Editor, The Spotlight;
Property owners with wells need to be informed about how Albany County will try to protect their water and wells when Kinder Morgan starts blasting for its new pipeline.
Albany County Legislator Mike Mackey, who represents parts of the towns of New Scotland and Bethlehem, will be introducing a bill that would require Kinder Morgan, upon the request of a well owner, to pay for a water test before blasting begins. If the well owner perceives a difference in quantity and quality after blasting, the company will be required to test the well again, and if it is determined that the well and/or water deteriorated, the company would have to pay for repairs.
Four towns will be affected by the blasting: Bethlehem, Knox, Berne and New Scotland. Only Bethlehem has not passed a resolution supporting Mr. Mackey’s bill.
This bill will not raise taxes. It will not cost towns any money. It will only protect homeowners. Although the company will be required to pay for the testing, that amount is negligible compared to the cost of the overall project.
According to Charlie Sullivan, a retired Department of Environmental Conservation attorney who helped draft Mr. Mackey’s bill, NYS’s blasting standards are based not on drinking water supply protection, but on the avoidance of cosmetic damage to structures. Blasters often state that blasting does not affect drinking water supplies or quality; anecdotal experience to the contrary. That is why we need before-and-after definitive proof of damage, the expense of which should be borne by the blaster, not the homeowner.
A destroyed well has significant economic impacts. Just ask Doug LaGrange, a local dairy farmer and a member of the New Scotland Town Board, who had to pay for three extra well pumps due to fouled water the last time Kinder Morgan came through New Scotland.
When Bill Reinhardt, Bethlehem Town Board member, came to speak to the Town of New Scotland’s Democratic Committee about running for County Legislature, he told us he was both an environmentalist and a progressive energy candidate. He clearly said that he supports Mr. Mackey’s bill and would introduce a resolution before the Bethlehem Town Board that reflected the Town’s support. I am concerned that he may no longer intend to do so.
There will be two public hearings, opportunities to tweak the bill when it comes before the County Legislature. The first one is April 13. If you own a well and might be affected by the Kinder Morgan blasting, please contact Bethlehem Town Board Supervisor John Clarkson; and members Joann Dawson, Jeffrey Kuhn, Bill Reinhardt and Julie Sasso.
It is important for all the towns affected by the blasting to endorse this bill before the entire membership of the Albany County Legislature.
Edie Abrams
Slingerlands
