Bill Barlow
UPPER TOWNSHIP -- Months after reports of mercury contamination in residential wells were determined to be the result of deliberate tampering, there is no update on the investigation into who was responsible or possible motives.
"The whole thing has been turned over to the Attorney General's Office, and they're probably not going to tell us anything until the investigation is concluded," Mayor Jay Newman said at the Monday Township Committee meeting, in response to a question from resident Natalie Neice.
In the spring, the first indication of contamination of well water came up in a private test. By October, several residents in the Beesleys Point section of the township had been warned not to drink their water, and some were offered relocation at state expense for their safety as anxiety about the contamination grew.
Several tests showed mercury levels far above the tiny amount considered safe for drinking, in some cases many thousands of times more concentrated.
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But there were baffling details, such as the lack of a noticeable taste from contamination levels that high, or the presence of significant contamination in water that had previously been found safe. In other cases, mercury was found to be far in excess of the safe levels next door to properties whose groundwater wells showed no mercury contamination at all.
By the end of October, officials with the state Department of Environmental Protection had made a startling announcement: Someone had tampered with the samples.
"Someone with access to the initial samples is believed to have knowingly tampered with those samples that resulted in high mercury readings," Shawn LaTourette, commissioner of the DEP, said at the time. "To be clear, the actions are shameful. ... It is downright inexcusable."
Calls for prosecution in Upper Township mercury tests
After weeks of uncertainty, officials now believe mercury found in tests of Upper Township well water had been deliberately introduced, for reasons yet to be discovered. Both state and township officials want someone held accountable.
Since then, things have been quiet.
LaTourette was in Cape May County on Monday for a meeting with the mayors and elected officials of the county communities, but Committee member Curtis Corson said LaTourette could not provide any more detail when asked.
"We're not going to hear anything until they actually charge somebody," Newman said.
He added subsequent tests of wells did not show any mercury contamination, although some wells did show contamination from other chemicals.
A spokesperson with Attorney General Matt Platkin's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday. A DEP spokesperson said the department could not comment on an active investigation.
The positive tests were all in the area of Bayaire Road, set between the Garden State Parkway and Route 9. In August and September, the county Department of Health informed the DEP that results of tests from 14 private wells showed mercury levels exceeding the standards for safe drinking water.
Township officials have called for criminal prosecution of the person responsible for allegedly tampering with the tests.
Contact Bill Barlow:
609-272-7290
bbarlow@pressofac.com
Twitter @jerseynews_bill
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