On November 11, 2025, Friends of Ortley Beach (FOB) welcomed Save Barnegat Bay (SBB) for a powerful, eye-opening evening that drew more than 60 attendees at St.Elisabeth’s Chapel. SBB’s Executive Director Britta Forsberg, Attorney Michele Donato, and Community Engagement Coordinator Brittany McLaughlin led a compelling presentation on the organization’s ongoing fight against the Ciba-Geigy Superfund site in Toms River—one of New Jersey’s most notorious pollution sites, now owned by BASF.
The program’s centerpiece was an exclusive screening of a long-lost 20-minute Greenpeace documentary, featuring rare footage of divers in Ortley Beach exploring the toxic Ciba-Geigy pipeline. Before the pipeline existed, the company discharged its waste into the Toms River, sending pollution into Barnegat Bay. When that practice drew concern, Ciba-Geigy redirected the chemical waste into the Atlantic Ocean at Ortley Beach. The sobering film underscored the lasting impact of industrial pollution and the community’s ongoing push for environmental justice.
As the presentation shifted to current issues, SBB explained that the deal negotiated with BASF—now the owner of the pollution site—and announced by the New Jersey DEP three years ago was intended to address decades of land and water contamination. However, the organization argues that the agreement, crafted without input from the towns most affected, falls short and raises serious concerns about transparency, equity, and environmental justice