ATTENTION: RIDGEWOOD WATER CUSTOMERS IN RIDGEWOOD – PROPOSED CHANGES
Attention: Ridgewood Water Customers in the Village of Ridgewood
Ridgewood NJ, Stage II restrictions (2 days a week irrigation) were imposed in June 2016 and are still in effect in Glen Rock, Midland Park, Ridgewood and Wyckoff. Without these restrictions, the use of drinking water for irrigation will continue increasing toward levels that are unsustainable regardless of drought conditions. To reverse this trend, an ordinance was introduced on March 8, 2017 to amend the provisions governing Water Emergencies in the Village of Ridgewood Code. Changes proposed include:
Making 2 days a week irrigation permanent year round,
Restricting irrigation hours to limit losses to evaporation,
Restricting irrigation using private wells to 2 days a week,
Adding new exemptions, including drip irrigation and smart controllers.
This ordinance applies only to Ridgewood, but it is expected that the Boroughs of Glen Rock and Midland Park, and the Township of Wyckoff will follow suit as they have in the past. Below is the proposed ordinance. Questions can be directed to Ridgewood Water at 201-670-5521 or [email protected]
Traffic is terrible in the area of the train station after Chris ” Bike Lane ” Rutishaser redesigned the area now he is going to bring busses and more commuters to the area. I would like to know his plan for the busses when they reach the end of Franklin Ave? Do they make the turn on to Maple Ave and then turn onto Ridgewood Ave. He said last night he has an alternate plan for the busses to get to Ridgewood Ave. Well what is it “Bike Lane” ? Redesigned the area, spend in excess of three hundred thousand (Cost overruns not included) all for the sake of commuter parking.
RE:” The bus station may be moved to the train station to create a single transit hub. This would free up many parking spots in the core of the village by Van Neste. It would also get buses off of Ridgewood Avenue and onto Franklin Avenue. Of course with high density housing slated for the Ken Smith property, there is going to be a lot more traffic on Franklin anyway. And the bus station on the other side of the tracks would take away some spots there. But overall there would be a net gain of 38 (?) spots.”
This seem like a bad idea.
If this is done, that idiotic “Green” bike lane needs to be removed.
Traffic is a nightmare already.
I can’t imagine how bad it will be when you add bus traffic AND vehicle traffic for people dropping offs/picking up bus passengers.
Ridgewood NJ, A two (2) vehicle crash at the intersection of East Ridgewood and South Van Dien Avenues in Ridgewood on Friday morning, 04/07, sent one (1) vehicle up onto the nearby First Presbyterian Church’s front lawn. Both drivers involved in the mishap were evaluated on the scene by RIdgewood FD and EMS EMTs and both declined ambulance transportation to a hospital for further evaluation/treatment. Flatbed tow trucks removed both wrecked sedans. An Easter related lawn sign belonging to the church was damaged in connection with the collision. Ridgewood PD is investigating the incident.
Ridgewood NJ, At 6:55 a.m., Amtrak advised NJ TRANSIT that all but one track is back in service at Penn Station New York (PSNY). NJ TRANSIT’s MidTOWN Direct Service has been operating to PSNY this morning, and the Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast Line train service is operating on their regular weekday schedules.
Trains are running with 15-20 delays !
As a precaution, NJ TRANSIT is advising customers that they may experience some delays and should give themselves some extra time to get to their destinations. We also urge customers to check njtransit.com before traveling.
At approximately 9 a.m. Monday morning, NJ TRANSIT’s Northeast Corridor line train #3926 experienced a slow-speed derailment while pulling in to Track 9 at New York’s Penn Station. Three cars in the middle of the ten car train derailed. These were cars 5, 6, and 7. Amtrak, which owns and maintains the tracks near Penn Station New York, has determined that a track problem was the cause of the derailment.
As long term commuters many on the staff of the Ridgewood blog would like to offer the following advise : Always have a backup plan or a plan B . Long term commuters often have a plan C as well .
If you take the Train everyday be familiar with the NJT bus schedule (163,164 ) as well as the Short line bus schedule and the NJT 165 express buses that leave the park and ride at Garden State Parkway off Ridgewood ave. Also be familiar with the 752 buses ,they link Ridgewood to Hackensack bus station. And don’t forget the 175 goes to the GWB bus station linking to the A express subway line.
Midtown direct passengers should be familiar with the Hoboken PATH trains as well as trains from Newark Penn to Ridgewood .Main line Bergen Line passengers should also be familiar with Pascack Valley line .
Complaining about commuting does not get you home to your family but good planning does.
By Jessica Mazzola | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on April 07, 2017 at 7:45 AM, updated April 07, 2017 at 7:47 AM
A New Jersey town has banned summertime commercial leaf blowing for good. (File photo)
MAPLEWOOD — The controversial leaf blower ban is back, and it’s here to stay.
The Maplewood town council this week unanimously passed an ordinance banning commercial landscapers’ use of the gas-powered blowers during the summer months – a move that cemented a pilot program enacted last year. The new rule, the town’s lawmakers said, is meant to decrease noise and environmental pollution in the community.
Ridgewood NJ, The boil water alert that was issued on Wednesday, April 5th has ended. Samples
collected throughout the affected zone were tested and are free of any E coli bacteria. A thorough investigation is underway to determine the source of the contamination along with a full review of Ridgewood Water Customer
notifications.
Ridgewood Water regrets any inconvenience this may have caused. The health and safety of our consumers is paramount. Consumers can get the latest information about the utility and its operations from our website, water.ridgewoodnj.net.
Please share this information with your friends and neighbors
Mark Krulish and Kaitlyn Kanzler , NorthJerseyPublished 12:23 p.m. ET April 6, 2017 | Updated 12 hours ago
RIDGEWOOD – Residents of Ridgewood face no danger from the E. coli that was detected in a groundwater sample on April 5, town officials announced Thursday.
Ridgewood Water customers were notified that the E. coli had been found in a low-pressure zone that includes parts of Ridgewood, Midland Park and Wyckoff and all of Glen Rock and were told to boil their water for a full minute before consuming.
Ridgewood Nj, readers feel the lack of communication from Ridgewood Water and the Village council added to the confusion and made matters far worse :
Mass panic and hysteria over absolutely nothing. The water supply was not contaminated, period. What are these people going to do when the bomb drops? They’ll be jumping off of roofs of buildings in the CBD.
A big part of this problem is communication. Apparently Ridgewood Water has its own notification system. Being signed up with the town is not enough!The water dept needs to step it up.
The Village is creating more confusion and panic by not explaining clearly exactly what the “Low Pressure Zone” is. They need to grasp the idea that without a clearly printed map, very few people will understand if they are in an affected area. This will lead to people worrying and possible overreacting.
ridgewood water company is run like a family business. Nobody is responsible for past billing issues or the future settlement with the surrounding towns. Please sell it and let’s focus on our core issues. Like running the town better.
I’ve lived in Ridgewood for almost 40 years and I can’t recall any communication being handled so poorly. Someone should be fired over how badly this was managed
Ridgewood water gets worse every year. Never any improvements, just arsenic violation lead violations, and now ecoli. Avoidance of lawsuit. Someone in this state has to intervene immediately and have it rin properly and professionally. Constant ignoring and no improvements can’t continue any longer.
No notification via robocall. No “neighborly” notification, of course. You could drop dead on the street and no one would help. Ridgewood Water refuses to answer the phone, Health Department could care less and refused to answer questions. Inept, unprofessional and incompetent. Will be deducting from water bill. This is par for the course in a backward town which lacks modern updates, conveniences and its residents are nasty.
Mark Krulish , Staff Writer, @Mark_KrulishPublished 7:46 p.m. ET April 5, 2017 | Updated 19 hours ago
RIDGEWOOD — Barring any unforeseen developments, the village will soon be home to a new residential complex on Chestnut Street.
Chestnut Village, a 43-unit apartment complex, will include seven units set aside for affordable housing. It will be built at the site of the old state inspection station, near the village’s central garage.
Information about Ridgewood Water safety has been discussed on major news channels, as well as in social media. Please read the following notice, in its entirety, so that you may understand the facts surrounding what has occurred. The safety of consumers is paramount to Ridgewood Water, which is the reason behind actions which were taken.
Yesterday, April 5th, Ridgewood Water learned that a sample testing of raw, untreated groundwater resulted in a detection of fecal microbes. This sampling of raw water occurred prior to standard treatment and regular disinfection, before entering into the distribution system. As a precautionary measure, the affected well was immediately shutdown. Further, a DEP technical requirement was implemented, requiring notification to consumers within the distribution area. Those registered for Ridgewood Water messaging, were notified via the Ridgewood Water reverse 911 list.
The timing of the consumer notification was based on the date of sample collection and subsequent results, which were reported to Ridgewood Water less than 24 hours later, on April 5th. Ridgewood Water consulted with the New Jersey DEP and EPA on notice requirements.
The distribution areas covered by this notification include:
all of Glen Rock
Ridgewood south of Monte Vista and east of the rail line,
Wyckoff in the areas of Goffle Road, Hopper Ave, Ravine Court and Ravine Avenue
Midland Park in the vicinity of the Godwin Avenue shopping center, including the ACME Supermarket on Lake Street.
In order to be compliant with the DEP regulations, and in an abundance of caution, Ridgewood Water has advised that those consumers living in the distribution areas covered by this notification should use bottled water or boil water before using it. The boil water advisory will be lifted once RidgewoodWater receives favorable lab results from subsequent testing. You can learn more about whether your area is affected by calling Ridgewood Water at 201-670-5520.
Kindly share this information with your friends and neighbors.
Heather A. Mailander
Village Manager
201/670-5500 x202
Nationally in 2016, the average property tax bill on a single family home was $3,296.
In New Jersey, it was $8,477, reinforcing the state’s reputation as being the least tax-friendly to its residents.
According to a report released Thursday by real estate database ATTOM Data Solutions, New Jersey easily takes the top spot for highest property taxes, beating out second-place New York by more than $1,400.
Relative to the average market value of single family homes in the state, New Jersey also posted the highest tax rate in the nation — 2.31 percent, the California-based company said. The rate topped 2 percent in only four other states – Illinois, New Hampshire, Texas and Vermont.
“New Jersey homeowners in 2016 paid a cumulative total of over $20 billion in property taxes just on single family homes,” said ATTOM senior vice president Daren Blomquist.
That represents nearly 10 percent of the $277 billion levied on single family homes nationwide, according to the report.
Full Weekday Service Set To Resume Friday A.M.; Cross-Honoring Continues For Customer Convenience
April 7,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, be prepared for a few snafu’s but NJ TRANSIT will resume full weekday service into and out of Penn Station New York (PSNY) for Friday morning, pending completion of track repairs by Amtrak. Amtrak has committed to reopening the closed section of track near PSNY by 4 a.m.
At approximately 9 a.m. Monday morning, NJ TRANSIT’s Northeast Corridor line train #3926 experienced a slow-speed derailment while pulling in to Track 9 at New York’s Penn Station. Three cars in the middle of the ten car train derailed. These were cars 5, 6, and 7.
Amtrak, which owns and maintains the tracks near Penn Station New York, has determined that a track problem was the cause of the derailment
Northeast Corridor (NEC) and North Jersey Coast Line (NJCL) schedules will return to full regular weekday service. MidTOWN Direct trains will resume service to and from PSNY. Raritan Valley Line (RVL) mid-day trains will resume direct service to and from PSNY.
“We now know that deficiencies in Amtrak’s infrastructure at Penn Station New York caused an extremely difficult and challenging week for our customers,” said Executive Director Steven H. Santoro. “We appreciate and value all of our customers and thank them for their patience. I want to assure our riders that NJ TRANSIT is doing everything possible to ensure Amtrak sets the bar higher on maintaining their infrastructure to prevent these types of incidents..”
As customers return to regular weekday schedules, cross honoring will remain in effect with NJ TRANSIT bus, light rail, private carrier bus, NY Waterway ferry, and PATH at Newark, Hoboken and 33rd Street.
Note: The special New York Waterway ferry from Hoboken Terminal will not operate.
For the latest travel information, customers should visit njtransit.com, access NJ TRANSIT’s Twitter feed at @NJTRANSIT or listen to broadcast traffic reports. Additionally, NJ TRANSIT will provide the most current service information via the My Transit alert system (www.njtransit.com/mytransit), which delivers travel advisories to your smartphone. Service information is also available by calling (973) 275-5555.
..HEAVY RAIN AND FLOODING POSSIBLE THROUGH EARLY THIS EVENING…
…FLOOD WATCH NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING…
The Flood Watch is now in effect for
* Portions of southern Connecticut, northeast New Jersey, and
southeast New York, including the following areas, in southern
Connecticut, Northern Fairfield, Northern Middlesex, Northern
New Haven, Northern New London, Southern Fairfield, Southern
Middlesex, Southern New Haven, and Southern New London. In
northeast New Jersey, Eastern Bergen, Eastern Essex, Eastern
Passaic, Eastern Union, Hudson, Western Bergen, Western Essex,
Western Passaic, and Western Union. In southeast New York,
Bronx, Kings (Brooklyn), New York (Manhattan), Northeastern
Suffolk, Northern Nassau, Northern Queens, Northern
Westchester, Northwestern Suffolk, Orange, Putnam, Richmond
(Staten Island), Rockland, Southeastern Suffolk, Southern
Nassau, Southern Queens, Southern Westchester, and
Southwestern Suffolk.
* Until 8 PM EDT this evening
* Rainfall, heavy at times, through this afternoon before
gradually decreasing from west to east late this afternoon into
early this evening. Thunderstorms with locally heavier rainfall
rates are also possible, especially during this afternoon. Any
new rainfall will exacerbate already swollen rivers and streams.
* Total rainfall of around one to two inches expected, with
locally higher amounts possible especially with any
thunderstorms. In addition to the potential for river
flooding, urban and small stream flooding remains likely.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A Flood Watch means there is a potential for flooding based on
current forecasts. You should monitor later forecasts and be
alert for possible flood warnings. Those living in areas prone to
flooding should be prepared to take action should flooding
develop.
New Jersey has more places under the federal Superfund program, which prioritizes cleanups of dangerous contaminated sites, than any other state.
Many have histories more colorful than an oil slick: A massive chemical fire at a mob-controlled waste storage facility. Agent Orange in the Passaic River. Local wildlife turned green. And the only site ever to be put on the Superfund list twice.
While many of those sites have been cleaned up, they require longterm treatment and monitoring. With the EPA’s budget on the chopping block under President Donald Trump’s administration, advocates worry things will backslide for the Superfund, which has already been near-broke for decades.
“Just think about it: We’ve got over a hundred Superfund sites in this state. We’ve got 21 counties,” former Gov. Jim Florio, who wrote the Superfund law when he was in Congress in the early 1980s, said recently. “Nobody lives very far from these sites.”
BERGEN COUNTY
Garfield Groundwater Contamination
The former E.C. Electroplating company’s activity at this Garfield site spilled and leaked cancer-causing chromium into the ground, creating a plume of groundwater contamination at least a half a mile wide. One of New Jersey’s orphan sites, the EPA hasn’t identified a funding source for a cleanup, and says there’s “insufficient data” to measure the risk it poses to the surrounding community.
The city’s mayor appeared in front of a U.S. Senate hearing to plead for federal dollars for the site in 2014, but the cleanup still lacks funds.
Curcio Scrap Metal, Inc.
This active scrap metal yard in Saddle Brook saw a spill of oil containing PCBs in the 1980s and a major cleanup project in the 90s. Because of the nature of the work done there, it was also contaminated with heavy metals and volatile organic compounds, according to the EPA. Soil cleanup was completed long ago but groundwater cleanup is ongoing.
Fair Lawn Well Field
This site includes three municipal drinking water wells in the Bergen County borough. Volatile organic compounds were detected in the water in the late 1970s and traced to a nearby industrial park. Monitoring is ongoing, but the EPA says it has “insufficient data” to determine the site’s threat to human health.
(EPA)
Maywood Chemical Co.
The Maywood Chemical Works processed radioactive thorium ore from 1916 to 1955. The work generated chemical and radioactive waste.
The site is being cleaned up by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the company deemed responsible for the contamination. Cleanup of radioactive soil is “underway” and the rest of the plan is “in development,” according to EPA.
Quanta Resources Corporation
This site saw nearly a century of coal tar, paving and roofing material production along what was once an industrial wasteland along the Hudson River. Now surrounded by booming waterfront development, the EPA is overseeing cleanup of PCBs and other contaminants, but says it has “insufficient data” to determine the site’s threat to human health.
Berry’s Creek Study Area
A small chunk of the Meadowlands in Bergen County is home to three distinct Superfund sites along Berry’s Creek, a six-mile tributary of the Hackensack River. The area includes the Scientific Chemical site in Carlstadt, Universal Oil Products site in East Rutherford and the Ventron/Velsicol site, which spans Wood-Ridge and Carlstadt.
All three sites are laden with PCBs and Berry’s Creek is considered among the most mercury-laden locations in the country. Only the Scientific Chemical site is listed as “under control.”
