Toms River, NJ – Senator Jim Holzapfel and Assemblymen Greg McGuckin and John Catalano announced their continued opposition to the settlement between the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and BASF, the current owners of the Ciba-Geigy superfund site in Toms River Township.
The settlement, which was disclosed this week by the DEP, has raised concerns among residents and local officials due to the toxic waste contamination from the site, resulting in a cancer cluster among children. BASF Corp. assumed ownership of the property over a dozen years ago and has agreed to the preservation of land, restoration projects, and a $500,000 payment to oversee the plan’s costs.
“For decades the residents of Toms River have endured the nightmare surrounding the Ciba site and they demand justice and compensation for the toxic waste that leached into the groundwater,” Senator Holzapfel stated.
Holzapfel expressed strong discontent with the settlement, calling the fine “a slap in the face” after the fear and damage caused by the contamination. “The environmental impacts of decades of dumping toxic waste just doesn’t stop at the groundwater within the superfund site. It extends way beyond to include our rivers, the bay and ocean,” added Assemblyman McGuckin.
The nonprofit organization Save Barnegat Bay has hired a legal team for what appears to be a forthcoming legal battle.
Assemblyman Catalano criticized the agreement as inadequate, stating, “Think of all the families and children that suffered because of their negligence, and this is the agreement they come to? It’s not enough and quite frankly, it may never be.”