Sludge Watch ==> Stephentown NY - papersludge and sewage sludge in big hole= leachate issue and odor

[Maureen Reilly]

     http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=504870&category=REGION&newsdate=8/2/2006


            Mine neighbors breathing easier 
            Residents back off threat of legal action as tests show wells clean  
              
            By BOB GARDINIER, Staff writer 
            Click byline for more stories by writer. 
            First published: Wednesday, August 2, 2006 
           
            STEPHENTOWN -- West Road residents are breathing easier this summer after enduring a big stink a year ago from work that was meant to turn an abandoned gravel mine back to grassland. 
            A half-dozen residents who live near the rural site just off Route 22 have also backed off on taking legal action over the odors and orange-colored runoff.
           
     


      We were considering it, but it is just too expensive for any of us living here," said Jim Cummings, whose home is within sight of the work at the abandoned Carr Pit gravel mine. 

      Tests of six wells at homes around the project area have also apparently not shown high levels of pollutants. 

      "From what I can tell my well seems fine, but they are going to continue testing," Cummings said. 

      Synagro Technologies Inc. of Houston received permission from the state Department of Environmental Conservation in 2004 to reclaim the huge hole in the ground. To do this, the company combined on-site soils with short paper fibers and biosolids, a pelletized byproduct from sewage treatment plants in New York City. 

      The process, which has been used in 16 other states and is approved by the Environmental Protection Agency, was meant to turn the earth, scarred from decades of gravel mining, back to 18 acres of grassland. 

      Last year, neighbors in the rural area were unaware the reclamation was under way until fetid odors forced many to close their windows during the summer heat. Even sitting outside in the backyard was impossible some days and nights, they said last year. 

      DEC investigated and discovered that workers were dumping large piles of short paper products and biosolids and leaving the piles for periods of time when they should have been mixed into the soil right away. 

      Cummings said there is no stink this summer and grass is starting to grow on the project site. However, residents are still concerned with an orangish runoff from the site. 

      One resident, Paula Dibble, took a large jar of the liquid to a recent Town Board meeting. "She just plopped it on a table where everyone could see it," Cummings said. 

      DEC at first said was naturally occurring iron oxide or rust but later admitted it could be the result of a reaction involving the chemicals in either the paper or biosolids. 

      As a result, a plan has been initiated to test wells every three months for any signs of runoff from the site, town officials said. 

      In January, the town filed a notice of claim with the state Court of Claims against the DEC, a motion that preserves the town's right to later file a formal lawsuit if they deem it necessary. 

      The claim says the state was negligent in its oversight of the work, which allegedly led to migration of runoff from the site onto adjacent lands and waterways. 

      The company has repeatedly said in meetings with residents, town officials and the state that the process is well tested in other states where it is permitted and has been determined safe. 

      Bob Gardinier can be reached at 454-5696 or by e-mail at bgardinier at timesunion.com. 
     
        
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