DEC fines Saranac Lake $1,500 for sand-salt pile
By the Enterprise staffArticle Links
» Adirondack Council withdraws lawsuit threat against villageSARANAC LAKE - The village of Saranac Lake must pay a $1,500 fine - $1,000 less than it anticipated - and take steps to prevent further environmental impacts from its salt/sand pile, state Department of Environmental Conservation Region 5 Director Betsy Lowe announced Friday.
The order of consent went into effect Thursday and requires that the village pay a $1,500 fine with another $3,500 suspended, provided the village meets the scheduled requirements.
Village board members complained at their meeting Monday about the fine, which they expected to be $2,500, and the DEC's switch from apparent complicity to crackdown after the Adirondack Council, an environmental advocacy group, made widespread headlines by threatening to sue the village if it didn't stop the pile's seepage. The Council also criticized the DEC, saying it had done nothing about the situation and thereby failed to enforce Environmental Conservation Law.
The DEC order also requires the village to obtain a SPDES general permit for stormwater discharges by Aug. 1, which requires incorporation of "best management practices" for all operational and maintenance activities. The village must advise the DEC by Oct. 30 which of the following courses of action it plans to follow: Construct a salt/sand shed, construct an appropriate containment facility for storing the salt and sand, or permanently remove all salt and sand from the Van Buren Street facility. Construction of a shed or containment device must begin by May 1, 2010 and be completed by Aug. 1, 2010.
Failure to meet any of the deadlines can result in payment of part or all of the suspended fine and a requirement to remove all sand and salt from the Van Buren Street facility within 90 days of written notice from DEC.
"The Village is satisfied with the terms and conditions set forth in the Order and looks forward to working closely with DEC to achieve the best possible outcome" village Manager Marty Murphy said in a prepared statement issued by the DEC.
DEC said it took legal action against the village because earlier this year, a mixture of sand and salt had leaked from the salt/sand pile on Van Buren Street into a nearby creek, violating the Environmental Conservation Law and state regulations for water quality. The DEC also said it has been working with the village for three years, encouraging it to properly store its sand and salt, and providing technical assistance that helped the village land a $175,000 grant for the sand-salt shed - an effort stymied a year ago by a disagreement between village board members over where to build the shed. The DEC said it took enforcement action only after the shed effort became stalled and after a potential lawsuit against the village was announced.
The DEC noted that it has worked with the state Department of Transportation to cover and contain all 25 of DOT's salt/sand storage areas within the Adirondack Park.
According to the DEC, sand and salt can impact the environment, aquatic habitat and human health. Sand and salt are easily carried in runoff from unprotected stockpiles during rain storms and winter snowmelt and can be deposited in nearby water bodies.
Salt dissolves easily and can enter groundwater. High salt levels in water supplies can increase health risks, especially for people on restricted salt diets and/or those with high blood pressure and/or heart problems, the DEC said. Additionally, elevated salt levels can be corrosive on household plumbing and heating systems.
Sand can alter habitats at the bottom of water bodies, smother aquatic organisms that live in the sediments, damage fish spawning areas and provide a substrate that may promote excess plant growth.
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07-14-09 6:49 AM
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If the town and village can share a shed, why not share a sand pile? After all, they are within sight of each other duplicating their services. Just use up the sand in the Village pile first! This will cost nothing and be the first step toward eliminating the duplication of function of two departments situated within sight of each other.
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datainttoobadnow
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07-13-09 9:19 PM
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Any government body is easy to beat, it,s the affirmative action part of that government that,s hard to beat.
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CaptCrunch
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07-12-09 9:26 AM
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Other than loading equipment, why is one huge centralized salt shed less costly or more efficient? Isn't the sand being spread over the entire town & village, seems like putting it all in one place "in the village" requires more transportation than placing a town shed at a major intersection removed from the village center? Smaller sheds might also me much cheaper than the huge single sheds needing such large roof spans.
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Villager
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07-11-09 3:19 PM
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Once again, why has VSL had be dragged kicking & screaming to take action on a salt shed. It's been talked about over and over and over and over and over again. Build it here, build it there, make the Town pay more of the cost, whine, moan, blah, blah, blah. There are salt sheds all over the north country, the need for them is painfully obvious and required. It ain't rocket science. JUST DO IT!!
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FishCric
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07-11-09 3:18 PM
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death is part of life. you know "basic Ecology" get a real education
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LinjiS
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07-11-09 2:56 PM
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There are dead lakes all over the Adirondacks.
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Outlaw63446
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07-11-09 2:44 PM
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Just remove all the sand and salt and stop sanding and salting the roads. The morons don't realize that ALL of the salt and sand applied to the roads ends up in the watershed somewhere, and always has. Mysteriously, all aqautic life in the Adirondacks has not vanished, and I doubt we lead the nation with deaths caused by excessive sodium. Isn't it interesting how it's ok to spend the money, as long as it comes from a GRANT, and is someone else's money. The DEC must use salt and sand somewhere to maintain "their" facilities. I'm sure they get SPEDES permits, develop "best practice" manuals, and cover the piles with sheds. Has anyone ever decided to develop a set of testicles and say NO to DEC? It's not easy to fight the fight, it's just the right thing to do.
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FishCric
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07-11-09 12:52 PM
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Advocacy and lobbying for land use planning and land protection. from their site They hawk these people at the elitist association meetings in the area. All lobbyists need unemployment experience. look at palosi's mice! founded 1975 (carter)
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LinjiS
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07-11-09 10:47 AM
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The underlying story may be that the DEC doesn't do its job, for whatever reason, until it can no longer get away with NOT doing its job.
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AntiLib
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07-11-09 9:09 AM
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The underlying story behind this fiasco is the DEC and APA are deathly afraid of a lawsuit coming from an Enviro-Nazi group such as the Adirondack Council.
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woohoo
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07-11-09 8:39 AM
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at what point will the salt level in lake colby support ocean life? i reccommend we stock it with sharks and throw dec, the adirondack council and mr keets in...
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