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A Lakewood site with thousands of trash bags of sacred Jewish items has raised concerns from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and area residents because of its proximity to drinking water wells.

DEP officials met with Rabbi Chaim Abadi on April 12 to find a ''better, more permanent option'' for over 2,000 bags of Jewish text, ritual clothing, and other items that have been deposited in a large hole on a wooded property at the end of a loose dirt path off Vermont Avenue, Wolf Skacel, DEP assistant commissioner of compliance and enforcement, told The Jewish State.

Abadi organized the drop-off site in the days leading up to Passover to prepare the items -- called shaimos -- for proper burial according to Jewish law. DEP issued Abadi a notice of violation on April 1, giving him 15 days to choose one of three options: clean up the site, move the bags to a more suitable location that isn't near drinking water wells, or present an alternate plan of action.

For now, ''the material has been covered with soil and just remains deposited there for the time being,'' Skacel said. Some of the bags are broken, creating concern over chemicals coming from bags with items other than paper, he said.

''This has the potential to impact the quality of people's drinking water in the area,'' Skacel said.

Abadi didn't return several calls requesting comment by press time.

Scott Wegeman, whose backyard on Albert Avenue is directly behind the burial site, explained that all residents in the area have private drinking wells, and ''if there is a problem with our well we pay out of our own pocket'' for water testing.

''This is an environmental issue,'' Wegeman said. ''We are not trying to do anything against anyone's religion at all.''

Skacel said DEP is trying to do what's best for public health and safety while at the same time respecting the religious sensitivity of the situation. From an environmental perspective, he said the site is ''inappropriate'' and that ''a hole in the woods is not the best way to do this.'' In the past, sacred Jewish items have been deposited at local cemeteries, and that is perfectly legal, Skacel said.

Besides for cleaning up the site or finding an alternate location, another option for Abadi would be obtaining a license to operate a sanitary landfill off Vermont Avenue. However, that process entails gaining approval from Ocean County officials, hydrolic testing, and engineering designs -- all of which would take at least a year and possibly two, officials said.

Once Abadi responds to the notice of violation, he will be given time to implement his plan of action as long as he meets deadlines along the way, officials said.

''We believe that we owe the rabbi the courtesy of some additional brief period of time,'' John Kastner, director of county environmental and waste enforcement, said.