Workers Trying to Contain Effects of Big Spill Upstate (huge NY fish kill)

[DeepModem Mom]

New York Times:
Workers Trying to Contain Effects of Big Spill Upstate
By MICHELLE YORK
Published: August 15, 2005


CARTHAGE, N.Y., Aug. 13 - For much of the summer, Dustan Wisner, 15, and his friends have whiled away the days fishing the banks of the Black River.

On Friday, he and his friends were beside the river again - no poles in sight. This time, they were learning that a toxic spill was snaking its way through the slow current and killing vast numbers of fish....The toxin was liquid cow manure - three million gallons in all - creating a murky plume that stretched for miles and giving unfortunate new meaning to the river's name.

The manure did not so much spill as gushed from an earthen reservoir at one of the largest dairy farms in the state, Marks Farm, in the nearby town of Lowville.

Workers tried to shore up the pit, but so much manure escaped that the contamination grew to roughly a fourth the size of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. "It started killing all the fish," Mr. Martin said. "Black River is known for its fish."

Trout, bass, pickerel, pike and walleye, to be exact. As the manure traveled the river's northwest current through several Adirondack communities toward Watertown, a city of 25,000, and on to Lake Ontario, it sapped the water of oxygen and poisoned the fish with ammonia...."It's the biggest fish kill I've ever seen," said Frank Flack, the regional fisheries manager for the State Department of Environmental Conservation...."Before it's all done, it could end up to be millions of fish," he said. "Some of those pike are 20 pounds, so they're 10 to 20 years old. It will be years before the river completely recovers."...


http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/15/nyregion/15dip.html

[whoneedstickets]

1. Into Lake Ontario!

Nothing like dumping a tidal wave of cow dung into a main source for drinking water. You gotta love industrial scale farming practices.

[DeepModem Mom]

8. Hi, whoneedstickets --

just noticed you're new here. Welcome to DU!

[Zorra]

2. This is exactl why we need objective government inspectors to regulate

industries.

If they are not strictly and objectively supervised, private industries will inevitably cut corners in order to increase profits , usually in those areas where failure to take necessary safeguards against accidents can result in harm to the public good.

This incident is a tragedy, and is the direct result of the laissez faire republican policy of ending environmental regulations and allowing industries to police themselves.

They just ain't gonna do it until after they get caught causing harm to the public.

[DeepModem Mom]

3. It is, indeed, a tragedy -- heartbreaking, and infuriating --

and, exactly as you say, the result of irresponsible policy, which does not fulfill the basic requirement of government: protecting public health and safety.

[MidwestTransplant]

4. So you are saying the industry insiders Bush appoints aren't objective?

Why do you hate this country so much?

[phusion]

5. Want to see some scary shit?

http://www.sprol.com/?p=52

Beef production from the sky.


The parent link, sprol.com, is a great blog that uses satellite images to demonstrate human effects on the environment.

[shadowknows69]

6. Just so happens to be my water supply

yay. thanks assholes. who's the genius who decided they should build the waste containment area so close to the river? my mother lives in carthage and I don't even know if she knew about it time to boil water or buy it. no ones sick yet as far as I know but I expect this area will show some health problems because of this mess.

[DeepModem Mom]

7. If you get more info, shadow, please post. Thanks! nt

[warrens]

9. Agribusiness will call anyone who criticizes them for this

A bunch of lefty PETA-loving bunny-hugging loons. There is no excuse for this. The farm and the overseeing agencies should both be held accountable. And I DO mean the agencies. It's their job to make sure these things don't happen, but the Bushies slap the inspectors around if they actually do their job. Inspectors had complained again and again about the Pilgrim's Pride plant in PA, but got cuffed around for their trouble. Guess who Bo Pilgrim gives hundreds of thousands of dollars to? No, not CLINTON, you freepers.