ADIRONDACK COUNCIL
DIRECTOR HOUSEAL TO TESTIFY
AT ASSEMBLY HEARING ON WATER QUALITY IN PARK
For more information:
John F. Sheehan
518-432-1770 (ofc)
518-441-1340 (cell)
518-456-4512 (home)
Released, Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Read
the Council's Testimony
BLUE MOUNTAIN LAKE, NY - Mercury
pollution, road salt, inappropriate development, invasive species
and poorly treated sewage are the major problems facing the rivers,
lakes and streams of the Adirondack Park, Adirondack Council
Executive Director Brian L. Houseal told the NYS Assembly Committee
on Environmental Conservation today at a hearing on water quality
in the Adirondack Park.
The hearing was slated to start at 10 a.m. at the Adirondack
Museum here. It was hosted by NYS Assembly Environmental Conservation
Chairman Thomas DiNapoli, D-Great Neck (Long Island). Also slated
to testify were local government officials, other not-for-profit
organizations, state agency employees and research scientists.
Regarding mercury, Houseal told the chairman: "In April,
the New York State Health Department announced that women of
child bearing age and children under 15 should not eat several
species of fish taken from the waters of the Adirondack Park.
The levels of mercury are so high that consuming these fish increases
the risk of brain damage and neurological disorders. These are
fish taken from the same sparkling waters that attract millions
of visitors to the Adirondacks and provide drinking water for
our villages and towns.
To address the problem, Houseal recommended that the state Legislature
or regulators take action "in the absence of an adequate
federal policy, which will reduce power plants emissions directly
linked to increased mercury levels in water bodies throughout
the Adirondacks. Any legislative or regulatory proposal to reduce
mercury emissions should not allow trading of allowances. The
State should also increase funding for scientific monitoring
of mercury in the Adirondacks to ensure new policies are effective
in reducing harmful levels of mercury."
In addition, Houseal asked for assistance with a worsening road
salt contamination problem that was shown in recent studies to
be affecting streams throughout Upstate New York; the lack of
an adequate septic system inspection law and inadequate funding
for sewage treatment plant renovations; and, rampant development
that is causing polluted runoff to build up in the Park's lakes
and rivers.
In addition to those concerns, Houseal also addressed invasive
species:
"Aquatic invasive species choke out native species and interfere
with water quality, ecosystem function, and recreational activities.
The Adirondack Council collaborated with local governments, lake
associations, Adirondack agencies, academic institutions, and
other environmental organizations to design an Adirondack Park
Aquatic Nuisance Species Management Plan to prevent the dispersal
of invasive species and restore infested areas. The Council is
helping the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program (APIPP) and
local community efforts to implement this plan. APIPP, recognized
nationally as a model initiative to combat invasive species needs
at least $250,000 per year in dedicated funding to continue its
valiant efforts.
"The Council is also encouraged by the recent release of
the draft Invasive Species Task Force Report. Thanks to legislation
sponsored by Chairman DiNapoli, the State should now strengthen
efforts to address the invasive species crisis. We look forward
to reviewing a strategy for action, and hope that the Adirondack
Park receives special attention as an area that could be spared
from future invasions. In the future, we will look to the Legislature
to provide incentives through funding for Adirondack communities
to control invasive species based on the State report and the
Adirondack Plan."
The Adirondack Council is an 18,000-member, privately funded,
not-for-profit organization dedicated to ensuring the ecological
integrity and wild character of the Adirondack Park.
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