ZBA VOTES SONG MOUNTAIN OUT OF BUSINESS!
Fri Nov 07, 12:27:28 AM
Well, not exactly, but the end result is the same. What they did do was vote to allow Song Mountain to use the well WITHOUT the protections we require so that our wells will not go dry. I'll bet at this point that you can't quite understand what the hell I'm talking about. Here are links to the pages from 2001 about this issue:
Song Mountain Huge Snow making well 12/3/2001: "OK I'm pissed, but why?"
Song Mountain Huge Snow making well 12/3/2001: "Song Mountain Documents 12/3/01"
Dean Smith's Planning Board FAILS to provide citizen's wells protection! 5/1/2: "OUT OF BUSINESS"
Here is the list from the above page:
The following list is what we require and demand for Song Mountain's use of our water.
1. The permit for the well should note that it is for backup purposes only.
2. Monitoring equipment available to any Preble resident or surrogate at any time during normal business hours that the mountain is open.
3. Monitoring on a daily basis when the well is in use.
4. Copy of the well's NiMo bill and all monitoring reports sent to the town hall for public view each month that the well is used. Town clerk will keep these records as part of the town's permanent records and make them available to citizens.
5. Song's potable (drinking) well pump raised as per USGS's Bill Kappel's recommendation so that Songs potable well will be the first to fail if they over use their big well. Access to the potable well at any time to verify that this has been done and has not been altered.
6. Well calibration needs to be done when water is at it's lowest. Jan/Feb.
7. All impacted wells property owners need to be notified and included in this process and records need to be shared with home owners and county health dept. for Songs drinking well
8. 90 percent recovery needs to be met between well withdrawals. We need to have an independent source watching. 90 percent from original depth line or else you have a step down effect and every time you start up you are closer to the cut off but without clear wording. Song would be just moving the 2 foot safety margin and you could draw wells down
9. We have to have the shut off process clearly defined for the big well. Currently it is not done at all. We have to define who is called. When are they called and the conditions needed and who turns it back on.
10. The monitoring has to continue for 10 years as outlined by the USGS and not just the 3 years required by the SRBC The SRBC is going to make money on this while the USGS will not. Also the USGS has a local office while the SRBC is in Pa. Bill Kappel of the USGS says we need 10 years to get a handle on the long term impact, if any. I trust the USGS far more than the SRBC.
Now it's up to Song Mountain. If they do these simple things then they can use the water. If not then we will protect our water even if that means that Song goes out of business.
