Mayor: Holmdel Will Not Be Environmentally Impacted by Expanded Sewerage Map

A proposal for expanded sewer service came back before a branch of the Monmouth County Planning Board last week, and it could mean a full sewer system on the Alcatel Lucent property. 

In 2011, Holmdel residents rallied against the expanded sewer system plans, which could allow the entire Lucent and Garden State Arts properties to become sewered. 

Holmdel Mayor Patrick Impreveduto said during a statement in 2011, "If you cover up all the land with buildings, roadways, parking lots, etc. and don't allow the rain, snow and yes, septic, to meander slowly down to be cleansed and filtered by the soil, you are not going to recharge the aquifer."

A meeting on Feb. 13 of the Monmouth County Water Quality Management Plan Amendment Review Committee revealed Impreveduto reversed his decision, a move the mayor said was announced several times in Township Committee meetings.

Check out Holmdel Patch's initial coverage in 2011 of an impassioned township meeting which lasted hours.

However, Impreveduto said since 2011, he has "done his due dilligence" and spoken to environmental experts as well as engineers, and feels that information proved an expanded system won't negatively impact the area.

"It has absolutely no impact on environmental issues, based on the engineer's findings," Impreveduto said.

Any concerns about over-development in newly sewered areas can be controlled through zoning ordinances, Impreveduto said.

Citizens for Informed Land Use President Anthony Cooper said in a Patch Blog: 

"...No member of this ARC could say whether or not an independent and objective Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was submitted that concludes the cumulative drinking water impacts of expanding Holmdel Township's Sewer Service Area is better for the Swimming River Reservoir Watershed. Recall the NJ Dept. of Environmental Protection proposed in April 2011 expanding Holmdel's Sewer Service Area to include all portions of the two Alcatel-Lucent tracts, the roughly 700 acres in Holmdel owned by the NJ Turnpike Authority, and most of Holmdel's Public Parks and Open Space areas."

In May of 2011, residents gathered to collect signatures, filling a petition to protest the expanded sewerage map. Mayor Patrick Impreveduto and Committeman Rocco Pascucci were on hand collecting signatures as well, according to an archived Patch article.

Tell us: Do you think expanding the sewer service would have a postive or negative impact on Holmdel Township?