Dive Brief:
- Seneca Falls, NY has proposed a waste disposal law to ban the construction of solid waste facilities as well as to prohibit their commenced or continued operation in that town. The proposal elaborates that Seneca Falls wants to protect its people from "deleterious effects of air and water pollution, odors, traffic, noise, dust, litter and vectors from the management and disposal of solid waste ...," according to Finger Lakes Times.
- The measure must first be presented at a public hearing that has not been scheduled, though county board of supervisors member Steve Churchill urged the board to move forward.
- Seneca Meadows, the state's largest landfill, would remain exempt under its operating permit, which ends Oct. 10, 2017.
Dive Insight:
The town's concerns in this long running battle, run deep and at the top of the list are potential ground water and surface water contamination, cost incurred should there be a problem, and for that matter whether remediation is possible.
Seneca Meadows has offered possible solutions, including gas wells at the site to deal with the odor issues. So far, residents have not been appeased and the legal maneuvers continue.
The law would give officials more control and thus arm them with the ability to protect their municipality beyond the limits of the state law. They would have the option to charge violators with a Class A misdemeanor with a fee up $10,000 or a year in jail— on top of a civil penalty.
