Help Prevent Spreading of Radioactive Frack Fluid on Putnam's Roads
March 5, 2013
Riverkeeper Team
Hydraulic fracturing in the Marcellus Shale produces millions of gallons of radioactive waste fluid, which is currently allowed to be spread on roads in 16 counties in New York State and which could be introduced into Putnam County, endangering the health and safety of Putnam residents.
Although the future of high volume hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) in New York State remains uncertain, drilling in Pennsylvania and Ohio and low volume fracking activities in upstate New York currently produce waste that contains heavy metals and naturally occurring radioactive materials. These contaminants, including radium-226, are linked to cancer and birth defects and are extremely difficult to remove once they have permeated drinking water supplies. Drilling operators in other states dispose of some fracking waste fluid by sending it to waste water treatment plants, and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) proposed fracking plan contemplates the receipt of fracking waste at treatment plants as one disposal option. Currently in New York, this waste can be spread on roads for use as a deicer or dust control agent if special permission is obtained from DEC. Fracking waste spread on roads can run off into school playgrounds, residential properties, and farmland, and can ultimately contaminate rivers, streams, and underground aquifers that feed local drinking water supplies. Westchester, Ulster, and Suffolk Counties have already passed legislation banning the use of fracking waste on roads and, in Westchester, Nassau, and Suffolk Counties, prohibiting its acceptance at waste water treatment plants.
Putnam residents: You can prevent contamination of Putnam's water, air, and land now and in the future by urging your County legislator to support a bill that prohibits the acceptance of fracking waste by waste water treatment plants and bans its use on County roads, and by testifying before the County Board of Legislators as a Putnam resident who supports this legislation.
Call your legislator today, express your concern about the negative impacts of fracking waste on human health, and ask them to support the proposed legislation to ban the sale, application, and disposal of radioactive fracking waste product in the County. You can also attend the Board of Legislators’ meeting on Wednesday, March 6, and express your support for this crucial legislation to protect the health and safety of County residents.
When: Wednesday, March 6th, 7:00 PM
Where: Historic Courthouse, 40 Gleneida Avenue, Carmel, NY 10512
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