Concerned Citizens of Bay Head
Donation protected
Please Help Save Our Wetlands, Safeguard Our Wildlife, Protect Our Precious Waterways, and Preserve Our Quality of Life.
Please provide your Financial Support to fund our efforts to stop the NJ Transit Bay Head Substation Project and to prevent this environmental catastrophe.
The Concerned Citizens of Bay Head’s Objective is to have this $24 Million project reevaluated and redirected. To that end, we request your financial support to meet our Financial Goal of $75,000.
NJ Transit is in the process of constructing a new Substation in the wetlands of Twilight Lake in Bay Head, NJ which is tidal to Barnegat Bay, a Category 1 Waterway. The project was approved without the undertaking of any environmental impact studies and with no regard for the wetlands which provide the natural habitat for the endangered and protected Black-crowned Night Heron, American Bald Eagle, Osprey, among other fish and wildlife. Additionally, this centerpiece of our community is enjoyed by residents, visitors, and wildlife for swimming, fishing, kayaking, and sunsets.
Project Background:
The Bay Head rail yard has historically been a site of neglect. For over one hundred years railcar-related oil and chemical spills have contaminated the soil and groundwater of the site. Over 20 years ago, NJ Transit agreed to remediate the site under pressure from the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP). However, little actionable remediation has been completed, as is evident from the NJT’s resistance to sharing the results of their remediation efforts.
Below is a link to the Save Barnegat Bay website as they are a key partner with us, which provides additional information. https://www.savebarnegatbay.org/initiatives/bay-head-nj-transit
The current project calls for the replacement of the current electrical substation with a significantly larger substation to be built adjacent to Twilight Lake. This is in response to the impact of Hurricane Sandy; despite the fact that the current substation has been fully operational for the past 8 years, thus mitigating the necessity for this project.
The primary purpose of this NJ Transit Project is to provide operational resiliency in the face of another potential 100 year storm. The Project also includes the establishment of Redundancy Power Supply and construction of a facility for a back-up generator and a corresponding 4,000- gallon diesel tank. All of this electrical power capability will be used only within the current rail yard, as the Bay Head rail yard is not a catenary yard and as such does not supply electrical power to run their trains outside of the rail yard. The locomotives used in this section of the rail line, from Bay Head to Long Branch NJ are diesel engines. So, despite the fact that all of the electrical power from these substations, redundant power and backup generator are for rail yard usage solely, NJ Transit is willing to move forward and risk the potential for an environmental catastrophic event.
This project also calls for the dumping of 50,000 gallons per day of potentially contaminated industrial groundwater for one year from the construction site into Twilight Lake which connects to Barnegat Bay, a Category 1 waterway.
Current Situation
Despite the efforts of both Town Officials and Residents in outlining concerns and providing recommendations to lessen the severity of this project, NJ Transit has been unwilling to engage in meaningful conversation and has been unresponsive to our concerns. In February 2021, members of Bay Head‘s Town Council voted to reject NJ Transit’s Final Settlement Offer on the basis of the lack of any real or significant compromise on the part of NJ Transit. As a result, members of Town Council requested help from a grassroots effort; thus the start of Concerned Citizens of Bay Head in March 2021. We commenced a letter writing campaign and telephone call outreach to legislators. Additionally, we now have Lawn Signs throughout our Town and recently held a Hands Around Twilight Lake where over 300 people attended to show their support for this cause.
Please view the video of this event.
https://youtu.be/oSgrshViwj8
Call for Action:
In addition to continuing our current activities, we are in the process of filing a judgment for a Work Stop Order to prevent the further disturbance and potential harm to Osprey currently nesting in the wetlands construction site. We are also discussing conducting an Environmental Impact Study and securing Environmental Legal representation. All of which requires funding.
We urgently need your financial support to continue our efforts to challenge all that is wrong with this Project and to combat the forces that are preventing “Logical Reasoning to Prevail.”
Please provide your Financial Support to fund our efforts to stop the NJ Transit Bay Head Substation Project and to prevent this environmental catastrophe.
The Concerned Citizens of Bay Head’s Objective is to have this $24 Million project reevaluated and redirected. To that end, we request your financial support to meet our Financial Goal of $75,000.
NJ Transit is in the process of constructing a new Substation in the wetlands of Twilight Lake in Bay Head, NJ which is tidal to Barnegat Bay, a Category 1 Waterway. The project was approved without the undertaking of any environmental impact studies and with no regard for the wetlands which provide the natural habitat for the endangered and protected Black-crowned Night Heron, American Bald Eagle, Osprey, among other fish and wildlife. Additionally, this centerpiece of our community is enjoyed by residents, visitors, and wildlife for swimming, fishing, kayaking, and sunsets.
Project Background:
The Bay Head rail yard has historically been a site of neglect. For over one hundred years railcar-related oil and chemical spills have contaminated the soil and groundwater of the site. Over 20 years ago, NJ Transit agreed to remediate the site under pressure from the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP). However, little actionable remediation has been completed, as is evident from the NJT’s resistance to sharing the results of their remediation efforts.
Below is a link to the Save Barnegat Bay website as they are a key partner with us, which provides additional information. https://www.savebarnegatbay.org/initiatives/bay-head-nj-transit
The current project calls for the replacement of the current electrical substation with a significantly larger substation to be built adjacent to Twilight Lake. This is in response to the impact of Hurricane Sandy; despite the fact that the current substation has been fully operational for the past 8 years, thus mitigating the necessity for this project.
The primary purpose of this NJ Transit Project is to provide operational resiliency in the face of another potential 100 year storm. The Project also includes the establishment of Redundancy Power Supply and construction of a facility for a back-up generator and a corresponding 4,000- gallon diesel tank. All of this electrical power capability will be used only within the current rail yard, as the Bay Head rail yard is not a catenary yard and as such does not supply electrical power to run their trains outside of the rail yard. The locomotives used in this section of the rail line, from Bay Head to Long Branch NJ are diesel engines. So, despite the fact that all of the electrical power from these substations, redundant power and backup generator are for rail yard usage solely, NJ Transit is willing to move forward and risk the potential for an environmental catastrophic event.
This project also calls for the dumping of 50,000 gallons per day of potentially contaminated industrial groundwater for one year from the construction site into Twilight Lake which connects to Barnegat Bay, a Category 1 waterway.
Current Situation
Despite the efforts of both Town Officials and Residents in outlining concerns and providing recommendations to lessen the severity of this project, NJ Transit has been unwilling to engage in meaningful conversation and has been unresponsive to our concerns. In February 2021, members of Bay Head‘s Town Council voted to reject NJ Transit’s Final Settlement Offer on the basis of the lack of any real or significant compromise on the part of NJ Transit. As a result, members of Town Council requested help from a grassroots effort; thus the start of Concerned Citizens of Bay Head in March 2021. We commenced a letter writing campaign and telephone call outreach to legislators. Additionally, we now have Lawn Signs throughout our Town and recently held a Hands Around Twilight Lake where over 300 people attended to show their support for this cause.
Please view the video of this event.
https://youtu.be/oSgrshViwj8
Call for Action:
In addition to continuing our current activities, we are in the process of filing a judgment for a Work Stop Order to prevent the further disturbance and potential harm to Osprey currently nesting in the wetlands construction site. We are also discussing conducting an Environmental Impact Study and securing Environmental Legal representation. All of which requires funding.
We urgently need your financial support to continue our efforts to challenge all that is wrong with this Project and to combat the forces that are preventing “Logical Reasoning to Prevail.”
Fundraising team (2)
Ellen Nolan
Organizer
Point Pleasant, NJ
Bev Furze
Team member
