[SustainableTompkins] Water Rights and Land Fill Effects

[Joel and Sarah Gagnon]

Why isn't anyone asking why bulk commodity transport like this isn't going 
by rail?

Joel

At 07:16 AM 3/3/08 -0500, you wrote:
>Hi Jan,
>
>Regarding Seneca Meadows, aka Mount Trashmore, the site is engineered
>with an impermeable layering system which seals the landfill off from
>the groundwater that flows into Cayuga lake.  Redundancy is built into
>the engineering plan, which is really state-of-the-art in waste fill
>management.  The landfill hosts an annual open house every fall and
>tours are available any time throughout the year, if you want to learn more.
>
>The issue of the trucks on 89 is problematic.  The plan was to have
>trucks take the Thruway to Seneca Falls, but as fares have gone up on
>the highway, drivers are taking the secondary routes to save costs.  I
>think some citizen advocacy could probably be used to reset the
>expectations there.
>
>Whether Seneca Falls should be a regional landfill brings up a larger
>question:  where do our large cities put their waste?  Regional
>landfills situated off a major highway with sealed layers to protect
>groundwater is the current answer.  But for those living near the
>landfill this solution seems like urban exploitation of a rural resource
>(space), which the monetary incentive is supposed to compensate the
>community for.  Maybe that's not a fair trade?
>
>Also, did you know that the methane produced from Seneca Meadows is
>going to be used to heat greenhouses?  I believe that program is going
>live this year.
>
>Best,
>
>Katie Q-J
>
>
>
>Jan Quarles wrote:
> > I'm concerned about the land fill(s) surrounding Cayuga Lake, and their
> > effects on our water quality. We have one of NY's largest right here in
> > Seneca County. You can't miss it on your way up to the NY Thruway; it's a
> > giant mountain. It's euphemistically called "Seneca Meadows," but us 
> locals
> > refer to it as "Mount Trashmore." Seneca Falls gets big bucks for 
> importing
> > tons of garbage daily from PA, NJ, MA and NYC. Seeing all these huge 
> trucks
> > on Rte 89 every day, I got concerned about all this unfiltered garbage
> > coming into our region. It's enough of a challenge to deal with our own
> > garbage! I am especially concerned because we pump water directly from the
> > lake, and use it to water our big organic veggie garden. When I read last
> > Spring that they're expanding Mt. Trashmore, I contacted the Cayuga Lake
> > Watershed Network (CLWN) to see if Sharon Anderson (Steward of CLWN) knew
> > anything about its effect on Cayuga Lake. She wrote back that it's being
> > monitored by the EPA. This doesn't satisfy me, though, because we all know
> > that the Bush Admin. appointed the foxes to watch the hen houses. Does
> > anyone know about any info or citizen action on this issue?
> >
> > I also asked Sharon about the issue of WATER RIGHTS  -- i.e., the
> > probability that private companies like CocaCola will try to purify and 
> sell
> > bottled water en masse from the lake, as companies are already doing in 
> Lake
> > Michigan and in thousands of towns in America. She said the CLWN 
> doesn't get
> > involved with that aspect of water. I think there's some action on the 
> State
> > level -- some proposed legislation to pre-empt private ownership of our
> > watershed, which, in my mind, belongs to us all as "the commons." I'm part
> > of "Back To Democracy" (based in Trumansburg) and we'd like to convene a
> > public meeting about water rights, as well as the effects of the land fill
> > and all this imported garbage on the lake, so if anyone has info on local
> > people who are working on these problems, it would be great connect with
> > them. One issue for citizens who surround the lake is: Why should Seneca
> > Falls benefit financially while our bodies pay the price?
> >
> > I saw a recent article in the Ithaca Times about a group of citizens
> > (including Robert Barton) who are mobilizing to address their concerns 
> about
> > the spreading of tons of sludge on our region's farmlands.
> >
> > I am grateful to be part of a concerned community and to be able to
> > communicate through this list serve. It's a wonderful means by which we 
> can
> > exercise our right to assemble in order to promote sustainability!
> >
> > - Jan
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Joel and Sarah Gagnon" <Joel.and.Sarah.Gagnon at lightlink.com>
> > To: "Sustainable Tompkins County listserv"
> > <sustainabletompkins at lists.mutualaid.org>
> > Sent: Thursday, February 28, 2008 12:46 PM
> > Subject: Re: [SustainableTompkins] why save water?
> >
> >
> >
> >> The city water source issue is more complicated than implied. Six Mile
> >> Creek water is often turbid. The chemicals used to clear the water have an
> >> associated environmental impact from their production and then disposal.
> >> That needs to be weighed against the energy cost of pumping lake water
> >> uphill to storage. Either way, conservation reduces environmental impact.
> >>
> >> Joel
> >>
> >
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