Closter — Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) officials are pressing Super Value Inc. to remediate an abandoned site on Schraalenburgh Road.
In January of 2008 the state department issued Super Value an administrative order that would "spur [Super Value] to do the required remedial investigations," DEP representative Larry Hajna said.
This is the latest order the DEP has issued to the Super Value owners. In 2007 the DEP issued an order after work stopped in 2006.
"They didn’t implement a remedial action work plan, they didn’t delineate ground water, they didn’t delineate where the contaminants are," said Hajna.
The DEP officials have said this is the latest measure to assure that the site is properly remediated.
In addition, Closter officials applied last November for a $7,000 state grant to help with the site remediation. The grant, which would come from the DEP’s Hazardous Discharge Site Remediation Fund, would be used to fund a preliminary assessment to determine what has already been done on site. Based on those findings the grant will also fund a remedial investigation work plan.
Then additional funds would be needed in order to carry out the investigation.
John Romano of Closter’s environmental consultant firm Langan Engineering and Environmental Services is filing the grant and said it has met DEP approval. Now it is in the second stage of submission, before the Economic Development Agency (EDA), where it will be determined if the money is granted.
Romano says the work Closter does will not be redundant because, "we will develop a remedial investigation work plan that allows us to fill any data gaps that may be missing based on the review of the documents." He said constant communication with the DEP case manager will ensure that no work on site is duplicated.
"That file review will also identify anything recently submitted by Super Value and who the DEP case manager is. I can contact him … and ask him if Super Value has moved on this or done anything recently."
Mayor Sophie Heymann says the grant will not cost the borough anything since the grant will also cover the application costs.
Romano expects to hear from the EDA in March. If they get the approval, Romano anticipates a 45-day waiting period before the preliminary assessment could begin.
Super Value representatives did not return calls for comment.
