NJ orders Woodbridge company to clean up illegal dumping, pay $200K in fines
WOODBRIDGE – The state is going to court to force a township company and its owner to comply with court orders dating to 2018 for illegal dumping and pay nearly $200,000 in penalties.
But, according to court papers, Spector-Woodbridge Company, LLC and its owner William Spector have paid only $50,000 of the penalties, leaving a balance of nearly $150,000.
According to the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the company dumped unauthorized fill and illegal solid waste on the property at Pennval Road and Berry Street which contains freshwater wetlands, freshwater wetlands transition areas and waterfront development areas.
On April 29 the DEP filed a motion in Middlesex County Superior Court against Spector-Woodbridge for allegedly failing to comply with court orders from 2018 which required the company to complete the removal of the illegally dumped fill and solid waste.
The work had been scheduled to be completed by Jan. 5, 2020 and included a $100,000 penalty.
A second order in 2021 required the company to retain a Licensed Site Remediation Professional (LSRP) to oversee the removal of contaminated fill material from the site and to complete the remediation of the property within 38 months and pay a $97,500 penalty, according to court papers.
More: Middlesex manufacturer will fight $240K NJ fine over air pollution, odor
Court documents state little progress has been made toward removing the contaminated fill material and remediating the site. In addition, more illegal solid waste has been dumped on the property.
"The threat to public health and safety and to the environment has not changed despite the (court orders)," court documents say.
Only $35,000 of the $100,000 penalty and $15,000 of the $97,500 penalty have been paid with the remaining balance overdue.
The DEP is seeking an order directing the company to "immediately take all steps necessary to comply with their outstanding obligations" under the consent orders and impose more monetary penalties for the continued failure to comply, the court papers say.
The DEP said the court may also want to consider other sanctions such as appointment of a receiver, the seizure of assets, and/or incarceration.
DEP investigators witnessed several loads of fill being deposited at the site during a June 17, 2004 inspection.
DEP site inspections from 2005 and 2009 indicated the size of the fill area had grown. Court papers indicated that over the years the fill included bricks, concrete blocks, stone and asphalt, in addition to box trailers and roll off containers filled with scrap tires and other waste debris.
Email: srussell@gannettnj.com
Suzanne Russell is a breaking news reporter for MyCentralJersey.com covering crime, courts and other mayhem. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJ orders Woodbridge company to clean up illegal dumping
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