White Township committee voices anger at local compost facility - The Express Times - LehighValleyLive.com

The White Township Committee chastised a township composting facility Thursday night for the continued discharge of foul-smelling materials onto adjacent properties, farm fields and the Delaware River.

Officials say Nature's Choice off Foul Rift Road has caused havoc for residents since March because its drainage system has failed to contain rainwater laced with decomposing leaves and other natural waste.

Known as compost leachate, the runoff is "murky, smelly, stinky stuff," Mayor Sam Race said.

"It's actually a horrible situation," he said.

According to Race, Nature's Choice told the township it would get necessary permits and begin engineering work to fix the system by the end of last month.

An Aug. 23 meeting with the township's attorney, engineer and Race revealed neither step took place, officials said. 

"If we could close 'em down, I'd vote tonight to close 'em down," Committeeman Jeff Herb said Thursday.

Timeline confusion

Nature's Choice Vice President Eugene Ciarkowski said Friday the township committee was confusing the company's short-term and long-term plans to fix the problem and the governing body was never given a set timeline for repairs.

The long-term plan involves construction of retention basins and new barriers to control water, he said.

The short-term plan, which he said has been completed, involved reinforcement of existing barriers, removal of standing water from the "problem area" and wells dug to test the permeability of soil, Ciarkowski said.

Race said Friday the committee was not confused but was told in June the company would be getting a discharge permit by the end of August.

Race said what the company has done so far is "extremely minimal."

The composting facility has been cited twice since 2008 by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for water-related violations.

'Not toxic ... but fish kills could occur'

The DEP issued a violation in July for unauthorized discharge of the leachate, which is created when stormwater passes through decomposing materials the company collects, department spokesman Larry Hajna said.

According to a composting manual from Rutgers University and available through the DEP's website, "Pollution of surface waters (lakes, streams) is the other major concern with leachate.
While leachate from leaf composting is generally not toxic, it may deplete the dissolved oxygen in the water, possibly even to the point where fish kills could occur. Because of its dark color, it might also lead to a discoloration of the water."

Ciarkowski said the committee probably became concerned with the facility after Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. But township officials say residents have complained since March.

Ciarkowski declined comment on the March date but said the facility faced "significant rains over the spring and summer."

He said Nature's Choice was "constructing a system at significant expense that will, hopefully, make the town administration happy and also be what the surrounding property owners want to see."

Race and committee members Thursday were concerned with stormwater that night as the Delaware River flooded a few miles away.

"In these heavy rains, there is a very serious problem occurring," Race said. "Every time it rains, that material that has been sitting around there goes over to the neighboring properties."

He added: "If some of the rest of us were doing that we would be fined and put in jail."

The committee decided to give the company until the end of September to re-work its drainage system.

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