By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Thursday, February 21, 1991
The Record (New Jersey) | Four Star B | NEWS | Page B02
Woodcliff Lake police are waiting for relatives to reclaim a canister containing the ashen remains of a Westwood resident.
A Hackensack Water Co. maintenance crew found the canister on the bank of the Woodcliff Lake Reservoir.
It was the wish of the deceased, whom police declined to identify, that her remains be scattered over the reservoir, said Woodcliff Lake Police Capt. Richard Poliey.
“They just didn’t use the proper procedure or contact the water company for permission,” Poliey said.
Martha Green, a Hackensack Water Co. spokeswoman, said that, much as the water company respects a person’s last wish, this was one she thought the company could not grant.
“This comes somewhat as a surprise to me that that is how it got there. I haven’t seen a formal request, and I don’t think that is something that we could or would grant a request for. “
Poliey said he didn’t know how long the canister had been in the water or when it washed ashore.
The canister was sealed and the ashes did not get into the water, Green said. Workers found the canister while cleaning the bank of the reservoir Friday.
Woodcliff Lake is a storage reservoir that feeds the larger Oradell Reservoir, where the Hackensack Water Co. draws water for treatment and purification, before piping it to customers in 60 towns in Bergen and Hudson counties.
Keywords: WESTWOOD; WOMAN; DEATH; WOODCLIFF LAKE; LAKE; WATER; SUPPLY; UTILITY
ID: 17333835 | Copyright © 1991, The Record (New Jersey)
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