Herkimer County : An Environmental Diagnosis

1. Herkimer County : An Environmental Diagnosis By Lily Fitzgerald, 7th Grade, Tamarac Secondary School Mentored by Alexandra Evans http://www.topix.com/album/detail/little-falls-ny/T13B1MO72R429D1M

2. Location • Located in Central New York • Longest County • Mohawk River flows through southern portion http://www.herkimernytrafficlawyer.com/

3. Background • Population – • 64, 519 people • 44.25 people per square mile • Mostly farm land – farms have increased in size

4. Part of Herkimer County was included in the Macomb’s Purchase, 4/23/1791 Herkimer County was created, 2/16/1791 Onondaga was split off of Herkimer County, 1794 Parts of Herkimer County were taken to help form St. Lawrence County, 1802 Erie Canal was created, 10/26/1825 Adirondack Scenic Railroad was created, 6/14/1905 Frankfort- Highland Airport was created, 1947 Study on the Middleville Tannery Dump Site, 1989 NYS Department of Health found inorganic contaminates at high levels at Crumb Trailer Park, 1996 Hiteman Leather was deemed a superfund site, 1999 Additional visit to Middleville Tannery Dump Site, 2004 EPA asked NYS Department of Health and the CDC to get involved in the Middleville Tannery Dump Site, 2005 Remediation plan was developed to clean up Hiteman Leather Site, 2006 Cleanup of Hiteman Leather Site completed, 2008 ATSDR released a statement concerning the 2005 EPA study, 2010 Residents sue over wind turbines, 11/27/2012 There were reports of four diagnosis of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in children, 11/25/2013 Unusual cancer clusters publicized, 4/8/2014 Timeline of Herkimer County

5. Watersheds • Mohawk River and Black River Watershed • Most in Black River Watershed – 1 % lakes good water quality, • 61 % overall poor water quality http://www.hrbrrd.com/pdf/blackriverwatershed.pdf

7. Lead • 1.8 % blood lead level • Average for New York • Neighboring counties have highest levels http://www.oldhouseweb.com/how-to-advice/lead-poisoning-and-children-risks-in-old-house.shtml

8. Superfund Sites • A superfund site is any land that has been contaminated by toxic waste and identified by the EPA • Herkimer County has two superfund sites • Hiteman Leather – chromium contamination in the soil and water, used to operate tannery • Crumb Trailer Park – collected the waste materials from the Hiteman tannery http://www.epa.gov/region02/superfund/npl/hiteman/index.html http://www.epa.gov/region02/superfund/removal/crumbtrailerpark/

9. Cancer Clusters • Middleville Tannery Dump Site • Four recent diagnoses of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in children • Cancer clusters – geographic regions with higher than normal occurrence of cancer

10. Air Quality • The air quality is generally very good • In 2012, there were 0 unhealthy air days • Since 2003, the air quality has improved

11. Soil • Two types of soil – Sandy granite rock (N), Bedrock (S) • Two main soil concerns – Erosion and Compaction http://geology.com/state-map/maps/new-york-state-map.gif

12. Sociological Aspects • Population – generally steady of past 100 years • Industries and farms employed citizens – not many small farms • Provides citizens with opportunities, health care facilities Census Bureau – Census of Population and Housing

13. Energy http://www.greenoptimistic.com/2010/08/31/200-million-wind-project-construction-york/#.U1BDE_PD-70 The non-hydro renewables are mainly the wind farms. There has been lots of public resistance towards them. http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2012/11/herkimer_county_residents_sue.html http://oaspub.epa.gov/powpro/ept_pack.charts

14. Education about the Environment • Herkimer County Environmental Conservation – Conservation Field Day, Farm and Home Safety Day • Envirothon – West Canada Valley High School http://www.herkimercountyswcd.com/ http://news.keuka.edu/featured-story/candor-retains-grip-on-envirothon-title

15. Recommendations • Continue to monitor the erosion and compaction in soils • Try to reduce the pollutants entering the watersheds • Consider becoming a climate smart community

16. Bibliography • U.S. Census Bureau. 2014. “United States Census Bureau : State and County QuickFacts : Herkimer County, New York.” January 6.http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/36/36043.html. • “10 Reasons Why Coal Is a Good Energy Source:”http://www.coaleducation.org/q&a/10_reasons_why_coal.htm. • Alexander, Lamar, Sen. “Top 10 Reasons Nuclear Power Will Be They Key to America’s Energy Future.”http://thehill.com/special-reports/energy-a-environment-september-2010/120419-top-10-reasons-nuclear-power-will-be-the-key-to-americas-energy-future. • “County Health Rankings.”http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/app/new-york/2013/herkimer/county/outcomes/overall/snapshot/by-rank. • DeNoon, Daniel J. “Lead Poisoning: What It Is, How to Test, What to Do.” WebMD.http://www.webmd.com/children/news/20070815/lead-poisoning-and-kids. • “Dioxin .” United States Environmental Protection Agency. http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/CFM/nceaQFind.cfm?keyword=Dioxin. • “Dioxins and Their Effects on Human Health.” 2010.World Health Organization - Media Centre. May.http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs225/en/. • Eisenstadt, Marnie. 2013. “Flooding: Twice- Flooded Residents in Herkimer Are Bracing for More Rain”, July 2.http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2013/07/flooding_twice-flooded_residen.html. • Lallanilla, Marc. 2013. “What Are Greenhouse Gases?”, June 27. http://www.livescience.com/37821-greenhouse-gases.html. • “National Association of Counties : Find A County .”http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. • “OUR VIEW: Herkimer County Deserves Answers .”http://www.uticaod.com/x2132760595/OUR-VIEW-Herkimer-County-deserves-answers/?tag=2. • “Scorecard.” Scorecard.http://scorecard.goodguide.com/env-releases/county.tcl?fips_county_code=36043#major_chemical_releases. • Tim , Knauss. “Herkimer County Residents Sue Iberdrola over Wind Farm.”