidifier

If you think that once you’re home you’ll be safe from pollution, think again. 

Shockingly enough, research has shown that our indoor air may contain an even higher percentage of pollution. Failing to keep a clean and healthy indoor environment will show its effect on our health in many ways. 

Continue reading Why Keeping Indoor Air Is Good for You (And How You Can Do It)

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How You Can Live A Greener Life In 2020

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The year 2020 has been quite an eventful one so far, and it’s been exhausting, to say the least! We’ve been faced with trying circumstances that have forced us all to spend more time at home. And this isn’t necessarily the worst thing in the world, because we’ve finally had the time to realize a couple of things that we’ve been overlooking. It’s becoming more and more important for us to be conscious of the planet that we live in, and how the things we do and use have a great impact on it. So if ever there was a time to commit to going green, it looks like 2020 is it! This is why we’ve come up with essential suggestions to help you on your journey to living a better, greener life.

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Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club,”We have a crisis in New Jersey when it comes to drinking water and crumbling infrastructure”

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Trenton NJ, Today the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee will continue to take testimony from invited guests concerning the administration of the “Water Quality Accountability Act.” The 2017 law imposes certain testing, reporting, management, and infrastructure investment requirements on water purveyors. The law sets a limit of three violations before mitigation must be done. It also states that every water purveyor must implement an asset management plan designed to inspect, maintain, repair, and renew its infrastructure, as well as a cyber security plan. Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club released the following statement:

Continue reading Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club,”We have a crisis in New Jersey when it comes to drinking water and crumbling infrastructure”
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Runoff From Toll Brother Site Destroys Easter Celebrations in Upper Saddle River

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Upper Saddle River NJ, while New Jersey politicians plunder the state and spend their days contriving new schemes to raise your taxes, the NJ DEP is left ineffectual against polluters.

Derek Michalski of GreenUSR said,” Easter celebrations in GreenUSR has been ruined for the second year in a row!!! I never wished anyone to go to hell but if anybody deserve it it would be Chris Gaffney for his decision to allow its workers to pump heavy mud second year in a row during Holy Week. Shame on him, shame on Toll Brothers and Toll Brothers’ apologists. “

Posted by Derek Michalski on Sunday, April 21, 2019

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NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife Fines Illegal Dumper

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Peaslee Wildlife Management Area , according to NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife back In October, Fish and Wildlife’s Bureau of Law Enforcement Lt. Craig James, Detective Todd Vazquez, and Conservation Officer Keith Fox began an investigation on a large solid waste dump site in the Peaslee Wildlife Management Area in Cumberland County.

The pile was over 50 cu. yards and was mostly construction debris. It was suspected that the person responsible might return, so a surveillance camera was placed in the area. 

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Phony “climate strikes” and raising taxes have not fixed New Jersey environmental problems

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photo Apple Ridge, Mahwah NJ

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Students across New Jersey and around the world skipped school today to participate in “climate strikes” protesting global inaction on climate change.

Children are fast becoming the face of the climate change movement as teenagers, ‘tweens and even younger children file lawsuits, stage walkouts and lobby lawmakers. But question continue to be raised about whether the students are being motivated or manipulated.

Meanwhile closer to home right here in Bergen county many ecological disasters take place daily and no one blinks and eye .

Continue reading Phony “climate strikes” and raising taxes have not fixed New Jersey environmental problems
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Local environment issue has become a matter of national urgency

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April 30,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Upper Saddle River NJ, Battle for Pleasant Brook continues and GreenUSR.org enters a second phase ,the Cleanup. This ”unimportant” to our local leaders environment issue has become a matter of national urgency.

Derek Michalski  , “It‘s up to us to make our officials accountable for their actions and if anybody wants to digest brown water from Toll Brother‘s April 20, 2018 massive mud dump please let me know. I should have some saved in jars with appropriate labels. No one should underestimate danger of accidental digestion of arsenic and Lead. Better be save than 40 years later sorry. Last March EPA provided this warning: “Lead is a neurotoxin and increasing amounts build up in the body. Even at low levels, lead in children can lower I.Q.s, cause learning disabilities, damage hearing, reduce attention spans, and cause hyperactivity and other behavior problems. Arsenic is toxic, can damage people’s health, and can cause cancer. This cleanup reduces the potential for harm to people’s health from coming into contact with, or accidentally ingesting, soil or creek sediment contaminated with lead and arsenic”

https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-secures-agreement-14-million-cleanup-lead-and-arsenic-route-561-dump-site-gibbsboro

Unprecedented Silt Pollution Runoff Near Apple Ridge Construction Site

https://theridgewoodblog.net/unprecedented-silt-dust-mud-pollution-by-apple-ridge-construction-site_usrgreen/

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The 11 counties with the worst air pollution in N.J.

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Bergen County received a grade of F, with 22 “orange alert” days because of bad air quality.

Updated April 20, 2017
Posted April 20, 2017

By Len Melisurgo | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

The air quality in New Jersey has gotten better during the past year, but it still ranks among the worst in the nation because of high concentrations of ground-level ozone pollution, according to a new report issued by the American Lung Association.

The New York-Newark metro area was listed among the “25 Most Polluted Cities” for both ozone smog and fine-particle pollution. The Philadelphia metro region, which includes Camden County and other parts of western New Jersey, was ranked the 22nd worst for ozone, even though it met the national standard for year-round particle pollution, the report says.

In terms of ozone pollution, 11 New Jersey counties received an F grade, one received a D and three received a C.

https://www.nj.com/weather/index.ssf/2017/04/these_15_counties_have_the_worst_air_pollution_in.html#incart_river_home_po

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Garrett Demands that EPA Re-Evaluate Cleanup of Ringwood Superfund Site

House Budget Panel Holds Hearing to Receive  Views on Fiscal 2012

Apr 25, 2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ,  Rep. Scott Garrett (NJ-05) today called upon U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy and EPA Region 2 Administrator Judith Enck to re-evaluate their decision to place a barrier over the 166,000 tons of contaminated materials at the Ringwood Superfund Site instead of pursuing complete removal of the toxic substances.

Recent discoveries of significant levels of 1,4-dioxane, a probable human carcinogen that may result in liver, kidney, and upper respiratory damage, at levels close to 100 times the state maximum standard, raises new concerns about the EPA’s decision to cap the site. Congressman Garrett demands that the EPA identify all potential toxic substances that may be present at the Ringwood Superfund Site and ensure that a new cleanup plan rectifies the presence of all hazardous substances once and for all.

“As you know, the Ringwood Superfund Site is a decades old and continued concern for New Jersey residents,” said Garrett in his request to the EPA. “The discovery of an additional toxic substance has increased public concern about the EPA’s decision to approve the plan to cap the site.  New Jersey residents deserve to know that a plan to mitigate hazardous substances in their communities will be successful and will permanently remove the public health threat posed to them.”

The Congressman is also demanding answers from a February 2016 letter where he requested information about groundwater tests when it came to light that they had knowledge of the presence of 1,4-dioxane. To date, the EPA has not responded to these requests.

Congressman Garrett’s Specific Requests from the EPA:

1. Is the EPA reevaluating the decision to cap the site instead of a full cleanup due to the discovery of a new toxic substance and the possibility that other toxic substances may be present?

2. What were the reasons behind approving the plan to cap the site despite the EPA initially supporting a full cleanup?

3. What are the criteria for pursuing the plan to cap the site and does the presence of a new toxic substance affect these criteria?

To read the entire letter, click here.

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Valley construction and Ridgewood Schools

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April 5,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Somerville, Hawes and Travell parents: please try to attend one or more of the remaining Valley expansion hearings. There are maybe 5 elementary school parents here tonight, and this massive construction plan will affect our children the most over the next decade and beyond in terms of pollution, noise and nonstop truck traffic back and forth in front of Benjamin Franklin Middle School.

Video Courtesy Dana Glazer