Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Author Dan Fagin spoke with Toms River Patch about his book chronicling a dark time in the township's history
Toms River may not seem like a prime example of a town struggling with industrial pollution. But, over 60 years ago, the Jersey Shore town became home to Ciba-Geigy's chemical plant. In 1971, industrial waste was dumped at the nearby Reich Farm. Both were labeled as Superfund sites, believed to have caused increased instances of cancer in township children. "The town itself is a town like so many others," said Dan Fagin, who explores the township's dark history with pollution and its health effects in his new book, "Toms River: A Story of Science and Salvation." Fagin will discuss the recently released book, and its highly anticipated account of Ciba-Geigy's decades-long impact on Toms River, when he appears at the Toms River branch of …
A look back at Toms River, Ciba-Geigy and Reich Farm
Chances are, many who lived in Toms River nearly 30 years ago didn't know that Ciba-Geigy was quietly pumping millions of gallons of treated chemical waste into the Atlantic Ocean every day. They didn't know about the 10-mile long pipeline that ran underground from the company's plant in North Dover, across Barnegat Bay and the barrier island and spewed its discharge 2,500 feet into the surf off Second Avenue in Ortley Beach. They didn't know until one spring morning in May 1984, when the pipeline sprung a leak at Vaughn and Bay avenues. Then everything changed. Then everybody knew. The pipeline leak spawned The Ocean County Citizens For Clean Water, Save Our Ocean and other nonprofit environmental groups. They all had one goal - to shut …
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Memorial service to be held 11 a.m. Wednesday at the First Presbyterian Church in Toms River
It was the spring of 1985. Members of Greenpeace sailed parallel to the shore, just off Second Avenue in Ortley Beach and dropped anchor. Divers slipped into the waves and headed toward their destination — the end of the Ciba-Geigy pipeline that jutted out into the Atlantic Ocean, only 3,500 feet from the Second Avenue beach. Then they symbolically plugged some of the pipeline's diffuser holes with stainless steel salad bowls. When the divers came ashore, they were arrested. Toms River attorney Daniel J. Carluccio quickly sprung into action. He organized a team of prominent well-known local attorneys to defend the Greenpeace dozen, free of charge. Carluccio — who was later appointed Ocean County Prosecutor by Gov. James J. Florio — died on…
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Public comment open until Sept. 14
Time and nature have purged the water under Pine Lake Park of toxic chemicals so there is no need for the government to clean it up, according to state officials. The state Department of Environmental Protection “has determined that no further action is warranted for the Pine Lake Park area ground water,’’ a notice co-signed by Gov. Chris Christie and DEP Commissioner Bob Martin proclaims. The public has until Sept. 14 to comment on the conclusion and the remedial investigation, including widespread groundwater monitoring, that indicate “the ground water is no longer contaminated in this area.’’ The entire neighborhood on the Manchester-Toms River border was served by private wells in 1987, when routine testing of one of those wells found …
J. Lane
12:49 pm on Sunday, April 14, 2013
We lived in what they called the heart of the "hot zone" of the so called 'Cancer Cluster!' Well, I got transferred out of state about the time Dan Rather and Peter Jennings showed up to do their respective shows in Toms River. We sold our home at a considerable lose!!! You know who bought it? A retired Chemist from Ciba Geigy !!!!!! I think if anyone knows anything about this problem he would… more ›