Ridgewood pays $25K fine issued by DEP
MARCH 26, 2014 LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26, 2014, 1:28 PM
Ridgewood has signed an administrative consent order (ACO) handed down by the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), which cited the municipality last year for improperly discharging water from Graydon Pool into the Ho-Ho-Kus Brook. As part of the ACO, the village has agreed to pay the $25,000 fine linked to the infractions.
On two occasions last May, DEP representatives observed the village pumping water from the pool and into the nearby Ho-Ho-Kus Brook, a practice that Ridgewood employees said they have done for many years. Environmental officials noted that the discharge contained mud and other sediment, a violation of the Water Pollution Control Act.
Ridgewood engineering officials last fall explained that the first few minutes of flow from Graydon’s pumps are usually “quite turbid,” and that initial discharge was what led to the initial DEP citation. The DEP initially levied a $50,000 fine to the village, but appeals filed by Ridgewood cut the amount in half.
“We did try through various channels, but unfortunately they can’t reduce it more than 50 percent,” acting Village Manager Heather Mailander explained earlier this month.
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/community-news/ridgewood-pays-25k-fine-issued-by-dep-1.751441#sthash.C22g5jXD.dpuf
Just what is in the HO HO KUS Brook? Mud and sediment are these people crazy?
Didn’t Rica handle public works ?
Taxpayers seem to be shelling out a lot of money in connection with management incompetency in the Engineering Department. Time for a new boss there Roberta?
The squeeze is on Ridgewood: State and County know we’re suckers and will pay these. Why aren’t our representatives going after these frivolous fines and challenging their very basis on behalf of taxpayers ?
The fine has nothing to do with Ridgewood putting muddy water into a muddy brook that has a sewage treatment plant a mile or so up river. The fine is simply the State of NJ trying anyway it can to bring in revenue without raising taxes. They are simply following the lead of the Federal Gov’t who now fines anyone and everyone they can. See; JP Morgan, Bank of America, etc…. I would not expect this to change anytime soon.
Any chance a deal was forged for the DEP to allow a ramp into the deep end of Graydon in exchange for Ridgewood’s agreeing to pay this fine, originally twice the amount but reduced by 50% by request?
Once again management sleeping at the switch .the law is the law if your in charge you need to be informed not just collect the paycheck.
$25K fine for discharge
$37K to fix generator, there may be additional costs after last night’s council mtg, but they could have been talking about a different generator that hadn’t been serviced in 3 years.
$460K parking meter theft
I would say it’s time for the village engineer’s annual review.
Time for Engineer Rutishauser to depart or retire, or start paying attention.
This is nothing compared to the money we’ll be paying back to the minority customers of Ridgewood Water.
Didn’t we pay a fine for rainwater making it into the Passaic river? or was that Glen rock?
Any dirt on this Chief Engineer #9 ?