Environmental groups across Middlesex County will be receiving additional funds as a $140,000 settlement awarded to the Edison Wetlands Association from landfill firm Edgeboro Disposal will be distributed among 14 different organizations for various projects.

The environmental group announced on Oct. 27 that it will divide the money into grants ranging from $4,000 to $35,000 that will fund environmental initiatives throughout the region, ranging from trail restorations to wildlife surveys.

The suit, legally settled at the beginning of 2008, began over a landfill managed by Edgeboro Disposal Inc. that had begun leaking garbage into the nearby Raritan River. The landfill at that time was closed, no longer being added to, but Bob Spiegel, EWA's executive director, said that proper steps had not been taken to prevent the waste from leaking into the water. Spiegel said it was mostly municipal solid waste that was eroding into the river, polluting the stream bank. Judith Weinstock, the group's attorney said this was because the firm had not properly closed the site to prevent garbage from running off the landfill.

"When you close a landfill, there are certain closure requirements so they're not discharging garbage off-site. You can't have exposed garbage, you can't have stuff coming off the site, and so there are these regulations you have to comply with to properly close it,"

said Weinstock.

The EWA had announced their intent to sue around the fall of 2006, utilizing the federal Clean Water Act, the Resource Conservation Recovery Act and a number of state statutes as well. Before the complaint could be formally filed, Edgeboro approached the EWA and expressed a willingness to work with them in order to clean the site up, as well as come up with a financial settlement. Spiegel said the work advanced swiftly, being completed this past spring, and that his organization monitored the process the entire time to ensure that things were done properly. He said it took only a few months of work to remediate the site and restore a mile of the riverfront.

"Now the area, if you look at it, it is stabilized with rock … and on top of that, native trees and plants [are] growing where once there was garbage," said Spiegel.

He said that using the settlement to fund projects up and down the Raritan River watershed was something the EWA is really happy to do, especially in the current economic climate, since funding for such projects was "almost nonexistent." With the money, he said, they can spread the benefit throughout the Raritan watershed.

One project that will be receiving money is the White Rock Project, which will be overseen by the Edison Greenways Group, a nonprofit open-space land trust that advocates for increased pedestrian and bike access throughout the township.

The organization's president, Bob Takash, explained that the site, accessible from GlendaleAvenue in Edison, is a 9-acre open-space parcel along the Raritan River with some great views from the cliffs near the edge of the river there.

"What we think we'll do is fix that area up, have nice timber railings put around it, maybe a bench, and have a nature trail go through the access point, which will be in Edison at the end of Glendale Avenue. In that section of Edison, there's a worn path there now, and we will probably fix that up and have it marked accordingly," said Takash.

The area, which used to be an industrial site before being donated to the township as open space, is eventually intended to be a full park. Takash said that extra funding, beyond the grant, would be needed to bring their full vision to life. He said that there are plans to meet with township officials to see what work can be done to improve the area. He also said it would make a good Eagle Scout project as well.

Another organization receiving funding from the settlement is South Brunswick's EasternVillagesAssociation, an open-space advocacy group that has become involved with Pigeon Swamp State Park, a wetland that has been subjected to flooding from storm-water runoff in recent years. Jean Dvorak, a representative of the EVA, said the funding will be used to take an inventory of the wildlife in the park, as well as map out accessible trails so that nature lovers can walk and hike there.

"The Park is undeveloped and only open for passive recreation, such as hiking and hunting," said Dvorak. "We want to preserve its natural beauty. Parts of its lands have been untouched since prehistoric times, and its waters are Category 1, the highest grading of NJDEP [New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection] waters. There is a special beauty in this preserved natural resource, and we would like to record it and protect it for New Jersey to enjoy for years to come."

The Lawrence Brook Watershed Partnership, based in Milltown, received grants to pursue two different projects. Alan Godber, the organization's president, said the first grant is for education and outreach for residents in the area. The second grant is for taking watershed samples of Lawrence Brook itself. Godber said they will be working with the EWA in the coming months to hammer out the details of the project.

The Terra Nova Garden Club, a nonprofit community service club based in Edison, received funding to work on its community garden at the Triple C Ranch, where the EWA's offices are located. The club's youth group will be helping to grow produce that is native to New Jersey, which Gloria Dittman, a spokeswoman for the organization, hopes they will be able to donate to the Hands of Hope food bank.

She added that the club is always looking for new members. Questions about the club can be directed to Dittman at 732-548-9134.

Spiegel said he was very excited about the prospect of so many groups having the ability to pursue projects.

"There's stuff, literally, that's going to be taking place in every part of the watershed, and it's very exciting because these things would not be taking place without this funding," said Spiegel.