By Geoff Welch

Once again the focus returns to the Ramapo River Valley and its vital water resources. Sloatsburgers are very familiar with the Ramapo as the river runs right through the village which sits at the foot of Wrightman’s Plateau and Torne Mountain. The Ramapo River also recharges the valley’s productive underground and gravel aquifer, and is the main source of water for Sloatsburg.

Residents and the public are invited to attend the 23rd Ramapo River Watershed Conference,  Friday, April 13 — the conference celebrates and investigates the health and status of the river. The Watershed Conference takes place in the Trustees Pavilion at Ramapo College, 505 Ramapo Valley Road, Mahwah, New Jersey.

Coffee and bagels will be served at 9:30 AM. Presentations begin at 10:00 AM.

The Conference ends at 4: 00 PM and is  followed by a reception open to participants and attendees. The Ramapo Valley Aquifer is a main source of public water for the Town of Ramapo and Rockland County, as well as Mahwah, Oakland and Pompton Lakes, New Jersey. Water from the Ramapo River is also pumped into the Wanaque Reservoir and can be distributed to 3 million people.

The Ramapo River where it meanders easterly during a peaceful stretch through the Village of Sloatsburg. Photo by Geoff Welch.

The conference is organized by the Ramapo River Watershed Keeper and Harmony Hall Curator Geoff Welch and Dr. Howard Horowitz, a professor at Ramapo College. The conference is presented by the Town of Ramapo, the Ramapo River Committee and the Institute for Environmental Studies at Ramapo College, NJ.

This year’s presentations will include the Pompton Lakes DuPont Remediation Project, which brought this recent comment from New Jersey Governor, Phil Murphy:

“This is a really tough situation, and it’s one of these things that brings back memories of Love Canal, which are two words no one wants to hear again.”

James O’Neill & Scott Fallon, reporters at the Bergen Record will present on some of their recent comprehensive press coverage of this lingering pollution event. We will also here from affected residents of Pompton Lakes Jefferson H. LaSala and Lisa Riggiola and from Ramapo College students who have been studying the issue.