Ridgewood breaks ground on 'permanent fix' for water safety

Marsha A. Stoltz, NorthJersey.com
·2 min read

Ridgewood Water broke ground Monday on a $3.9 million treatment plant intended to help minimize levels of "forever chemicals" in the company's four-town service area.

The Ravine Treatment Plant on Goffle Road was facilitated by a $2.8 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Drinking Water State Revolving Fund through the efforts of Rep. Josh Gottheimer and Sen. Bob Menendez.

"This will be a permanent fix that will help Ridgewood Water meet water safety standards," Gottheimer said at the ceremony. "Their state-of-the-art facility will provide 500 gallons of treated water into the system per minute, nearly a million gallons a day. It will also bring some of their inactive wells back online."

Ridegewood Water Director of Operations Richard Calbi addresses dignitaries at groundbreaking ceremony Monday.
Ridegewood Water Director of Operations Richard Calbi addresses dignitaries at groundbreaking ceremony Monday.

The Ravine Treatment Plant on Goffle Road is the third of 12 among the company's 31 treatment plants to be built or upgraded by 2026 to remove per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, from its water supply, said Director Richard Calbi.

The project is expected to take 18 months to complete and will serve an estimated 61,000 customers in Ridgewood, Glen Rock, Midland Park and Wyckoff.

"We didn't put PFAS in water, but we're going to get it out," said Mayor Paul Vagianos. "And we're holding those who did fully responsible."

Ridgewood Water filed suit in March 2019 charging that companies knew that non-stick cookware, metal plating and firefighting products were "very likely" to contaminate surface water and groundwater. Those companies included 3M Co., E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co., The Chemours Co., Honeywell International Inc. (successor-in-interest to Allied Chemical Corp.), Tyco Fire Products LP, Chemguard Inc. and Buckeye Fire Equipment Co.

Officials of Ridgewood Water's service towns join Congressman Josh Gottheimer 4th from left) Monday at a groundbreaking ceremony for the Ravine Treatment Plant on Goffle Road.
Officials of Ridgewood Water's service towns join Congressman Josh Gottheimer 4th from left) Monday at a groundbreaking ceremony for the Ravine Treatment Plant on Goffle Road.

Reports issued statewide in January 2022 revealed that at least 34 communities could not meet New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection 2020 stringent drinking water standards.

While plants are being built or upgraded, Calbi said the company is buying water with low contaminants from Passaic Valley Water Commission and Veolia Water to supplement water from its least contaminated wells to keep drinking water levels safe.

"Off peak we use water from 11 of 31 plants," Calbi said. "In the summer, when everyone's watering their lawns, we have to put 19 of 31 plants in action. We're asking residents to conserve water as much as possible to keep that level down."

Those in attendance included Ridgewood Village Manager Keith Kazmark, Midland Park Mayor Harry Shortway, Midland Park Councilwomen Lorraine Deluca and Nancy Cronk Peet, Wyckoff Committeeman Rudolf Boonstra, Glen Rock Councilwoman Teresa Gilbreath, and DEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourette.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Ridgewood NJ breaks ground on water treatment plant