Save Monmouth County Water

02/04/2026

02/02/2026

Join the Fair Haven Environmental Commission for a presentation by Dr. Chris Obropta of Rutgers Water Resources Program
Wednesday, February 4
6:30 p.m.
Fair Haven Community Center

02/01/2026

Dear Friends of Save Monmouth County Water (“SMCW”),

We hope this post finds you safe and warm. We wanted to provide you with an update on Azura at Holmdel’s wastewater plan and SMCW’s position on the proposal.

The Township Committee Approves a “Force Main” for Azura
On January 27, 2026, the Holmdel Township Planning Board gave preliminary and final approval to the redevelopers for Phase 1 of Azura at Holmdel, also known as the former Vonage headquarters.

The approval included a revised wastewater treatment plan: the Township Committee reached an agreement with the developer to install a new “force main” that, once installed, will take all wastewater from the development to Bell Works, and then on to the Bayshore Regional Sewerage Authority (“Bayshore”).

While this plan solves one problem, it unfortunately creates serious new problems that make the plan unsustainable.

A Force Main will Deplete the Swimming River Reservoir
The Swimming River Reservoir relies on water inflows from streams, rainwater, and underground water. Therefore, in this part of Holmdel, septic systems and leach fields are actually a very important source of water for the Reservoir. The problem with allowing the wastewater to go to the Bayshore is that it will get tossed into the ocean and never come back to replenish the Reservoir, which is already experiencing drought conditions and ever-increasing demand.

Only Low-Density Development Should be Allowed

It was decided years ago that there should be no sewer lines in this part of Holmdel. This is also why, at the state level, this area of Holmdel, known as the “Southern Slope”, is zoned PA-5, signifying the most ecologically sensitive area, which should be protected and only low-density development should be allowed.

Tapping into the Bell Works Sewer Line Sets a Dangerous Precedent
In 1992, Holmdel Township reluctantly permitted the building now known as Bell Works to have a sewer line. This line was supposed to be restricted. In 2012, the redevelopment of Bell Works included 225 residential units. Despite the restrictions on the sewer line, the 225 units were allowed to access the sewer line. There is significant, undeveloped land in this part of Holmdel. If a force main is permitted for this property, what is to stop developers from suing the township for the same access?

SMCW appreciates the work the Holmdel Township Committee and Planning Board have put into this project. However, we firmly believe that the Township should insist that the developer of Azura adhere to the plans long established for this part of Holmdel and install a new, state-of-the-art package plant, with fully underground leach fields as far away from the Willow Brook (Category 1 tributary of the Swimming River Reservoir) as possible. The open-air wastewater lagoon should be decommissioned.

Thank you for your support in this process, without which we don’t believe that the Township Committee would have responded and stopped the contamination of our drinking water.

SAVE MONMOUTH COUNTY WATER

01/31/2026

Great post about the Township's solution to the wastewater contamination by the Vonage redevelopment.

11th-Hour Solution to Water Contamination
Will It Come with Long-Term Side Effects?

For some time, residents have expressed concerns about the contamination of drinking water from inadequately treated wastewater that will be discharged directly into Willow Brook, which feeds the Swimming River Reservoir, the source of potable water for over 300,000 Monmouth County residents. Residents have urged the Township Committee and the Planning Board to require the redeveloper at the former Vonage property to install a modern wastewater management plant with subsurface disposal of the wastewater.

https://betterholmdel.wixsite.com/home/post/holmdel-planning-board-and-tc-actions-raise-questions

At the Jan. 22nd Township Committee meeting, Mayor Rocco Impreveduto revealed an agreement with the redeveloper to address residents’ concerns about drinking water contamination.

Instead of requiring the redeveloper to construct a new modern wastewater management plant, the Township will install a “force main” sewer line and connect it to the existing force main at Bell Works. Mayor Impreveduto stated that this approach would take “all environmental concerns off the table.” He further explained that the new sewer line would be sized exclusively for the Vonage redevelopment and deed-restricted to prevent additional development in southern Holmdel.

A few days later, the Holmdel Planning Board approved the developer’s plan at its Jan. 27, 2026 meeting.

While avoiding water contamination is viewed by residents as a step in the right direction, some have expressed concerns about the implications of the new force main sewer line. These concerns include the potential for increased high-density development in the future, endangering the environmentally sensitive area, and the lack of water regeneration for the Swimming River Reservoir.

“We had to go in on our own; we had to organize. We had to hire professionals, spend money, spend lots of time trying to protect ourselves and the environment, when we thought that that’s what you would be doing. So, the frustration grew,” resident Kristin Celauro said at the Township Committee meeting.

The bucolic nature of southern Holmdel has been maintained largely because of non-sewered planning and policy.

“Déjà Vu All Over Again”

Most of southern Holmdel is designated as an “Environmentally Sensitive” area (Planning Area or PA-5), including the former 473-acre Bell Labs site on Crawfords Corner Road.

Before 1992, Bell Labs operated two on-site sewage treatment plants - one for standard waste and another serving a chemical laboratory. Due to concerns about the treatment plant nearing the end of its useful life, and because effluent from the chemical laboratory contained dangerous levels of heavy metals and other toxic substances that were being discharged into the Ramanessin Brook at less than one mile from the Swimming River Reservoir, Bell Labs requested permission from the Township to connect to the municipal sewer system in northern Holmdel.

Aware of the Township’s long-standing policy against sewering environmentally sensitive areas in southern Holmdel, Bell Labs requested that the sewer line be designated as a “sole-source” line, intended exclusively for the chemical laboratory.

In 1992, driven by concerns over toxic metal discharge into the Swimming River Reservoir, the Township reluctantly agreed to permit a sewer line that would transport the hazardous waste to the larger and more sophisticated Bayshore Regional Sewer Authority treatment facility. For practical reasons, effluent from the main office building was also included. Importantly, the Township explicitly stated that the sewer line was approved solely for the existing facilities and not for the entire property.

In 2012, the redevelopment plan for the former Bell Labs property included the construction of 225 new residential units along with the repurposing of the existing building into a mixed-use “metrohub.” Despite the earlier 1992 restriction, the Township allowed the new high-density residential units to connect to the existing sewer line.

In the Spring 2013 Township Newsletter, then-Mayor Patrick Impreveduto assured residents that adjacent properties would not be permitted to connect to the sewer line, saying there are “very clear and specific requirements.”

Fast forward to 2026: Mayor Rocco Impreveduto, son of former Mayor Patrick Impreveduto, is now similarly assuring residents that the new force main sewer line, which will be connected to the Bell Works sewer line, will be used exclusively for that 299-unit development and that no other properties will be allowed to connect due to the size of the new sewer line and deed restrictions.

History has already shown to repeat itself. Will it do so again as pressure for increased affordable housing grows in the future? Are other developers watching and will they sue for similar access?

Financing

In most development and redevelopment projects, developers bear the costs of wastewater management—whether through on-site treatment facilities or by constructing sewer lines to connect to existing systems.

However, for the former Vonage redevelopment, the Township has agreed to construct the new force main sewer line at an estimated cost of $5.2 million. Twenty percent of this cost will be funded through the Township’s affordable housing trust fund, which is financed by developer contributions.

The Township will issue bonds or notes to cover the remaining balance (approximately $4 million) and will enter into a special assessment agreement under which the redeveloper will pay $50,000 per quarter to the Township over a 30-year period. In effect, the Township is using its credit rating and borrowing capacity to finance the sewer project on behalf of the redeveloper.

Trucking of Wastewater Off-Site

For a period of three years, the redeveloper has agreed to collect and pump wastewater from the project into tanker trucks for off-site disposal at its own cost and expense.

Once the new sewer line is completed and the project is connected, the redeveloper, at its own expense, will decommission the existing wastewater management plant.

Stay tuned. This is breaking news, and we will share additional information as it becomes available.

# # #

01/22/2026

Reminder: please sign the petition if you have not done so. If you did, THANK YOU. Please share with friends and neighbors.

Please Sign the Petition! The Azura at Holmdel (former Vonage) development poses grave risks to our drinking water and our communities. The Holmdel Township Committee (“TC”) has the power and the authority to stop this health hazard and save our drinking water for now and generations to come. Pl...

01/20/2026

Willful Contamination of Our Drinking Water Defies Common Sense

A sign on the gate before entering the fenced-in spray field on the old Vonage property in Holmdel (now known as Azura) states that the wastewater effluent being sprayed is non-potable water.

Yet, for six months of the year, the Azura redevelopment seeks to “grandfather” in an outdated, almost 50-year old wastewater management plant to discharge this same wastewater effluent directly into Willow Brook, which feeds into the Swimming River Reservoir, the source for potable water for over 300,000 residents, including Colts Neck, Hazlet, Holmdel, Middletown, and surrounding towns.

Potable water means water that is safe for drinking, cooking, and hygiene; as opposed to non-potable water (like wastewater), which poses health risks.

The willful contamination of our drinking water is outrageous.

The Holmdel Township Committee has the power and the authority to put residents’ health and safety first, and to stop this disaster before it happens.

Please sign our petition urging the Holmdel Township Committee to require the Azura redeveloper to install a modern wastewater management system that meets current standards.

https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/urge-holmdel-tc-to-prevent-health-hazard/

01/17/2026

Please Donate to Help Save Our Drinking Water

We are raising funds to hire professionals, such as a lawyer and an engineer, to help us Stop the massive redevelopment at Vonage that will pollute our drinking water. Let's stop this health hazard before they bring it to our land and water. Together we can save our drinking water for now and generations to come. All funds raised will go to the professionals. No amount is too small - we are all in this together!
https://gofund.me/76b838c60

01/17/2026

Bomb Shells at Planning Board Meeting?

Bombshells at Planning Board Meeting?

At the continuation of the hearing for the redevelopment of the former Vonage property, in front of a packed room of residents, T&M Associates, the Township Engineer, appeared to have admitted that it didn’t perform its duty.

The attorney representing Kristin Celauro, “Objector” to the old Vonage redevelopment application, presented Daniel Nachman, a hydrogeologist, as an expert witness.

In response to the question from the Planning Board’s Chairman Scott Silberman that the New Jersey DEP has better qualifications than the Planning Board to determine proper wastewater management, Nachman stated that:

“You have the authority enforce your own wastewater management plan,” and that the Planning Board can impose conditions on the developer to discharge wastewater in compliance with Holmdel’s plan. He went on to say, “You don’t have to accept this grandfathered system.”

In response, Silberman said he will defer to the professionals, turned to Craig Hermann, who is with PS&S and serves as the Planning Board Engineer, and asked whether that is something the Planning Board could do.

The Planning Board Engineer said he knows there is a wastewater management plan in effect and he, “Would think you could condition that it meets that requirement.” He then turned to the Township Engineer from T&M Associates and asked whether he had anything to add to that.

Here’s the exchange that followed:

Planning Board Engineer (Don Whitehead, PS&S): “They should meet the criteria of the wastewater management plan for the town here.”

Silberman: “And what is the criteria, because you’re our professionals, right?”

Planning Board Engineer (Craig Hermann, PS&S): “I haven’t reviewed it because T&M was reviewing the wastewater treatment facility.”

Township Engineer (T&M): We have not reviewed that at this time. I don't believe a formal submission has been made.”

https://youtu.be/YE5wq-tU2M4

Later in the meeting, Planning Board member Wes Fagan asked whether it is appropriate for this client to supply actual water samples from a similar plant to witness and see the smell and the clarity of the water.

Barry Sutherland, a professional engineer expert witness for the Objector, responded by stating:

“I've never seen a similar plant like this in all my years of working. I've only seen lagoons treat stormwater. I've never been aware of a wastewater lagoon. And I've been doing this since 1978.”

https://youtu.be/A7WYehzjT4E

The developer is seeking to grandfather existing water permits for a wastewater management plant that, for six months of the year, will discharge into a C-1 stream that feeds the Swimming River Reservoir, the source of potable water for more than 300,000 Monmouth County residents. For the other six months, the wastewater will be discharged into a lagoon that is located 100 feet away from the C-1 stream. Current environmental standards call for 300 feet.

Later in the meeting, despite admitting to non-review of the wastewater management plant vis-à-vis Holmdel’s Wastewater Management Plan, the Township Engineer, very surprisingly, acted as a Planning Board attorney and stated that this is an application that's fully compliant with a redevelopment plan and the Planning Board is obligated to review what is submitted.

https://youtu.be/NjsglDmZd0g

Seemingly forgotten was the earlier testimony by Nachman and the discussion that the Township Committee and, presumably, the Planning Board, by extension, have the authority for wastewater management.

The last Planning Board meeting continues to raise questions about the whole redevelopment process.

1. The redevelopment plan was passed in 2024. The redevelopment agreement was signed in 2025. What did members of the Township Committee in 2024 and 2025 know about the direct discharge of inadequately treated wastewater into a stream that feeds the drinking water for over 300,000 people before passing the redevelopment plan and executing the redevelopment agreement?

2. Was there a dereliction of duty or neglect by professionals - Township Engineer, Township Planner or Township Attorney - in advising the Township Committee regarding the redevelopment plan and redevelopment agreement?

3. Why did it take a private Holmdel resident (Kristin Celauro), spending thousands of dollars to hire an attorney and experts, to expose this fundamental flaw that could contaminate the drinking water for over 300,000 residents in the redevelopment plan and agreement?

Legal and consultant fees currently stand at approximately $30,000 to make the case and protect residents from the potential contamination of our drinking water. Celauro has set up a GoFundMe to help cover these costs and needs donations. Please support this very important cause and donate what you can.

GoFundMe link:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/join-the-fight-to-stop-water-contamination-at-vonage?attribution_id=sl%3Ab451aaf6-d93c-4d13-b8c3-d9bbdb9d190e&lang=en_US&utm_campaign=man_ss_icons&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link&fbclid=IwY2xjawOkCXRleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeCVNMl4Q-3P48qlpn7JKPGDL1Ce0kdmNFL2XUj1TUzRKFYCGuesDTd4dgBmc_aem_GHJ83hU_nZCN4rTN3dLBZg&brid=eRHzRUlJE-nx_YpPWgX0pA

How did we get here?
Will Holmdel be the next Flint, Michigan?
Will the Holmdel Township Committee take any corrective action?

Stay tuned.

01/16/2026

Bombshells at Planning Board Meeting?

At the continuation of the hearing for the redevelopment of the former Vonage property, in front of a packed room of residents, T&M Associates, the Township Engineer, appeared to have admitted that it didn’t perform its duty.

The attorney representing Kristin Celauro, “Objector” to the old Vonage redevelopment application, presented Daniel Nachman, a hydrogeologist, as an expert witness.

In response to the question from the Planning Board’s Chairman Scott Silberman that the New Jersey DEP has better qualifications than the Planning Board to determine proper wastewater management, Nachman stated that:

“You have the authority enforce your own wastewater management plan,” and that the Planning Board can impose conditions on the developer to discharge wastewater in compliance with Holmdel’s plan. He went on to say, “You don’t have to accept this grandfathered system.”

In response, Silberman said he will defer to the professionals, turned to Craig Hermann, who is with PS&S and serves as the Planning Board Engineer, and asked whether that is something the Planning Board could do.

The Planning Board Engineer said he knows there is a wastewater management plan in effect and he, “Would think you could condition that it meets that requirement.” He then turned to the Township Engineer from T&M Associates and asked whether he had anything to add to that.

Here’s the exchange that followed:

Planning Board Engineer (Don Whitehead, PS&S): “They should meet the criteria of the wastewater management plan for the town here.”

Silberman: “And what is the criteria, because you’re our professionals, right?”

Planning Board Engineer (Craig Hermann, PS&S): “I haven’t reviewed it because T&M was reviewing the wastewater treatment facility.”

Township Engineer (T&M): We have not reviewed that at this time. I don't believe a formal submission has been made.”

https://youtu.be/YE5wq-tU2M4

Later in the meeting, Planning Board member Wes Fagan asked whether it is appropriate for this client to supply actual water samples from a similar plant to witness and see the smell and the clarity of the water.

Barry Sutherland, a professional engineer expert witness for the Objector, responded by stating:

“I've never seen a similar plant like this in all my years of working. I've only seen lagoons treat stormwater. I've never been aware of a wastewater lagoon. And I've been doing this since 1978.”

https://youtu.be/A7WYehzjT4E

The developer is seeking to grandfather existing water permits for a wastewater management plant that, for six months of the year, will discharge into a C-1 stream that feeds the Swimming River Reservoir, the source of potable water for more than 300,000 Monmouth County residents. For the other six months, the wastewater will be discharged into a lagoon that is located 100 feet away from the C-1 stream. Current environmental standards call for 300 feet.

Later in the meeting, despite admitting to non-review of the wastewater management plant vis-à-vis Holmdel’s Wastewater Management Plan, the Township Engineer, very surprisingly, acted as a Planning Board attorney and stated that this is an application that's fully compliant with a redevelopment plan and the Planning Board is obligated to review what is submitted.

https://youtu.be/NjsglDmZd0g

Seemingly forgotten was the earlier testimony by Nachman and the discussion that the Township Committee and, presumably, the Planning Board, by extension, have the authority for wastewater management.

The last Planning Board meeting continues to raise questions about the whole redevelopment process.

1. The redevelopment plan was passed in 2024. The redevelopment agreement was signed in 2025. What did members of the Township Committee in 2024 and 2025 know about the direct discharge of inadequately treated wastewater into a stream that feeds the drinking water for over 300,000 people before passing the redevelopment plan and executing the redevelopment agreement?

2. Was there a dereliction of duty or neglect by professionals - Township Engineer, Township Planner or Township Attorney - in advising the Township Committee regarding the redevelopment plan and redevelopment agreement?

3. Why did it take a private Holmdel resident (Kristin Celauro), spending thousands of dollars to hire an attorney and experts, to expose this fundamental flaw that could contaminate the drinking water for over 300,000 residents in the redevelopment plan and agreement?

Legal and consultant fees currently stand at approximately $30,000 to make the case and protect residents from the potential contamination of our drinking water. Celauro has set up a GoFundMe to help cover these costs and needs donations. Please support this very important cause and donate what you can.

GoFundMe link:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/join-the-fight-to-stop-water-contamination-at-vonage?attribution_id=sl%3Ab451aaf6-d93c-4d13-b8c3-d9bbdb9d190e&lang=en_US&utm_campaign=man_ss_icons&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link&fbclid=IwY2xjawOkCXRleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeCVNMl4Q-3P48qlpn7JKPGDL1Ce0kdmNFL2XUj1TUzRKFYCGuesDTd4dgBmc_aem_GHJ83hU_nZCN4rTN3dLBZg&brid=eRHzRUlJE-nx_YpPWgX0pA

How did we get here?
Will Holmdel be the next Flint, Michigan?
Will the Holmdel Township Committee take any corrective action?

Stay tuned.

01/13/2026

TONIGHT at 7:00 pm at Town Hall, the Holmdel Planning Board Meeting will hear expert testimony from Daniel Nachman, hydrology specialist and Barry J. Sutherland, a professional engineer, opposing the proposed Vonage Redevelopment.

Attendance at this meeting is crucial for residents of Holmdel and Monmouth County to hear the facts from the experts and voice their concerns regarding the contamination of our drinking water.

Monmouth County residents are urged to show up, speak out and say NO to Vonage redevelopment.

Where: Holmdel Town Hall, 4 Crawfords Corner Rd, Holmdel, NJ

01/08/2026

ACT TO PROTECT OUR DRINKING WATER

The Swimming River Reservoir could be contaminated with wastewater from the redevelopment of a Holmdel project affecting the drinking water for over 300,000 Monmouth County residents, including Hazlet, Holmdel, Middletown, etc.

Please attend an important Planning Board meeting on Tuesday and speak out!

ACT TO PROTECT OUR DRINKING WATER A massive redevelopment project is coming to the former Vonage site in Holmdel, Monmouth County, including hundreds of housing units with an outdated and insufficient wastewater treatment plan. This is an environmentally sensitive area, and contaminated water from t...

01/08/2026

Posted by NJ Sierra Club

💧ACT FOR CLEAN WATER 💧

A massive redevelopment project is coming to the former Vonage site in Holmdel, Monmouth County, including hundreds of housing units with an outdated and insufficient wastewater treatment plan. This is an environmentally sensitive area, and contaminated water from this development would imact:
🌳 C1 Willow Brook Stream
🏊The Swimming River Reservoir (recreational and drinking water)

Join us next Tuesday to urge the Planning Board to amend the proposal to require a sufficient wastewater treatment plan to protect residents and the environment!