Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat News
The Newsletter of the Great Lakes
Aquatic Habitat Network and Fund
The Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat News is the newsletter of the Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat Network and Fund, published five times per year. The News is intended to provide a forum for the free exchange of ideas among citizens and organizations working to protect aquatic habitats in the Great Lakes Basin.
Volume 15, Number 4 • Winter 2007
Lake Ontario
Basin Update - U.S. Side
Expansion of Hazardous Waste Facility Threatens Lake Ontario
By Charles Lamb, Residents for Responsible Government
Chemical Waste Management (CWM), a subsidiary of the giant
Waste Management Inc., has filed an application with the New
York Department of Environmental Conservation for a new
hazardous waste landfill, which is essentially an “expansion” of
their existing facility in Model City, New York near Niagara Falls–
only threemiles fromLake Ontario. Ironically, this is 10miles north
of Love Canal, where the discovery of toxic waste buried beneath
the neighborhood led to an evacuation of 700 families in the late
1970s.
Residents for Responsible Government (RRG) is organizing an
opposition to the “expansion” starting with efforts to alert the
public to the problemand to bring pressure on our lawmakers and
governmental agencies to help us protect the Great Lakes and
make our communities healthier. Specifically, Residents for
Responsible Government concerns with the CWM expansion
include:
- Health threats to the community;
- Impacts to Lake Ontario; and
- Lack of oversite and enforcement of regulations at the facility.
The rate of many types of cancers near the CWM facility is greater
than statewide averages. We are a residential and farming
community with health statistics more resembling a chemical or
nuclear area. Dr.David Carpenter of the Institute of Health and the
Environment of the State University of New York at Albany says,
“Our research studies have clearly demonstrated that living near
to a hazardous waste site poses a danger of exposure to chemicals
and the development of adverse health effects.”
The site also contains unexamined atomic bomb production
wastes from the Manhattan Project. RRG believes that further
expansion of the CWM site poses an unfair risk to those who live
near this site.
CWM has a pollution permit from the NY Department of
Environmental Conservation to discharge pollution to the Niagara
River. Recent discharges resulted in large areas of foam as shown
in the photograph. The Department of Environmental
Conservation responded to the “foam” stating that “this is clearly
violating permit conditions and we are considering whether or not
to take action.” The impacts to the Niagara River from the
discharge are not known. RRG is hopeful that the NY Department
of Environmental Conservation will make the right choice to
enforce permit requirements.
Although the NY Department of Environmental Conservation
hasn’t acted strongly on the “foam” incident yet, RRG has
definitely seen an improvement of better enforcement and more
strict requirements for radiation testing and monitoring. Trucks
entering the landfillmust pass by a school, but are prohibited from
passing during hours when the students are in school. With the
school board’s request to local law enforcement the “black out”
time for waste trucks is being enforced, helping to protect the
students in the area. These small victories show that public
involvement makes a difference.
RRG is hopeful that we will be able to prevent the expansion. If
enough people rally to the cause, we know we can win, stop the
pollution of the Great Lakes and protect our environment. We
believe that the CWM expansion is not just a local issue but of
international concern to all of the Great Lakes.
You Can Help!
Publicity: Alert your community to the threats and send letters to
let the NY Department of Environmental Conservation know that
this is an international concern.
Alliances: With the help of the Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat
Network and Fund and the Sierra Club, we are getting the word
out. We would welcome your help too.
Funds: Contributions will help us with communications and
attorneys fees.
To lend a hand or for more information contact:
Charles Lamb, Residents for Responsible Government
P.O. Box 262 • Youngstown, NY 14174
clamb9@roadrunner.com;
716-745-7037 • www.rrg-wny.org
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