December 2007   Special Edition 

 

The Belleayre Resort review process resumes:
PUBLIC COMMENTS on the Scope of the project must be submitted  NOW

 

Stand up and be heard. the Resort is not a done deal. If you sit back and let George do it, nothing will be done. Dig out those old letters and e-mails, the issues are the same and must be resubmitted to be included. Do not put this off,  the deadline for comments has been extended  to January 14 2008 and will not be extended again.
By law, the NYS DEC, as lead agency for the environmental review process, must provide an opportunity for the public to identify any potentially adverse environmental impact.  Be as specific and concise as possible, ask that studies be done, and for verification of the developer's claims. Only the issues raised during scoping can be considered during the review. That's why it is so important for you to write now. Please encourage others to write also. It is vital to point out all issues at this time, so that they will be included in the review process.

 

The issue involves a private development - the proposed construction and operation of the Wildacres Resort and Highmount Spa Resort complex by Crossroads Ventures - and related proposals by the Department of Environmental Conservation itself: the expansion of the state-owned Belleayre Mountain Ski Center, including "ski-in, ski-out" access to the developer's proposed Highmount Spa Resort; the acquisition of a 1,200-acre parcel known as Big Indian; and the acquisition of the 78-acre former Highmount Ski Center and a 21-acre easement on the Highmount Spa property.

 

 

Preserving the amount of open space in the Catskill Watershed is a paramount issue if Trout are to survive!

 

Before the Department can consider any approval for the Proposed Resort at Belleayre a study of the effect on the intermittent streams located on the property should be considered. The current proposal describes roads crossing and adjacent to streams that are important to the fishery in the Watershed.  Intermittent streams are used for spawning and rearing of trout. In addition the insect life in these streams is washed downstream and becomes an important nutrient for the fish population of a watershed.

 

 

 

Water Quality: The project site is located within two major watersheds and contains streams that flow into the Pepacton Reservoir in Delaware County and the Ashokan Reservoir in Ulster County. Several high quality protected streams are located within or in close proximity to the project site, and are tributary to streams of regional and statewide importance.

 

Resort construction will occur on slopes exceeding 10 –15%, and much of the Belleayre Mountain Ski Center expansion work would occur on steep slopes. Thus, storm water runoff during construction and operation of BMSC and the Crossroads' projects will contribute to degradation of these streams unless significant stormwater management facilities and practices are incorporated into designs and operational protocols at each site.

 

Water Supply: The resort development will require approximately 195,000 gallons per day of potable water. The expansion of the ski trail system will require additional water supplies for snow making. Existing groundwater and surface water resources will be affected due to this increased demand. Alternative sources to meet this increased demand should be identified, and the potential impacts on existing water resources and other water supply systems should be compared and evaluated.

 

The project will also generate approximately 255,000 gallons per day of sanitary wastewater requiring treatment prior to disposal. The BMSC and the resort both propose to use the existing New York City  Pine Hill Wastewater Treatment plant to provide wastewater treatment. To accommodate the total wastewater volumes, infrastructure upgrades should be evaluated. The effectiveness of the proposed solutions, and possible alternatives, should be explored. What results can be expected if the proposed waste treatment plants fail just once? Remember the backup treatment for the Pine Hill waste treatment plant is chlorine. The last time the City of New York released chlorine into the Esopus Creek the fish kill was simply horrific.

 

The project intends to remove potable water from one watershed and after use transfer it to another watershed in the form of waste water.  A clear violation of the clean water act. See Catskill Mountains Chapter of Trout Unlimited, Inc. v. City of New York, 273 F.3d 481 (2d Cir. 2001).

 

According to the EPA, and other national surveys, 75% of all pollutants come from sprawl: asphalt roads, strip malls and other impervious surfaces. The leading causes of water quality impairment are:

 

Sediments: especially from construction site runoff.

 

Stormwater runoff from  building construction at the Hanna Country Club located on Rt 30 in Margaretville deposited pollutants into the East Branch of the Delaware River, which flows through the property. "ONLY" five acres on top of a ridge were subject to construction at one time. Three rain events brought sediment cascading downhill and into the East Branch of the Delaware River.

 

Nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen:
Excess nutrients especially nitrogen and phosphorus compounds over-stimulate the growth of aquatic weeds and algae. Aquatic weeds and algae out-compete the native submerged aquatic vegetation and can smother habitat used by the aquatic fauna. Decomposition of excess weeds and algae can lead to oxygen depletion. 

 

Algae bloom will lead to decreased sunlight and dead plant life suffocating invertebrates

 

Pesticides:
Pesticides kill DNA of living organisms; even small amounts can cause sickness in humans.

 

Pathogens: 
Pathogens  disease causing microbes, including Cryptosporidium and Giardia, which are resistant to chlorination and that generally come from human wastes.

 

Temperature
Heated runoff, as well as the high temperature of effluent expected to be discharged from the Pine Hill waste treatment plant into Birch Creek can result in fish kills

 

Heavy metals such as mercury, copper, lead, and zinc
Use of heavy equipment, increased automobile, and truck traffic will substantially increase the absorption of copper, lead, and zinc into the soil. Wear of brake linings, as well as wearing of tires on vehicles on site will raise levels of zinc substantially. Fuel emissions from both gasoline and diesel engines will add concentrations of copper into the soil, most of which can be expected to leach into nearby waterways.

 

The scoping document is to outline the issues that should be included in a draft supplemental environmental impact statement on the proposed development. If you want issues that are important to you included you must submit your comments in writing.

 

Written comments may be mailed to Daniel Whitehead, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Division of Environmental Permits, 625 Broadway, Albany, N.Y. 12233-1750, or e-mailed to wildacre@gw.dec.state.ny.us. The words "Scoping -Belleayre" should be written in the subject line of the e-mail.

 

 

 

 

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 See you on the stream       Till next time         Hank Rope       Big Indian  NY           December 11, 2007