April 9, 2015
Dryden committees look into manure pit
DRYDEN — Following many public complaints about a proposed pipeline and a 3.2-million-gallon manure pit slated for property near Dutcher and North roads, several town committees are looking to give residents a chance to voice their concerns about the project.
The town Agriculture Advisory Committee met Wednesday night to discuss the manure line and pit proposed by Beck Farms.
Beck Farms is seeking permits to install 7,000 feet of manure transfer pipelines from the main farm at 28 Red Mill Road to the manure storage facility near Dutcher and North roads. The farm needs state Department of Environmental Conservation permits certifying it will not interfere with water quality of freshwater wetlands.
Evan Carpenter, chairman of the committee, said Wednesday eveningafter the committee meeting that no resolutions or recommendations were made.
He added that the meeting was more of a question-and-answer session with residents and farm owner Russ Beck, to get more detailed information.
“I think it was a nice, calm discussion,” Carpenter said, adding he hopes the farm owner and residents understand each other’s situation.
Prior to the meeting, Carpenter said Wednesday afternoon that he put the item on the agenda to hear residents’ concerns.
“It is something that is going around in the ag (agriculture) community right now, so we thought we should be hearing what’s going on as accurately as possible,” Carpenter said.
Carpenter, who owns Wideawake Dairy Farm, said the proposed manure pipeline is a safe alternative to trucking manure without the possibility ofspilling.
Carpenter added he was actually a little “envious” of the Becks for having the capability to invest in a pipeline, which transfers a valuable resource.
When asked about the residents’concerns of a pipe leaking, Carpenter said it is always going to be a concern, but other systems, such as a municipal sewer system, could also burst and contaminate drinking resources.
“So you’re able to monitor what’s going on a little better when you set the pipes up,” Carpenter said.
Residents have also faulted the lack of notice they were given to comment on the project, with less than a month to submit public comment to the state DEC to voice any opinions. A legal notice posted March 16 in the Ithaca Journal did not address the pipeline explained in the DEC application.
Residents also were appalled to find out the lack of state environmental review needed for the project. The project does not require a full State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) process.
Debbie Teeter, agriculture educator at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County, said Wednesday that manure pipelines are environmentally safe and it is the new technology many farms are using to attain smootheroperations.
“This is nothing new in terms of farms having them,” Teeter said.
Another benefit of the pipeline is it will eliminate the need for 900 truck loads of manure a year to be transported, thereby reducing truck traffic, she said.
Teeter pointed to an accident Tuesday in Lisle where a tractor tanker overturned, dumping 4,000 gallons of liquid manure in the ditch, road and on private property.
The DEC Spill Response Team handled the spill and the state police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit investigated the crash.
Teeter said having the pipeline would avoid any possibility of tractor spills.
“My biggest concern is you have folks with no experience or knowledge about the technology and regulations that farms need to adhere to,” Teeter said, referring to the public outcry over the proposal.
Russ Beck, managing member of Beck Farms, said in previous interviews with the Cortland Standard the construction of the project is overseen by a certified engineer, Candor-based R.B. Robinson Contracting, and the Tompkins County Soil and WaterConservation District.
“The benefits are to the community, farm and the environment by operating in a more sustainable manner, reducing heavy traffic on local roads, reducing odor and getting crops planted more timely,” Beck said in an email last week.
A few of the town committee members are looking for more information about the plan before taking a position on the plan.
Jason Leifer, a town board member, said Wednesday afternoon the board has not taken a position on the matter, as more information is needed before a decision can be reached.
Leifer also sits on the town Agriculture Committee.
Members of the town Conservation Board discussed the proposed project at length last week, with most officials agreeing the DEC should grant more time to review the project, something that was not granted.
Officials from various boards will continue to discuss the matter at upcoming meetings.
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