Residents press Ulster County officials to halt Milk Road landfill proposal; agency says RFP process ongoing

Dozens of residents from Wawarsing and neighboring communities told the Ulster County Legislature that a proposed landfill on Milk Road would threaten water, air and wildlife, and would harm property values and local quality of life.

Speakers described living near the site and raised health and environmental concerns including methane and other gases, “toxic leachate” that can reach aquifers, and the loss of wildlife habitat. Zach Cordwright said the project “is an environmental catastrophe waiting to happen” and warned that EPA and past Superfund designations show the long‑term risks of landfill contamination. Several speakers, including Anna Mott, cited the New York State Constitution’s 2022 “Green Amendment,” noting the state’s constitutional guarantee to a clean and healthful environment.

Property owners who addressed the legislature described personal and family ties to affected lands. Anthony Viera said his 10‑acre property has over 200 fruit trees planted by his late father and called the landfill “a personal assault on my family’s legacy.” Poppy Cannon Reese and other neighbors said increased truck traffic, seasonal traffic patterns, noxious odors and rodents would degrade neighborhood life and threaten tourism and local farms.

Speakers urged the county to consider alternatives to a landfill and to pursue waste‑management strategies such as capturing organics, expanding county food‑waste diversion and investing in biodigestion, comments echoed by Andrew Faust of the Rondout Creek Watershed Alliance. Reuben Bouchard and others connected environmental justice concerns to the proposal, noting Wawarsing’s existing public‑health burdens.

Mark Bridal, executive director of the Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency (UCRRA), responded to questions from the floor. Bridal said the agency’s request for proposals (RFP) process has drawn interest — “26 firms have at least downloaded” the RFP — and that selecting an engineer and performing studies will take time. He told the meeting the agency “does not plan on having any traffic studies or anything done before summer” and that the County would need to negotiate with property owners; he added that the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has updated rules that would bar use of eminent domain for a landfill and that the agency is not pursuing eminent‑domain acquisitions.

Why this matters: residents and local officials agree waste management must be addressed, but opponents say siting a landfill on Milk Road would impose disproportionate environmental and economic costs on nearby communities.

What the agency said: UCRRA confirmed the RFP is active and that further engineering, traffic and environmental review remain pending. Bridal offered contact information for follow‑up questions and said the process will include additional study and negotiation with landowners before any final site decision.

Ending: The public comment period produced broad opposition and specific requests for the county and UCRRA to pursue alternatives; the agency’s stated timetable and the RFP process mean formal decisions are not imminent.