Finger Lakes Group
Winter 2007 Newsletter
Padua Ridge Gravel Pit Expansion
by Kate Bartholomew
On May 23, 2007, DEC Region #8 released for public comment a permit application [DEC Project #8-4424-00006/00001] to expand gravel mining operations by It's Greener Now, Inc., by over 700%. The DEC acted as Lead Agency and had issued a Negative Declaration on the project's potential environmental impact.
The mine is located on Padua Ridge in Schuyler County on the hillside just to the west of the Village of Watkins Glen. The public comment period was subsequently expanded by 30 days after numerous agencies, local governments and individuals protested the lack of adequate notification. During the extended comment period, a significant number of concerns were raised by the Schuyler County Environmental Management Council, the Town of Dix, the Village of Watkins Glen, the Schuyler County Legislature, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, New York State Department of Transportation and NYS Senator George Winner.
Among the many relevant concerns raised were possible impacts on the local economy and ecology such as: diminished tourism revenue; traffic congestion, especially during peak tourist season events; road surface degradation; increased noise levels; diminished air and water quality; adverse affects on the spring-based hydrology of the hillside; inadequate storm water mitigation strategies, both now and in the future; reduced residential and commercial property values, especially in the immediate vicinity of the mine; disregard for the natural, cultural and historic value of Watkins Glen State Park, St. Mary's and Glenwood cemeteries, and the original Grand Prix Race Course, now listed on both New York State and National Historic Registries; and lack of alignment with and compliance to the Schuyler County Comprehensive Plan, among others. The one concern all parties were in accord with was the conviction that the DEC had not exercised due diligence by requiring a full EIS on the project and therefore should rescind its Negative Declaration and then execute a full EIS. Thanks to the volume and source of comments, the DEC sent a letter requesting additional information from the owner of the gravel mine to respond to issues raised by the various comment letters.
The one issue I especially wished to address is the failure of the project's Environmental Assessment to take into consideration the inherent and intrinsic value of the project area to the cultural and historic landscape of Schuyler County. Within the proposed area of mining expansion are two buried paleo-gorges, former routes of the Glen Creek prior to at least the last glacial cycle. These hidden watercourses and their respective hanging valleys and delta have remained relatively intact for the last 12,000 years and have become the source for several perennial mineral springs. The southern buried gorge, fed by both precipitation infiltration and water from Glen Creek, provides a channel for two mineral springs on the site. Senega and San Anton, while the northern channel, fed only by precipitation is the source for Glen Springs 1 and 2.
These springs were known and used by indigenous peoples from the Paleolithic forward until, in times of historic record, the Seneca were driven from the region by Sullivan's Campaign following the Revolutionary War. In the late 1800s, these springs became the focal point of Glen Springs Health Resort and Spa, opened by William E. Leffmgwell and visited by such notables as members of the Rockefeller, Roosevelt and Rothschild families. In fact, these springs and the Watkins Glen Gorge were the two attractions primarily responsible for the establishment of the Village of Watkins Glen. Many local residents waitressed or bussed at the hotel during their summers in high school. After closing as a spa in the 1940s, the property was purchased by the Order of the Franciscan Friars which, for a time ran an educational institution -Glen Springs Academy - out of the facility. Even after the academy closed but before the building became unfit for occupation, the Friars kept the facility open for community use and enjoyment. In short, this site and its unique features have been extremely important defining foundations to the region from the Paleolithic to the present, yet this mining expansion would irrevocably alter or destroy these irreplaceable assets.
When mining was initially permitted on the Padua Ridge site for a local contractor [Perry Construction], there were reservations expressed by members of the Schuyler County Planning Commission about how such extraction would damage and detract from the historic site, but reassurances were given that the integrity of the location would not be compromised. As early as 1999, the then-Mayor of Watkins Glen Bob Lee sent a letter of concern to the Friars because of the negative visual impact visible from the village. Obviously, that was under different ownership and management, but the reservations of those Commission members and the concerns of the mayor were well-founded. It is a common contention that mining should never have been permitted on Padua Ridge. If anything, it should have become part of Watkins Glen State Park, since the buried gorges represent previous routes of Glen Creek, two of the springs are at least partly fed by Glen Creek, and the founding of both the State Park and the resort spa were integrally intertwined.
At this point, the engineering firm retained by the gravel mine owner has sent its response to the DEC's request for further information. The gist of the response is a reiteration of initial studies done, followed by agreement with the DEC's Negative Declaration. The owner is also contending that, since he did not agree with the extension of the public comment period, any deadlines for public hearings have long passed and the application should be approved. Consequently, the DEC's lawyer and the owner's lawyer are presenting their arguments to a DEC adjudicatory judge for a decision. If the application is approved, there are two possible routes for groups, agencies and/or individuals to contest the decision - appeal to the adjudicatory judge or file an Article 78. Time will tell how this issue reaches a resolution.