Dive Brief:

• A Superior Court judge refused to grant an emergency order that would have given Roxbury Township, NJ permission to test the soil from 21 new wells that the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is going to dig at the Fenimore Landfill. 
• Residents are not satisfied with the DEP's cleanup of the site, and wanted to test the wells to determine if additional hazardous waste is present. The township sought broader testing at the site, further to the removal of hydrogen sulfide.
• The judge called the township's arguments "speculative," and said it offered "nothing specific" to prove hazardous materials exist. However, the case is not closed: Another hearing is scheduled for April 21 when the two sides will submit briefs and present detailed arguments.

Dive Insight:

The Fenimore landfill was shuttered in 1979, and plans to cap it and convert the site into a solar facility emerged in 2011. It was taken over by the DEP due to the thousands of complaints from the community. The site has been a source of concern for nearby residents, who worried about odor and health issues caused by the release of hydrogen sulfide.