photo courtesy of the Village of Ridgewood
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood Nj, since 2015, Ridgewood Water has faced challenges with PFAS levels exceeding the limits set by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP). This ongoing issue raises concerns about transparency and the safety of tap water for Ridgewood residents.
Recognition Amid Controversy
Last week, Ridgewood Water received the inaugural “Our Water’s Worth It” award from the NJDEP. The award recognizes the utility’s efforts to conserve water and protect public health by addressing PFAS contamination.
Progress on PFAS Treatment Facilities
In light of this recognition, it’s essential to provide an update on Ridgewood Water’s progress. The utility is actively working on 12 PFAS treatment facilities (see chart for details). Earlier this year, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued national regulations to limit the presence of common “forever chemicals,” including PFOA and PFOS, to 4 parts per trillion. Water suppliers nationwide have until 2029 to meet these new standards.
Ahead of Schedule
Ridgewood Water is on target to achieve non-detectable levels of all regulated PFAS compounds by 2026—three years ahead of the EPA’s deadline. This proactive approach demonstrates a commitment to addressing the contamination issue faster than many other communities across the country.
Community Concerns and Transparency
Despite these efforts, community concerns persist regarding the transparency of PFAS levels and the safety of tap water. Ridgewood Water needs to continue providing clear and accurate information to reassure residents and uphold public trust.
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The absolute worst water company in the state of New Jersey!
Thanks for nothing Frank Moritz.
He was too preoccupied at the with matters of the heart.
Yeah, right…
Peewee rocking the turquoise Izod shirt!
I don’t know how in good conscience, Mr. Calbi and the Village leaders can accept an award, when for almost 10 year we have failed the NJDEP standards with excessive amounts of PFAS. How do they sleep at night? How do they continue to compound the problem by building pressed plastic turf fields where flooding creates an overflow into our community? Into our community garden at Maple field. Gardeners beware. What in Gods earth are we going to do with an EPA site, aka the Town Garage? Where are current Commercial Cleaners, Car Wash, body shops and gas stations releasing excess chemicals and toxic water? Have we done an inspection of the multiple underground water ways?
Just asking for “full disclosure”
I imagine they sleep quite well at night knowing that they’ve done what was expected of them. Their compensation and public accolades reflect a job well done. The only confusion lies with reasonable individuals such as yourself, and the assumptions you have about what their job actually is, and to whom they are answerable.
Well all 28,000 plus residents pay taxes and we expect a high level of services including honesty about our water quality. It’s pretty simple . Residents no longer want Politian’s, who mislead the public with false campaign promises time and time again and who fail to provide full disclosure. Residents need to stop reading the headlines, and read the articles. An award for Water – when the quality is below standards, meaning dangerous according to the NJDEP – is misleading. Don’t you think
No, I don’t.
Do you remember the Iraq war, the second one? Do you remember George Tenet, the CIA official who was responsible for the intelligence surrounding the weapons of mass destruction, the ones they never found. And do remember what happened to that man? After hundreds of thousands of Iraqis were dead, and tens of thousands of US soldiers were dead? He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. For what, you and I, would assume to be a colossal failure. But then we’d be assuming incorrectly, wouldn’t we? See?
“tens of thousands of US soldiers were dead”.. Jesus, really? Hyperbole much?
One soldier dead for an obvious lie is one too many. But what’s an acceptable number for John? How many dead sons and brothers is just right for Papa Bear John? Please be specific. No hyperbole.
Wikipedia lists total US causalities at 36,710, which includes WIA, et al.
We haven’t had standard for 10 years so how could they be out of compliance for 10 years? We’ve only had guidelines for a few years, not standards. There is a difference. EPA just (April 2024) codified standards for PFAS. Just sayin’
Below is below. Failed is failed
Here are comments made by Mr. Calbi – you can find these in the 9/12/2018 Village Council Minutes: Not only was “criterial” set by NJDEP, RW falls below it. Now you can argue is criterial a guideline or a standard, I guess.
Mr. Calbi stated that Ridgewood Water collected samples during 2014 and 2015 as part of an on-going study to determine the general occurrence of unregulated contaminants.
• For PFOA, they have set a guidance level of 14 ppt which was set in October 2017, and was a reduction from the 2007 guidance value of 40 ppt. The NJDEP set a criteria of 13 ppt for PFOS, which was released this month. For PFNA the criteria is 13 ppt, and it was set this month at a maximum contaminant level, so this compound itself is one that Ridgewood Water has to monitor and regulate.
• Mr. Calbi stated that during the Round 2 sampling, Ridgewood Water also voluntarily sampled the purchased water from the Suez and Hawthorne interconnections. All samples are analyzed for a suite of 14 PFAS compounds, with a reporting limit of 2 ppt. He stated that PFOA is widespread in the system, and there is very little concern with PFOS and none with PFNA.
• Mr. Calbi stated that Ridgewood Water can elect to do that, but there are many contaminants that Ridgewood Water falls below the level on, and it is how far Ridgewood Water can financially afford to pursue treatment.
Unbelievable, they clearly do not care about the public or the water situation, instead they care more about a freaking turf field, which will add more cancer agents into the water, putting $60,000 into a new garbage cans that look nicer, but not making drinking water a priority. Complete idiots.
They probably have a bare minimum, but they were looking the other way to save money. All the old top horses have no balls to ask the council for big money for repairs and that’s across-the-board. It’s all political don’t make waves. Don’t ask for money for improvements, let things just go very smoothly so everyone looks like a hero, you see which is happened with Secret Service protecting Donald Trump, the Director had no balls and asking for more money in our budget for manpower. It’s a disgrace it’s embarrassing, it doesn’t matter what president or president you need to proper manpower just like the villager Ridgewood is understaffed in many departments , if you want improvements and quality maintenance, you need to hire people. And don’t come back with thumbs down because I’m just gonna tell you you don’t know what you’re talking about.
If you follow the bouncing cash ball – RW Water has asked for and spent millions of dollars on a new office, new water treatment, new trucks, new landscaping, more people, higher fees and this all on top of water restrictions and failed NJDEP tests. Agree, there are other departments that are lacking in resources. Parks and Recs – unbelievable what they accomplish day in and day out on such little resources. But I don’t remember Ms. Bigios asking for more people during the budget season. Also, we don’t have enough engineers and inspectors – things are delayed and so many things are missed with these developers because no one is watching them. It also impacts the speed to which CBD shop owners need to move in. I hear yeah.
Ridgewood Water did not ask for new offices although they desperately needed to consolidate. Ridgewood PD wanted additional offices and pushed Ridgewood Water out of Village Hall. Get it right or dont post.
Good to know, was a million dollar building the only thing available. Are you saying RW police wouldn’t wait until we found a more suitable place. Is that VC or VM fault
RPD wanted the office. I think they found a very suitable place and it was great to expand the municipal complex in the area. Very neat and tidy and good looking. And I do not think the price of the building, nor the renovations, were outrageous. My shithole house is going for more than $1M right now. So it was probably a good investment fot he village.
Parks and rec must have a boat load of money to be able to build a 350 thousand dollar pavilion in Habernickle that will be used by a business paying barely any rent and bringing 0 income into the town
You’re paying for that $350 thousand dollar boat load of money in your increased property
taxes!. among more to come.
Parks and Recs is an extension of programs for the schools kids sports programs & education. They get “perks” and awards. They are VOR employees not school employees.
What is more important –
What do people Need in order to survive – Clean Water.
Do people need sports and artificial turf fields in order to survive?
I don’t think they want that, I think they want to keep it the way it is. There’s no accountability clearly, otherwise the engineer would’ve been fired like 100 times by now, they like it the way it is. They think they have the power, but they’re nothing but very low level wannabe politicians, this is something that we can come back at them. We have to compile the facts and we come back and smash them with their own ignorance.
Status quo is great for them. Feet on the table, sweet naps, sign a check here and there, no accountability and DO NOTHING of value for the town. Why fix sth that’s not broken (their point of view).
This is a political stunt for Paul’s upcoming campaign and to make it look like everything’s great in shangri-la even though it is a total shitshow.
I travel often throughout the tri state area, visiting big towns, poor towns, farms, trendy towns and average towns and we shouldn’t take RW for granted. We should be grateful, it is AMAZING. But ongoing development, ongoing lies during the campaign and lack of protection and empathy for residents is starting to overshadow any Water Award, any Sports Complex, any Billboard. A current village council member coined the phrase to me years ago “the do nothing form of government” when describing the last administration. Funny how things come around. We have a new communications person, a few trees planted and hybrid access. No resolution about the flooding, the CBD vacancies continue to be a major issue, taxes are the highest in years, we don’t have a field up at Schedler and no major initiatives have been implemented from the Master Plan. In fact, we are implementing things that are against the wishes of the residents and rules of the Master Plan. Luckily we have made progress in the last year by having Keith on board, however, with our form of government residents must remember – he gets his priorities from the Council.
He stinks
Why would he want to run again..?
One word = EGO. Paul’s is huge. Plus he has made a lot of promises. That’s why he wants Frank Mortimer on his voting block. Decks would be stacked with teir scams/schemes.
Please vote NO to both of them!!
#recallpaul
#beemanisagreenwasher
Let put bees and Habernickle and all the parks
Ware is water boy.
In DC for spelling bee
This is the political for me.
Paul Vagiano’s has failed as Mayor, things in Ridgewood have not improved and things have gotten worse. Do you want another 4 years of this? Please vote NO
-Higher than normal PFAS level in municipal water with 2 + more years to go until you can drink it plus the PFAS surcharge and residents paying a premium for this municipal water they can’t drink. Purchasing drinking water. Watering restrictions in place and they get an award for water conservation.
– Failed Pedestrian Plaza
-Business district not thriving with 23 vacant storefronts
– Pushed for $60k on designer garbage cans, now overflowing all over town
-Village staff morale is at an all time low and financial furlough was a near miss last year
-Soil contamination at historic property with known contaminents
-Alleged soil dumping at Habernickel currently untested and not being addressed/discussed
-Town Garage property purchase remained a secret until news broke-remediation will be requried.
-Numerous special interest projects take priority like a $350k+ special pavillion to be built at Habernickle and multi sports complex planned for Schedler
-$4 million Feed the Frontlines money with no traceable receipts
-$47k mortgage loan to Parks & Rec/Conservation Chair and law firm partner with billboard application in front of Ridgewood’s Zoning Board
-not prioritizing safety projects or flooding early in his tenure because of special interests
VOTE NO TO ANOTHER 4 YEARS OF BLIND SPENDING ON PET PROJECTS