RED BANK: GAS SITE MAY GET ‘JET GROUTING’

The sewage pump station at the foot of Cooper’s Bridge was once used as a gas manufacturing plant. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

More than a century after it served as a gas works, a riverfront Red Bank property may get some 20th-century environmental remediation.

Coal tar and other toxic wastes beneath the town’s Bodman Place sewage pumping station overlooking the Navesink are slated to be immobilized by technology known as ‘jet grouting,’ according to borough officials.

March 25, 2021 - 6:00 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: LITTLE PROGRESS ON GARDEN

Thirteen months after it was abruptly closed over contamination concerns, Red Bank’s only community garden heads into autumn with a crop of periodically mown grass.

But what happened to the neighborhood soil testing that was supposed to be conducted? And will the garden reopen?

redbankgreen’s What’s Going On Here? has an update.

September 17, 2020 - 2:00 pm | Comments ()

RED BANK: DEP EXPANDS GARDEN SOIL TESTS

The Red Bank community garden, which the borough abruptly shut down last August over concern about possible soil contamination, is on the agenda for Wednesday night’s council meeting.

What’s Going On Here? Read on.

March 10, 2020 - 10:00 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: CONCERNS AIRED OVER LEAD TESTS

Caution tape signaled the closing of the Marion Street garden in August. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank nj Users of Red Bank’s community garden questioned the borough government’s sense of urgency Wednesday night about the presence of lead in soil at the town’s only community garden.

September 26, 2019 - 9:00 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: TESTS DETAIL GARDEN LEAD LEVELS

The community garden on Marion Street was overrun with weeds Tuesday afternoon. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank nj Three weeks after Red Bank shut down its sole community garden in response to a report of elevated lead in the soil, testing shows lead below levels considered unsafe, the borough said in an announcement Tuesday.

September 3, 2019 - 6:00 pm | Comments ()

RED BANK: CONTAMINATION SHUTS GARDEN

Caution tape and notices at the entrance to the community garden on Marion Street Monday morning. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank nj Red Bank has shut down its sole community garden out of “an abundance of caution” over possible lead contamination, the borough government announced Monday.

August 12, 2019 - 1:26 pm | Comments ()

RUMSON: NAVESINK QUALITY IMPROVES

A view of the Navesink from Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank last month. Below, Bill Heddendorf of the New Jersey DEP discusses the need for additional testing along the Spring Street storm sewer line in Red Bank. (Photo above by Trish Russoniello, below by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

An effort to reverse biological contamination in the Navesink River is “working,” and could result in the reopening of closed shellfish beds a year earlier than previously expected, a New Jersey environmental scientist told a gathering in Rumson last week.

April 2, 2018 - 12:30 pm | Comments ()

RED BANK: EATERIES SPOTLIGHT STRAWS

Kitch Organic on Leighton Avenue, above, is one of eight Red Bank restaurants participating in a monthlong effort to reduce the number of plastic drinking straws that don’t make it into the recycling stream.

December 8, 2017 - 8:40 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: RIVER BACTERIA SOURCES LOCATED

Busted sanitary sewer lines in two locations along Marion Street in Red Bank were significant sources of bacteria winding up in the Navesink off Fair Haven, investigators said. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

Environmentalists and government officials have found two culprits, just yards apart in Red Bank, believed to be contributing to a spike in human waste bacteria in the Navesink River, they said Thursday night.

And the mystery could not have been solved without a trio of specially trained sniffing dogs, an ecstatic Clean Ocean Action leader Cindy Zipf told redbankgreen.

April 28, 2017 - 9:15 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: RIVER RANGERS REFLOATED

After suspending the program in 2016 in part over concerns about elevated bacteria levels in the Navesink River, officials at the Navesink Maritime Heritage Association are reviving the summer educational program, the group announced Monday.

Read More »

April 17, 2017 - 9:16 am | Comments ()

FAIR HAVEN: NAVESINK RALLY RESUMES

After a winter’s break, an initiative dubbed ‘Rally for the Navesink‘ to reduce levels of fecal coliform in our beautiful river resumes tonight with a community-welcome meeting in Fair Haven.

On the agenda: oyster beds and boat waste.

March 8, 2017 - 7:15 am | Comments ()

NAVESINK: BACTERIAL HOTSPOTS IDENTIFIED

Zach Lees of Clean Ocean Action talks about tracking bacteria along storm sewers upland from Red Bank’s Marine Park Wednesday night. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

HOT-TOPIC_03 Aided by a trio of specially trained sniffing dogs, environmental detectives have zoomed in on particular locations in three towns that may be at least partly responsible for a recent spike in bacteria levels in the Navesink River, they reported Wednesday night.

At the final Rally for the Navesink event of 2016 organized after a ban on shellfish harvesting from 566 acres of the river last February, a coalition of groups identified specific sites where leaking sanitary sewer lines or septic systems in Red Bank, Fair Haven and Middletown may be contributing bacteria from human waste.

December 1, 2016 - 7:00 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: RIVER CONTAMINATION UPDATE SET

Five months after the series began in response to a sharp increase in fecal coliform contamination, a final Rally for the Navesink event of 2016 has been scheduled.

Organized by Clean Ocean Action and a handful of environmental advocacy groups, the periodic rallies began in June, attracting sizable audiences and offering both science-heavy updates on water quality and practical tips on keeping pollutants out of the waterway.

Read More »

November 16, 2016 - 8:41 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: JUST A COUPLE OF WORKING SNIFFS

Scott and Karen Reynolds demonstrate the olfactory talents of Remi, right, and Sable (0bscured) in a conference room at Riverview Medical Center. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

HOT-TOPIC_03 The effort to solve the mystery of elevated bacteria levels in the Navesink River is now in the paws of real experts.

Two dogs trained to bark when they smell fecal coliform with a “human signature” have been working the waterfront in Red Bank and Fair Haven in recent days, helping environmentalists and officials source-track fecal coliform contamination, which spikes whenever it rains.

On Wednesday night, the four-footed detectives came to Riverview Medical Center to show several dozen onlookers how it’s done.

September 22, 2016 - 8:56 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: BRING IN THE BACTERIA SNIFFERS

Karen Reynolds of Environmental Canine Services with Logan, checking out a storm drain in Bangor, Maine. They’re scheduled to participate in a Rally for the Navesink meeting in Red Bank Wednesday, when environmentalists will discuss plans to clean the river of fecal coliform bacteria, an effort that will involve Logan and two other canines trained to sniff out the bacteria to track its source.

Read More »

September 20, 2016 - 7:08 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: CLEAN NAVESINK PLAN URGED

The Navesink is safe for boating, but that’s a “low bar” for quality, the group told Red Bank officials in a letter. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

A consortium of environmentalists, boaters and fishers is urging Red Bank officials to adopt measures to address recent spikes in bacterial contamination of the Navesink River.

As part of what it calls a “no-blame, find it, fix it” effort, the self-styled “Rally for the Navesink” group of seven organizations delivered a “letter to Red Bank” on the issue at Saturday’s Paddle the Navesink event at Maple Cove.

September 13, 2016 - 5:59 am | Comments ()

RUMSON: CLINGING JELLYFISH GONE FOR NOW?

A slide shown during a presentation on clinging jellyfish by Montclair State University marine biologist Paul Bologna. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

Aside from the fact that they’re dime-sized and pack a truck-sized wallop in their sting, not a lot is known about clinging jellyfish. But a recent profusion of the creatures in waters in and off New Jersey has led to some insights, a marine biologist told a gathering in Rumson Thursday night.

One is that they’re a favored meal or sea nettles, larger jellyfish also known for their sting. Another is that, for this summer at least, the sea nettles may have eaten them all.

“They’re kind of gone for the season,” Paul Bologna, director of marine biology and coastal sciences at Montclair State University, told attendees at a Rally for the Navesink organized by Clean Ocean Action and other environmental groups and held at the First Presbyterian Church.

August 15, 2016 - 7:05 am | Comments ()

RUMSON: DOGS ENLISTED IN RIVER CLEANUP

Clean Ocean Action founder Cindy Zipf addresses a ‘Rally for the Navesink’ audience at the First Presbyterian Church in Rumson Thursday night. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

Their species has been implicated as a likely suspect, but dogs may also be helpful in solving the mystery behind recent alarming spikes in bacterial pollution levels of the Navesink River, environmentalists say.

Canines trained to detect the presence of fecal coliform bacteria have been used to sniff water samples taken from the river, Clean Ocean Action attorney Zach Lees told attendees at a “Rally for the Navesink” held in Rumson Thursday night. And next month, they’re expected to be deployed in Red Bank and Fair Haven, to try to track down land-based sources of the bacteria, which occur in the intestines of warmblooded animals: humans, their pets and wildlife. Read More »

August 12, 2016 - 7:29 am | Comments ()

SANDY HOOK: CLINGING JELLYFISH TARGETED

A closeup view of the clinging jellyfish (Gonionemus vertens), an invasive species from the Pacific Ocean that packs a painful sting. (Photo courtesy of the American Littoral Society. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

The clinging and stinging jellyfish that prompted the Navesink Maritime Heritage Association to cancel this summer’s River Ranger program is clearly something to be avoided.

Still, the American Littoral Society is hoping to get a closer look at the dime-sized creatures.

August 8, 2016 - 10:45 am | Comments ()

SHREWSBURY: NAVESINK EFFORT UPDATED

Red Bank Administrator Stanley Sickels, left, discussed sewer lines with the DEP’s Bob Schuster after the meeting at Shrewsbury’s borough hall Thursday night. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

HOT-TOPIC_03 Hoping to curb high levels of bacteria associated with human and animal waste in the Navesink River, a New Jersey environmental official offered local mayors and environmental activists evidence of minor success Thursday night.

It involved horse manure.

August 5, 2016 - 6:32 am | Comments ()

RUMSON: NAVESINK HEALTH RALLY SLATED

Following up on a packed-house event held in June, Clean Ocean Action and other environmental groups are planning a ‘Rally to Save the Navesink’ from fecal coliform and other forms of runoff-borne pollution this month.

Read More »

August 2, 2016 - 12:05 pm | Comments ()

RUMSON: RIVER HEALTH ISSUES DRAW CROWD

Clean Ocean Action founder Cindy Zipf addresses a packed Bingham Hall in Rumson, where the topic was degradation of the Navesink River. Below, a map showing areas where shellfish harvesting is prohibited. (Photo above by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

An alarming rise in bacterial pollution levels of the Navesink River drew more than 100 people to the historic Bingham Hall in Rumson on a humid summer night Tuesday.

Among many questions to be addressed were what’s causing a rise in fecal coliform levels, and how can it be stopped?

“We all know what the smoking gun is: stormwater runoff,” Christopher Obropta, a specialist in water resources with the Rutgers Cooperative Extension. Read More »

June 29, 2016 - 7:45 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: RIVER RANGERS NIX 2016 SESSIONS

The programs teaches kids to canoe. (Photo courtesy of Navesink Maritime Heritage Association. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

The Navesink Maritime Heritage Association has cancelled its 2016 River Rangers canoeing program for kids over concerns about clinging jellyfish and bacterial pollution in the Navesink River, the organization announced Tuesday.

June 28, 2016 - 6:00 pm | Comments ()

RUMSON: NAVESINK POLLUTION ON AGENDA

A view of the Navesink River from the Red Bank Public Library. Below, a map of showing where shellfish harvesting is banned or suspended. (Photo above by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

Eighteen months after the the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection suspended shellfish harvesting in 566 acres of the Navesink River because of unacceptably high levels of fecal coliform, Clean Ocean Action plans to host a public meeting on the issue.

The Rumson event will offer an overview of the DEP’s rationale for the January, 2015 downgrade, attributed in park to stormwater runoff, and mark the release of a Clean Ocean Action report on bacterial pollution in the river, according to a press release by the Sandy Hook-based nonprofit. Read More »

June 22, 2016 - 7:00 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: REMOVING ‘CRAP’ LEFT BY OTHERS

Boris Kofman, above, and Michael Paul Raspanti, below, during Saturday’s riverfront cleanup on Red Bank’s West Side. (Photos by Wil Fulton, above, and Sarah Klepner. Click to enlarge)

By SARAH KLEPNER

Duane Bowker stood in the wooded area above the Swimming River in Red Bank and pointed.

“Some roofer, this is his favorite place to throw his crap and drink beer,” he said. “Over here is a plumber’s favorite place to throw his crap.”

The occasion was Saturday’s cleanup effort by members of the borough Environmental Commission and the environmental nonprofit Clean Ocean Action. They teamed up to tackle a riverbank full of tires and construction debris at the western end of Drs. James Parker Boulevard.

April 30, 2013 - 7:01 am | Comments ()

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Serving Red Bank and Greater Red Bank, NJ

RED BANK: GAS SITE MAY GET ‘JET GROUTING’

RED BANK: LITTLE PROGRESS ON GARDEN

RED BANK: DEP EXPANDS GARDEN SOIL TESTS

RED BANK: CONCERNS AIRED OVER LEAD TESTS

RED BANK: TESTS DETAIL GARDEN LEAD LEVELS

RED BANK: CONTAMINATION SHUTS GARDEN

RUMSON: NAVESINK QUALITY IMPROVES

RED BANK: EATERIES SPOTLIGHT STRAWS

RED BANK: RIVER BACTERIA SOURCES LOCATED

RED BANK: RIVER RANGERS REFLOATED

FAIR HAVEN: NAVESINK RALLY RESUMES

NAVESINK: BACTERIAL HOTSPOTS IDENTIFIED

RED BANK: RIVER CONTAMINATION UPDATE SET

RED BANK: JUST A COUPLE OF WORKING SNIFFS

RED BANK: BRING IN THE BACTERIA SNIFFERS

RED BANK: CLEAN NAVESINK PLAN URGED

RUMSON: CLINGING JELLYFISH GONE FOR NOW?

RUMSON: DOGS ENLISTED IN RIVER CLEANUP

SANDY HOOK: CLINGING JELLYFISH TARGETED

SHREWSBURY: NAVESINK EFFORT UPDATED

RUMSON: NAVESINK HEALTH RALLY SLATED

RUMSON: RIVER HEALTH ISSUES DRAW CROWD

RED BANK: RIVER RANGERS NIX 2016 SESSIONS

RUMSON: NAVESINK POLLUTION ON AGENDA

RED BANK: REMOVING ‘CRAP’ LEFT BY OTHERS