No Way To Run A Railroad

To the Editor:

As neighbors to the Housatonic Railroad Company’s Shepaug Solid Waste Transfer Facility in Hawleyville, we would like to voice our opposition to the “planned” facility. It appears that while the application for the construction and operation is under review, the Housatonic Railroad is not letting the current lack of approval dissuade them from moving ahead with their expansions. Noise levels have increased in recent weeks with activity there starting as early as 6 am. Stockpiled mounds of demolition debris have grown, and low lying wet areas are being filled in with unknown materials.

The site is located in a basin surrounded by hills. Streams, ponds, and marshy areas here feed into Pond Brook, a tributary to the Housatonic River. Just 200 or so feet away is a pond and marsh that is home to beaver and heron. Raccoon, opossum, fox, turkey, deer, coyote, marten, and even an occasional black bear enjoy this scenic refuge. The expansion area for the facility where the fill and rubble is being placed extends northward toward a stream flowing from the pond which later joins Pond Brook near Currituck Road. This stream is an environmental study location for area schools and trout release site for the Trout In The Classroom Program.

The site is located in an aquifer primary recharge area for the Pond Brook region. The potential contamination and health impact from these operations is a serious concern for all persons in that region. Residues, demolition debris containing lead paint, creosote, oil and grease from machinery can all affect surface and groundwater quality.

The permit application raises other questions. What will happen to storm and other runoff? Will it be allowed to percolate into the soil and groundwater or into nearby waterways? What are these wood products that may be stored and ground up? Are fire extinguishers sufficient to deal with a scrap tire fire? It also includes ambiguous points about how the facility will be constructed. We question the assertion in the permit application that the facility is more than 500 feet from any residence.

While we recognize that there is a need to deal with waste materials, this site is certainly not an appropriate location for such a facility. There are much better options already operating in western Connecticut for handling this waste. The Housatonic Railroad’s 2007 wetlands violations and current actions do not give us a comfortable feeling that they will be conscientious environmental stewards or contributing citizens of Hawleyville. To the contrary, they appear to be hiding behind a claim of “railroad related activity” to avoid the normal zoning reviews and regulatory oversight. Is this a railroad activity? Or is it a waste handling activity? We say the latter and urge a cease and desist order. We also encourage our neighbors to step forward and voice their concerns to Attorney General Blumenthal and the Department of Environmental Protection, the state department charged with either approving or denying the Housatonic Railroad’s permit application.

Dr Helga Jensen Ruopp

James Ruopp

46 Hawleyville Road, Newtown                                         July 1, 2009