New Jersey Residents Cry Foul Over Smell Coming From Morris County Landfill
ROXBURY TOWNSHIP, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- A New Jersey landfill that had been closed for decades has caused new trouble in an upper middle class neighborhood in New Jersey.
Roxbury Township residents have begun protesting the pungent problem that they told CBS 2's John Slattery they can smell from their homes.
"Eyes burning, gagging, nauseousness, all at the breakfast table," Shannon Caccavella said.
Three dozen Roxbury residents showed up outside of a hotel where they thought the Lieutenant Governor would be making an address but her office said that she did not have a public schedule on Thursday.
The concerned residents were among several hundred who live in homes that have been affected by a sulfurous odor.
"Rotten egg smell that makes you nauseous and makes your head ache. You just can't breathe. You want to run away," protestor Bob Schultz said.
Other protestors described the smell as "gagging".
The odor has been blamed on sulfide gas. The culprit is the 100-acre Fenimore Landfill which had been closed 35-years-ago, but reopened 2-years-ago to begin accepting construction debris.
In June the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection took over the site and used a spray on chemical cap and made plans to install industrial scrubbers to capture the gas.
Residents have demanded another solution.
"I want them to truck it out. I want this to be gone," Shannon Caccavella said.
"Honestly, I want it to be trucked out at this point," Diane Sudo added.
A state environmental spokesman said that a temporary fix was in the works.
"A team of engineers is working around the clock on a short-term solution," Larry Ragonese said.
In spite of assurances from the state, residents remained frustrated and concerned about potential long-term health problems.
The New Jersey Department of Health said that exposure to hydrogen sulfide can cause a number of problems including eye, nose, and throat irritation as well as headaches and nausea.
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