The Daily Campus

Issue date: 3/26/09 Section: Commentary

In Connecticut, much of the household garbage that is produced ends up in incinerators, but where do the incinerators send their garbage? If the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority has anything to say about it - which they do - the toxic ash from trash incinerators could end up in Franklin.

Ash from incinerated garbage contains a significant amount of heavy metals - like lead - and given the nature of ash, these harmful wastes could be distributed throughout a large area very quickly if the ash dump leaked. The proposed site of the dump in Franklin sits on top of an aquifer that could provide 4.2 million to 4.9 million gallons of clean drinking water per day if it was tapped for that purpose. If the dump is allowed to be completed, this will no longer be an option because of the possibility of hazardous waste leaking into the aquifer.

Besides that, the proposed dump site sits on the edge of the Quinebaug-Shetucket Heritage Corridor, also called The Last Green Valley. That location is a problem because TLGV is a tourist draw for central Massachusetts and eastern Connecticut. If an ash dump is constructed near the Shetucket River, there is a chance that the river could become contaminated by hazardous wastes from the dump. Since TLGV draws in boaters, cyclists, anglers and others interested in outdoor activities, pollution would be a crushing blow to the appeal of this location.

It's not just the pollution that people in this area should be concerned about. Anyone who has driven through Franklin knows that the biggest road through that town is Route 32. For those who don't know Route 32, it is a meandering, two-lane road that was basically laid out along old Native American trails running from Massachusetts to the Long Island Sound. While some areas may be suitable for heavy truck traffic, more rural areas along Route 32 - such as Franklin, Stafford Springs and Mansfield - certainly are not. If an ash dump were to be built in Franklin, Route 32 would have to be widened and overhauled to accommodate the new traffic. Even if this was done, the road would still require much more maintenance than it does now since more vehicles that are heavier than normal cause a road to wear down more quickly.

Even though the proposed ash dump would save Connecticut taxpayers $10 million annually on their ash disposal, it is not worth the cost in increased road maintenance, destruction of a pristine area or the loss of a large reserve of pure, fresh water. CRRA should reconsider their decision to place the ash dump in Franklin.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools