By Jamie Roice
TINY TOWNSHIP, Ontario: On July 23, 2009, 2,500 people rallied to create a petition for a one-year halt of construction of the North Simcoe landfill (aka Dumpsite 41).
Watch protesters of Tiny Township face off against Ontario Provincial Police (above).
Almost two months later, on September 22, Simcoe County Counselors voted 26 to 3 in favor of the dump site moratorium.
In May of 2009, Simcoe County Council approved preliminary work on Dumpsite 41.
Following preliminary construction, locals began to complain of “murky water.”
Dumpsite 41 is located above the Alliston Aquifers whose waters are considered by scientists to be, “some of the cleanest drinking water in the world.”
Critics worry the landfill will compromise the quality of the underground reservoir’s drinking water.
The one-year building restriction did not halt the proposed landfill, but a private-members bill—if approved—would revoke the dump’s Certificate of Approval and halt the landfill for good.
Like the Canadian citizens of Tiny Township, Nevadans face a similar conflict. The proposed Humboldt County Landfill (aka Jungo Road Dump) will be built 28 miles West of Winnemucca, Nev., atop an active aquifer in the desert playa.
Those in opposition to the Jungo Road Dump are concerned with potential fugitive dust, water contamination and wildlife impacts. They argue current studies conducted by Recology–a waste management company from San Francisco, Calif.–ignore these concerns.
Conversely, advocates of the landfill argue the site would create jobs, bring revenue of up to $ 1 million per year in fees and potentially create a recycling center.
In an editorial in a February 13 issue of Silver Pinyon Journal, Dee Holzel wrote the San Francisco waste company claimed to have met state and federal guidelines and would not fund further research.
“Recology has declined to fund an environmental impact review because they’re already doing everything that is required of them by State and Federal regulations,” Holzel wrote.
<META name=”y_key” content=”8e9227db13027b7f”> Holzel
