Hackensack to regulate soil removal and placementFriday, November 1, 2013
BY JENNIFER VAZQUEZ
NEWS EDITOR
Hackensack Chronicle
HACKENSACK — To reduce the possibility of contamination, municipal officials have adopted an ordinance regulating the removal and placement of soil within the city.
City officials passed an ordinance that regulates the removal and placement of soil within the city. The ordinance dictates what fill is acceptable and what is not, as well as mandating application requirements for such. Officials hope that the ordinance will reduce contamination as the city expects to undertake large-scale construction projects as part of its redevelopment. DON SMITH/THE RECORD
City officials passed an ordinance that regulates the removal and placement of soil within the city. The ordinance dictates what fill is acceptable and what is not, as well as mandating application requirements for such. Officials hope that the ordinance will reduce contamination as the city expects to undertake large-scale construction projects as part of its redevelopment.
Part of the ordinance stipulates that if an individual needs to bring a certain soil, exceeding 25 cubic yards, into city limits, the applicant must obtain a permit from the Building, Housing and Land Use Department.
"We want to make sure that we are protected from any possible contamination," said City Manager Stephen Lo Iacono. "We already had a soil ordinance in place. This is just making it tighter."
Lo Iacono said the previous ordinance did not address soil coming into the city, but the regulation did address moving it out of the municipality.
Mayor John Labrosse said in previous work sessions and council meetings that the ordinance will not affect homeowners who use mulch or soil to garden or work on a small scale. However, the ordinance targets large-scale projects.
"This ordinance targets significant projects," Lo Iacono explained. "If I'm moving a bit of dirt around in my backyard to plant a tree, obviously you won't be covered under this."
"Except where a building permit has been issued….no person shall excavate or place soil, exceeding 25 cubic yards, on any lot within the boundaries of the municipality without having obtained a permit from the department," according to the ordinance.
The ordinance stipulates as "suitable fill" earth, clay, gravel, stone, dirt and recycled concrete among other materials. The applicant needs to provide the Building Department documentation of the fill that is suitable for a particular location and that "the fill is not in part or in whole composed" of unsuitable materials. The ordinance lists "unsuitable fill" as peat moss, organic material, vegetation, leaves, tree stumps, wood chips, sawdust, chemical waste, tires and wooden logs among others.
The ordinance also mandates certain application requirements: copies of a survey of the premises from which the soil is to be removed or placed, a statement of what type of soil and the quantity that is being removed or placed, a written endorsement from the owner signifying consent of the removal of the soil by the applicant, and a "certification that the soil is "clean" and does not contain any contaminants or debris that may be harmful to the environment or adjacent properties and waterways."
Email: vazquez@northjersey.com
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