opinion

Monitor Underground Storage Tanks By DAVID F. MOORE Executive Director New Jersey Conservation Foundation The speed with which our culture in this state we're in is gaining sophistication about the complex list -of environmental hazards confronting us is perhaps best reflected in proposed legislation introduced in Trenton. Some of us can remember back wlien, I guess roughly in the days of World War II, New Jersey took a giant step forward environmentally by adopting a law dictating that all dumps become sanitary landfills. That meant trash and garbage and whatever could no longer be disposed of in open pits. No indeed! It became mandatory that each day's dumping would have to be covered with dirt to a specified thickness, so as to protect the neighborhood from smells, rats and such. SUCH A DEGREE of sophistication in dumping held sway in New Jersey until only about a decade ago and, indeed. remains the state of the dumping art in just about all the rest of the United States. Now, of course. New Jersey will not approve of a new landfill without its having an impermeable clay liner to keep leachate from soaking into ground and surface waters, along with a leachate collection system so that the tainted liquid can be regularly drawn off and trucked to a treatment plant. Leachate is hardly the only thing poisoning our waters, as we have bitterly learned. There is the ubiquitous dose of airborne and waterborne pesticides and fertilizers with which landscapes keep getting doused And there's the complex cocktail of varied volatile organic solvents, cleaning agents and other chemicals which get spilled and dumped un-obtrusively by gasoline stations, cleaning establishments, machine shops and varied other businesses. TOGETHER. THOSE unwanted materials can account for at least microscopic pollution levels in many wells and streams throughout New Jersey. But speaking of gasoline service stations reminds me that, harking again bafck to the days just after World War II. there was a surge of gasoline station construction which included installation of underground storage tanks. Today those tanks are rusting out virtually everywhere, and constitute one of the biggest single pollution problems we've got. THIS EMERGING awareness is reflected, as I said, in new legislation being proposed. These bills are aimed at keeping dangerous chemicals out of our underground waters in the first place, rather than merely addressing the nearly hopeless game of catchup once the material is loose underground. For example. Sen. Raymond Lesniak of Union County is author of S-601 which, if approved, would require the State Department of Environmental Protection <DEP> to fix procedures for monitoring underground storage tanks. In S-1218, Lesniak would establish regulation of underground-., storage of hazardous materials. f Legislative attention is focused on Assembly Committee Substitute 667 though First introduced as A-667 (by Assemblyman Jimmy Zangari of Essex County, it wolrtti provide for monitoring of all hazardous substance araf petroleum -prod ut underground storage tanks except those used for on-site small residential heating purposes. NATURALLY ENOUGH there's opposition from gasoline dealers and home-heating oil distributors, and the legislators who have a certain amount of self-interest. But in the long run, enforceable monitoring systems will be a big advantage for anyone with an underground tank Not only do tank owners pay for lost fuel, but poisoning one's own or a neighbor's well can create major expenses. For the little guy. Assemblyman Steve Adubato of Essex County has a bill in. A-2074, to make up to $5 million available in low-interesst loans to help finance tank watching. f v Rwalil V 1 rwimiiH Ewny Wihi.ily By TW twin ConrnM rO.B««430 Cmr* *«» C— rt H— «. N 4. <glB Joseph R. Zelnik Editor *• Bonnie Reina General Manager Gary L. Rudy Advertising Director John Dunwoody Special Promotions Director Darrell Kopp * Publisher Sm»o«i Co'p 1984 All riahti r>n»id All property nghM lor the enUim content, of thrl poblicotion tholl be tbe property of the Sec wove Corp. No port hereof moy be reproduced without prior written concent. DEADLINES News & Photos Thursday Advertising Friday — 3 P.M. Classified Advertising. . a . . . . Friday — 3 P.M. 465-5055 For News or Advertising Information — - — ■ — r; ■Wicker rwrtropetine ed.rrtiw-rv our the publiebrr. of thr HF.R ALD AND LANTERN -ill br mpooeiblr or liebtr for ocieiolurawtioo mu print. I .paorapbiral reran, rtr in on. incur. TWnfanrimr»nlbf riybl to edit en. Irttrr or ortirln rabouttrd (or puMireUon /' Wotrtr Jommthlp jig LANTERN i \ ^

Joyride III i By Libby Demp Forrest '

When your own kid is running for class office, you don't say, "May the best man win." Over the years I've stood in the sidelights watching elections from primary school on up. Now #1 son is running for president of his college class and it brings back a few memories of earlier elections. The first election #1 professed an interest in was back in kindergarten. He came running home from school to announce, "Mom, there's going to be an election!" It was around November so naturally I was impressed #1 son already knew a little about politics. "Who's running?" I asked. "Mickey Mouse and Donald Duefc," MfkTfcl. "When's the election?" I asked. J "Next week, I think," said #1. "Wtet's "next week' mean, Mom?" /->. x — Each day #1 son would come home and give reports about how the election was going. "What are the issues?" I asked him one day. "What are 'issues'. Mom?" said #1. Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck posters covered the walls of the school and a loUof talk went on as to who was the better candidate. In the end, Mickey Mouse won the election. #1 son came home to report Mickey Mouse had won by a wide margin. I had to admit it was no surprise to me that Donald Duck had lost. "I never could trust anyone who talks like that" I said. #2 son was just a toddler in those days, but even he was" happy that Mickey Mouse had won. He ran around his playpen yelling, "Yah, 'icky ouse!" The elections during grade school brought their share of campaign promises. "If I get in I'm going to see what I can do about the school lunches," said #1 during one election. He iost Ujat election and everytime #1 and his constituents sat dowirto each in the lunchroom, they mulled over what might have been. His opponent had promised a cutback on homework. "But be never did a thing about that," said #1 one day coming home from school with an armful of books. When #1 son called from college to tell me his plans for running in the election, I gave him the wisdom of my years. "Go for it," I told him. "You've had a lot of experience."

Make 'Em be 'Really Very Truly Needy' Our attention was caught by a recent column by Rowland Evans and Robert Novak concerning the Republican platform. * The columnists reported that the GOP platform drafters had been trying to amend the phrase "truly needy" (the administration standard for those who deserve welfare - aid). They wanted to change it to the "very truly needy," the columnists said. Other reports hold that the platform writers were trying to change it to the "most truly needy," as distinct, We must surmise, from that need which is least truly. Whichever it was — and you can surely argue the merits of both — the drafters were apparently talked out of making the change. WHAT SORT OF week-kneed attitude is that? Certainly when it comes to defining who should be eligible for direct government handouts no amount of specificity is too great. If anything, neither "most" nor "very truly needy" goes far enough How about the "indisputably most really very truly needy"? Or, less formally, the "honestly most really very truly needy — for sure"? Or the "really very truly needy — honestly"? Anyone who has dealt with the welfare issue at all can recognize immediately the danger of extending eligibility to those who are merely "truly needy" as distinct from "most truly needy" and/or the "very." Once you do that, the next thing you know someone will want to let the "merely needy" on the rolls. But why should we help the "merely needy" anyway and, if we do, where will it all end?"With a souffle at the Lion d'Or? Look, we don't like to be hardhearted. But you can't be too careful about these things. What if someone who was only mildly hungry got free food? What if the only somewhat homeless got a place to live? We trust the Republican platform -makers will come to their senses before it is too late. — Washington Post Letters Welcome The Herald and Lantern welcome letters to the editor on matters of public interest. Originals, not copies, are requested. Writers must sign name, address and phone number.

t -A Ferry With Gerry? — ^ 4^

Who Dried Bennett's Bog?

s By JOE ZELNIK The flood of questions continues: A.H. of Nummy: I was appalled to read last week that you have neither a Quality- Control Department nor a manager of Consumer Response and Investigation. Are there other key positions you should have, but don't? Answer: Well, the Sands Casino recently appointed a "Director of Player Development" and we don't have one of those, either. I was going to volunteer for the job, but I've become convinced there are so many people playing around in this county already that we don't need any one to develop it. Incidentally, in defense of not having a manager of Consumer Response, we do have a vehicle for consumer response: letters to the editor. Let me tell you ahead of (imp that you don't want to miss one we'll have next week in which Mary Rowe, director of the county Transporta- . tion Department, discusses my " girlfriend r"'(We'3"have used it this week but my lawyers are still looking at it.) E.S. of TURTLE GUT: I see where the county bridge commissioners turned down the freeholders' request for free rides over the Grassy Sound bridge for Stone Harbor residents whose both Street bridge is closed. Any commeqt? Answer: It's not the bridge commission's fault a job the county originally said would take nine months is going to take 12. The problem is that bridge workers, being human, feel that if they have to endure Stone Harbor in the winter, they should have a right to spend a little summer there, too. I possess secret documents indicating the workers are engaged in a slowdown so they can have some beach time, too. Who can blame them? Do not think, however, that those who have been detoured are sitting idly by. Powerful financial interests are attempting to purchase one of the Chester ferries that ran between Chester, Pa., and Bridgeport, N.J. It should be in operation soon, probably with Gerry Lynch playing the banjo. Watch this space. PSYCHIATRIST in Court House: My colleagues and I were intrigued by your Leusner-Alexis-Raffa-Volkswagen F recurring dream. Do you have others? Answer: I'm sorry to say that I do. I frequently dream

that Peggie Bieberbach and Debi de la Cretaz are arm wrestling on a table with large spikes on either side. Every time it looks like Peggie is going to win, the referee, Phyllis Genovese, shouts, "Fight fair!" I always wake up before anyone gets punctured. B.C. of Tater Island: I simply can't decide who to vote for. Any suggestions? Answer: Reagan for President, of course, because, without Reagan in the White House, there could be no Doonesbury. FOR SHERIFF. I'm going for Nick Zagohe because I always vote for people whose names end with "Z." Freeholder is tough. Gerry Thornton is a nice guy, but if he hasn't been able to straighten things out In eight years, why should he get three more? Chuck Frederick is a swell fellow and I have a certain tilt toward him because I think, were he in office, we just could be treated to a -freeholder wedding in '85. On the other hand, Frederick has been attending freeholder meetings ever since he won the Republican nomination and I'm suspicious of anybody with nothing better than that to do with his time. I finally ruled him out because he probably could seldom get out of West Wildwood at high tide in order to attend freeholder meetings. PEGGIE BIEBERBACH is a terrific lady, but from what I hear from Republicans, she's responsible for every evil in the area, from the reduction in the whale population in the Delaware to the profusion of horseshoe crabs on the bay shores to the drying up of Bennett's Bog to the Big Snow of February '83. 1 doubt Peggie did all those things, but why take a chance? Rodney Downs is a prince of a gentleman, even if he does rhyme Marinakis with fracas (see advertisement in this issue). But Downs is just Ux^busy: no vacation in a dozen years, working 15-hour days, six days a week. Put a workaholic like him in the courthouse and you're asking for trouble. A laid-back attitude is crucial to getting along in county government. With this in my mind, I'm advising my friends to write in the name of the most laid back person I know t/county agricultural agent Larry New bold.