Monitors Wanted For Sewer Line In Montclair's Bonsal Preserve

MONTCLAIR, NJ — A long-running effort to move an antiquated sewer line located in the Alonzo F. Bonsal Wildlife Preserve in Montclair is underway, and for now, it will be Clifton and a contracted engineering firm that provide main oversight for the project, a local preservation group says.

The sewer line is owned by Clifton but extends onto land in the Bonsal Preserve, which is owned by Montclair. The sewer line is more than 60-years-old and ruptured in 2008, causing concern among some local wildlife conservationists about how the relocation effort will affect the preserve.

Earlier this month, Clifton officials hosted a meeting at the Montclair municipal building to brief the community on the new developments on the project.

• See related article: Montclair Meeting Will Discuss Sewer Line Relocation Project

Local preservation group Friends of Bonsal provided an update about the meeting last week:

“Many asked about the sewer line relocation project now underway. Montclair is not overseeing the effort and is, instead, relying on Clifton officials and an engineering firm they’ve contracted to monitor the job and track its impact on the Preserve. So the Friends of Bonsal would like to recruit a core group of volunteers to second that oversight by keeping an eye on progress and reporting in to an engineer we’ve enlisted for consultation. If you’re interested, please email BonsalPreserve@verizon.net”

The Friends of Bonsal added:

• “Clifton cannot maintain its antiquated sewer line where it’s currently located. The problem that presents to the Preserve became evident in 2008 when a section burst. To repair it, Clifton cleared the area and roadway you see in the middle of Bonsal, across from the river.”
• “To prevent another rupture, rather than requiring a pumping station or further deforestation, Clifton proposed the more Preserve-friendly approach of a special technique called horizontal directional drilling. The line will be re-directed along the edge of Bonsal. Though that runs uphill on the surface, the line will be pitched underground steadily downward to be gravity-fed. As a result, only six spots will be impacted to varying degrees, mostly along the northern border of the Preserve.”
• “This is a $5M project that the Friends of Bonsal helped champion.”
• “It will take roughly a year to complete. The Preserve will stay open and accessible throughout
• "Ten trees will be replaced for every tree removed. We have Clifton’s assurance that they will restore the Preserve in consultation with Montclair officials and the Friends of Bonsal.”

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Photo: Volunteers collect bags of trash during a cleanup effort at the Alonzo F. Bonsal Wildlife Preserve (Friends of Bonsal)