Public speakers urge county to block Wawarsing landfill; legislature refers resolution back to committee, 12-10

Hundreds of residents and property owners urged the Ulster County Legislature on April 15 to oppose any landfill sited near Wawarsing and to press the Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency to pursue zero-waste and alternative technologies.

Public comment was dominated by speakers who described wells that supply household water, concern about odors and property values, and long-term health and environmental justice risks. Reuben Bouchard of Greenfield Park told the legislature, "no to the dump in Worsing," and called for "experts with other ideas, implementing new technology." Lauren Salvey, who said her home is “more or less right in between the Milk Road and Brown Road sites,” urged legislators to follow Sullivan County’s bipartisan condemnation earlier in the year and "do the right thing and pass this resolution." Kenneth Cook, identifying himself as "a member of the Onondaga Nation from the Haudenosaunee Confederacy," warned of the cultural and environmental stakes, saying "We took care of [these lands] for 12,000 years." Several other speakers — including farmers, homeowners and representatives of local 0-waste efforts — said they fear groundwater contamination, losing homes and community identity.

The public comment period also included testimony from James (Jim) Gordon, who identified himself as chairman of the Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency (UCRRA). Gordon asked the legislature not to short-circuit the process and described UCRRA’s activities…