Over-Development Was Blamed as a Prime Cause of the Poor State of New Jersey’s Wells
Under New Jersey’s Private Well Testing Act some 62,000 of the state’s wells were tested between 2002 and 2009. A surprising one in eight of these wells was in violation of safe limits for mercury, arsenic, nitrates or VOCs (volatile organic compounds). Over-development was blamed for the extensive well pollution. Another study found that 1/3 of wells are affected by over-development.
“New Jersey is failing when it comes to protecting families on individual wells from pollution. Not only do one-in-eight wells actually fail and are a risk to public health, but there are thousands of other wells that put people at risk. This is not only a serious health problem, but it shows that over development and the failure to clean up contaminated sites could be impacting people’s health,” according to Jeff Tittel, Director, NJ Sierra Club.
