TOMS RIVER, NJ – It turns out local officials in Ocean County and Toms River were not consulted by state officials when they agreed to a settlement with BASF, the current owners of the Ciba Geigy superfund site.
That site has created disturbing memories for thousands of Toms River residents who lost loved ones, friends and family members over the years due to the improper handling and disposal of toxic waste into the environment and nearby waterways.
That led to a cancer cluster that claimed many lives over the years.
Today, New Jersey Senator Jim Holzapfel and Assemblyman Greg McGuckin, pledged their support of Toms River Township officials opposing the Department of Environmental Protection’s proposed settlement with the current owners of the Ciba-Geigy superfund site.
“This deal seems more like a slap on the wrist than punishment for despicable corporate malfeasance,” said Senator Holzapfel (R-10). “The Ciba site has been a primary source of stress, concern and even health problems for residents, and this shocking arrangement only adds insult to injury. It is appalling that this proposal was crafted without any input from local elected officials or families who have lived in fear of the water in their taps and under their feet.”
The state wants to build a park on the site and allow BASF to have 250 acres to develop later. Toms River officials want the entire site to be preserved and left alone to let nature reclaim it.
Toms River officials are also irked after they lost a $17 million tax appeal case to the owner of the toxic site a few years ago.
The 10th District legislators are particularly bothered by a portion of the proposal which would see BASF, the current owner of the site, surrender approximately 1,000 acres for preservation. The company has insisted the land has essentially no value, and won $17 million from Toms River taxpayers in a property tax appeal.
“By their own assessment, this acreage is worthless,” Holzapfel continued. “Since the land has no value, what is BASF really giving up? What is New Jersey getting out of this settlement? It is a lopsided deal, and I’m not comfortable with it.”
According to McGuckin, the superfund site is on 1,255 acres of land between Route 37 and Oak Ridge Parkway, west of the Garden State Parkway. The lawmakers worry that the remaining 255 acres under the proposed agreement could end up being developed.
That development, according to Toms River and county officials must also be stopped.
“This leaves the door open for future projects that would give BASF an opportunity to make money on this settlement,” said Assemblyman McGuckin (R-10). “The township is seeking to be granted control of the 255-acre parcel, and we agree that would be the best way to ensure responsible stewardship of a site that has created so many problems for Toms River neighborhoods.
“Before any agreement is finalized, BASF should be forced to give up any and all interest in the land that has been spoiled and devalued by the reckless actions of the previous corporate owners and their disregard for the environment and families of Toms River,” McGuckin said.
Toms River’s Ciba-Geigy plant opened in 1952 and once employed the county’s largest number of people. Ten years later, groundwater around the site was found contaminated with dyes and resins manufactured by the company.
When BASF acquired Ciba Holding AG, they acquired the property more than a dozen years ago.
Township officials are also advocating for an adequate fund that would be controlled by a Toms River-appointed trustee to provide compensation to those who may develop Ciba-related health issues in the future.
