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Carleton Montgomery, executive director of the Pinelands Preservation Alliance, called the findings "worrisome." The DEP has never explained how mercury is getting into some Pinelands wells, he said.
"Perhaps this is the culprit," Montgomery said.
Totten said one of the ideas of the atmospheric monitoring network was to help identify the sources of PCBs, mercury and other atmospheric contaminants.
But unless state funding for the network is renewed, that's not going to happen.
Jeff Tittel, director of the Sierra Club's New Jersey chapter, said the network has proven its worth by discovering such high levels of PCBs in Camden.
"That in itself should say this is why we need this system," Tittel said. "Even though we have a tight budget, there is enough money to keep a network like that in place."
Michael Aucott, a DEP researcher and project manager for the network, said the DEP will decide whether to reactive the network after a final report is completed this spring.
"It might be funded for another round of study," Aucott said. "Just like any research project, you have to complete with the needs that are most pressing."
To e-mail Jack Kaskey at The Press:
JKaskey@pressofac.com
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