[SustainableTompkins] Water Rights and Land Fill Effects

Mon Mar 3 08:26:09 PST 2008

I think it's widely assumed that our rail system isn't up to the task. 
In this case, I wonder if it wasn't an oversight or whether other 
considerations weighed against a rail decision, such as the resource 
having been already allocated elsewhere.

Jon recently told me that Bill Gates is a major investor in the 
Canadian rail system. I wish he or someone with his bucks would invest 
in ours, before it's too late.

Bethany

Joel and Sarah Gagnon wrote:
> 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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