July 2, 2024
Dear Resident,
I am writing to you today to provide an update on the work being done to address odors from the Monmouth County Reclamation Center. As promised, I will continue to provide these updates monthly.
We have begun the construction of the temporary cap ahead of schedule. The temporary cap will cover approximately 30 acres of the landfill and we anticipate that the project will be completed by August 15th.
For your reference, the following photos are of the “top deck” and “north side” of the Phase III project, which is where the temporary cap is being installed.
This photo shows the top of the Phase III landfill. Phase I of the temporary cap project is to cover the top of the landfill in order to shed the rain.
This photo shows the north side of the Phase III landfill before the installation began on the temporary cap.
This photo shows the initial progress of the temporary cap installation, which is anticipated to be completed by August 15th, weather permitting.
I will continue to provide you with progress photos as the project moves forward.
The permanent cap project for the slopes, which is currently being designed, is expected to go out to bid during the fall.
As a reminder, the hotline for the Reclamation Center remains available. Residents should call 732-559-ODOR (732-559-6367) to report an odor complaint directly to a Monmouth County Environmental Health Investigator. This hotline is available to residents 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Calls made during business hours (Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.) will be directed to Investigators who are housed on-site at the Monmouth County Reclamation Center. Residents who wish to report an odor outside of business hours can call the same phone number and will be connected to an on-call duty Monmouth County Environmental Health Investigator who will respond to odor complaints. The average response time of Investigators to the site of the odor complaints has been within 15 minutes of receiving a call.
While we continue to update the information on the County’s website, our Information Technology Systems Department is in the process of redesigning the Reclamation Center pages to make them even more user-friendly.
We are proud of the progress that has been made but rest assured, we are dedicated to resolving this issue in a timely manner. The following is a list of the benchmarks that have already been completed:
Completed Benchmarks
• Received material and supplies for the temporary cap to cover 30 acres of the landfill.
• Graded the landfill to prepare for the temporary cap.
• Tied all surface wells into the gas collection system.
• The engineer’s design of the temporary cap and well locations has been finalized.
• The capital ordinance was adopted during the Commissioner Meeting on March 28.
• Ordered materials for two flare upgrades.
• Met with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and discussed the overall plan.
• Ordered the materials for the two flare upgrades.
• Completed installation of 21 vertical (gas collection) wells.
• Received the materials for the two flare upgrade orders.
• Launched a new hotline for residents.
• Completed the final grade for the temporary cap.
• Completed the two flare upgrades.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to send them to me directly.
Sincerely,
Thomas A. Arnone
Monmouth County Commissioner Director