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location we looked carefully at the county map* and discussed the fact that no source of great pollution could be put between those two dose rivers upstream from us and, therefore, our water supply was as safe as possible.
We supported other county residents in their fight to assure that the Rush River remained unpolluted. Clean rivers are vital.
On this water-surrounded ridge which connects to this landfill site there are deer, fox, beaver, squirrel, chipmunks, opossums, skunks, groundhogs, rabbits, martin, dogs, horses, donkeys, goats, cattle. We have identified 53 kinds of birds on our woodlot including grouse, quail, and wild turkey. There are many more unidentified birds plus domestic fowl between these rivers. Our Covington River has fish, frogs, turtles as well as the aforementioned beavers. These creatures depend upon clean water.
It is as if we humans are being forced to buy a large bottle of poison (the landfill) and pay for it with our own money (taxes) and then drink it (pollution) and watch it destroy us, our animals and our vegetation. The physical costs are too high. They may not be felt for many years, but eventually they will be felt. In the October/November issue of National Wildlife magazine, page 30, there is an article in which Kenneth Kamlet, director of the National Wildlife Federation’s Toxics Division says, “All landfills eventually leak...”. A landfill of this size and cost will be in use for many years.
Monetary costs of this large landfill are heavy and will continue after site purchase to include condemnation costs for road widening purposes, road and bridge improvement costs, maintenance costs. This will cause monies to be delayed tor the county’s six-year road improvement plan. The reduction in property values of the highest assessed real estate area in the county will cause higher rates to be charged to others in order to maintain the present level of county tax income.
What does the county receive in exchange tor this great expenditure of fimds? Answer A potentially poisoned heart of the county (two miles as the vulture flies from the town of Washington, Va.), two polluted rivers, a large polluted pond, contamination of a water supply for many people and many, many animals in this particularly frag_ile environment.
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