Why didn’t the Council consider the environmental risks and consequences BEFORE commissioning a Plan to Redevelop River Road, adding at least another 1,000 residents in a 500+ unit apartment project twice the size of the Ivy? https://chathamchoice.org/2024/10/will-the-truth-come-out/
Why didn’t they consider the effect on our water supply, for instance?
Chatham Borough draws its water supply from the Buried Valley Aquifer system of the Central Passaic River Basin via three deep wells near the Middle School.
https://www.chathamborough.org/government/forms/public-works/2450-2023-water-quality-report-chatham-water-utility/file https://www.usgs.gov/centers/new-jersey-water-science-center/major-aquifers-new-jersey
Because “there is no practicable or affordable alternate water supply, as certified by the United States Environmental Protection Agency,”https://ecode360.com/6793268#6793268, the Borough Code restricts the use of water, even when there’s no drought.
Given the scarcity of well water, why did our Council allow the Ivy project on River Road to bring in at least 500 more residents and even put a swimming pool on the roof in the middle of a drought?
https://chathamborough.org/government/news/453-nj-declares-drought-watch
And why is the Council now rushing to build another huge apartment project in the middle of another drought?
Can our wells satisfy the demands of yet another 1,000 residents, flushing toilets, showering, bathing, running dishwashers and washing machines? Will the new place also include a swimming pool?
What will happen to Chatham if our wells run dry?
Will the Council consider any of the other potential water consequences of overdevelopment, including runoff, flooding, and pollution of the wells and the Passaic River?
Water quality: https://www.chathamborough.org/government/forms/public-works/2448-chatham-swap/file
Well head protection: https://ecode360.com/6793268
Flooding: https://firststreet.org/city/chatham-nj/3412100_fsid/flood
https://water.noaa.gov/gauges/camn4
Water treatment: https://www.rosenet.org/256/Madison-Chatham-Joint-Meeting. https://ecode360.com/6796352
Water pollution: https://www.njwatercheck.com/SystemFinder/433/Detail
Passaic River: https://rucore.libraries.rutgers.edu/rutgers-lib/29153/PDF/1/play/
https://rucore.libraries.rutgers.edu/rutgers-lib/32341/PDF/1/
Water resources: https://dep.nj.gov/wp-content/uploads/water-supply-plan/docs/nj-water-supply-plan-draft-2024.pdf