Goshen board finds IWS DEIS incomplete after residents raise water and leachate concerns

The Town of Goshen Board of Supervisors voted July 24 to deem the draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) submitted by Industrial Waste Solutions (IWS) incomplete and returned it to the applicant for revision, after receiving written comments from the town engineer, the town’s environmental review board (ERB) and board members.

The vote followed extended public comment and questions from board members and residents about stormwater routing, leachate from on-site asphalt and trucks, soils testing and the use of off-site parcels for stormwater and storage. Resident Jermaine said the DEIS omitted what he described as “a fracture trace” that could connect the site to the village well and groundwater. He warned, “If there is enough leachate going in there, ultimately we drink it here in the village.”

Why it matters: The board must determine whether the DEIS contains the information required for a substantive environmental review; deeming the document incomplete triggers a formal response to the applicant and gives the applicant 30 days to reply. The decision affects whether the town can move forward with permitting and whether downstream water users and neighbors will receive…