Why isn’t the Council considering the environmental consequences of adding at least another 1,000 additional residents by redeveloping the rest of River Road, starting with a 500+ unit apartment project twice the size of the Ivy?
The effect on our water supply, for instance.
Chatham Borough draws its water 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 Chatham’s water supply is finite, the Borough Code restricts its use, even when there’s no drought. https://ecode360.com/6796030
So 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? https://www.tapinto.net/towns/chatham/sections/news-around-new-jersey/articles/drought-warning-declared-in-new-jersey-residents-urged-to-limit-water-use-13
Can our wells satisfy the demands of 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 Passaic River?
Water quality: https://www.chathamborough.org/government/forms/public-works/2448-chatham-swap/file
Flooding: https://firststreet.org/city/chatham-nj/3412100_fsid/flood
Water treatment: https://www.rosenet.org/256/Madison-Chatham-Joint-Meeting. https://ecode360.com/6796352
Water pollution: https://www.njwatercheck.com/SystemFinder/433/Detail