Council to Move on Foerter Farm Preservation

The Township Council is ready to take the next step toward cleaning and preserving the Foerter Farm on Riva Avenue.

At its Sept. 24 meeting, the council is expected to consider creating a $450,000 escrow account to cover the cost of remediating elevated levels of pesticides found on the property.

Michael baker, an attorney that represented the township during negotiations to purchase the property, told the council Monday that estimates show remediation would cost between $250,000 and $350,000. The escrow account would be money the township holds back from the 26-acre property’s $2.5 million purchase price.

“The Foerter Farm is one of few remaining active farms in East Brunswick, with most of them sold, developed, or in most cases, bought for open space over the past 15 years,” said Baker.

After the estate controlling the land approached the Planning Board to subdivide the property for residential development, neighbors asked the Township Council to step in and preserve the land.

In the fall of 2010, the council unanimously agreed to purchase the property, with East Brunswick putting up half of the purchase price and the county putting up the other half, said Baker.

Before the council agreed to purchase the land, testing found several areas that had slightly elevated levels of pesticides, which are common in areas that were farmed for many years, said Baker.

Pesticides were found in three locations on the eastern portion of the land. Those levels are 0 to a foot and a half from the service, which professionals determined would not pose a risk to underground water. Remediation calls for “diluting” the land by mixing it with non-contaminated soil on the property until the levels are brought down to more acceptable levels. The procedure is one that has been used elsewhere.

“It was used at Heavenly Farms,” said Baker. “You blend the clean soil with the slightly contaminated soil and you dilute it…so it no longer exceeds any limits. It was done very successfully for the Heavenly Farms property.”

Testing also was done on the pond water and sediment, with just one area found with low levels of contamination and no remediation required.

“There was concern that no one had tested the pond on the site, so CME, the township engineer, did find, after testing to check water and sediments, one slightly elevated result. All the other results were non-existing or low and posed no danger.”

On Monday, Mayor David Stahl said there are no plans for the property yet.

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