Watershed Launches Tapwatch 14
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
VOL. 63, NO. 2 Summer 2016 A publication of the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Association, central New Jersey’s first environmental group. Your water. Your environment. Your voice. Inside 2... Turning Point on Natural Gas Pipelines? 7... Calendar of Events 11... Magic in the Air Watershed Launches TapWatch 14... lint, Michigan. Hoosick Falls, New York. Jackson, many of our older pipes are made of Ask a Member Mississippi. Fort Worth, Texas. Newark, New Jersey. lead or were installed using lead solder. F The list goes on and on. What do the residents of these Until there are enough resources to replace towns have in common? Each has experienced the panic every line of old plumbing in the country, we and outrage that comes with drinking tainted water. must continue to be vigilant to protect ourselves against lead poisoning and other water-borne contaminants. The American public was provided with a reasonable expectation that they receive clean drinking water through To better protect residents of central New Jersey, we are the passage of the Safe Drinking Water Act in 1974. But offering a brand new member benefit—TapWatch, a drinking since then, one thing has become apparent—we really water testing program. Whether your water comes from don’t know if our water is safe unless we test it. a well in your back yard or is delivered to you from your town or a private water company, our new service will help Unfortunately, residents of some towns have continued you understand what’s in your water. Watershed members drinking their water without knowing it was contaminated. will receive this service at a reduced price, however all are Sometimes for years. In fact, flyers were distributed to Flint invited to participate. residents that convinced them the water was safe to drink—while at the same time, clean bottled The program offers an array of testing options, including water was provided to their municipal and state lead, arsenic, E. coli and nitrates. Other tests will employees, indicating that officials were aware be offered at an additional cost, including iron, of the situation long before they let on. manganese, copper, hardness, volatile organic compounds, and gross alpha radiation. Most of these instances have not o ccurred under such sinister circumstances. The fact is that Continued on page 13 Conservation Advocacy Science Education FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Turning Point on Natural Gas Pipelines? ou’d be excused for believing that natural gas is a Second, there are growing concerns about the impact of “clean” fuel. After all, the oil and gas industry has spent constructing natural gas pipelines on our rivers, streams Y hundreds of millions of dollars in recent years on television and drinking water. Contrary to a widely held but erroneous commercials in an attempt to make you believe so. belief that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has the exclusive jurisdiction to approve or deny The New York Times reported that in 2012 alone, more the construction of interstate gas pipelines, federal law than $150 million was spent on TV advertising promoting acknowledges the states’ vital role in protecting water fossil fuels, including the American Petroleum Institute’s quality within its borders from potential damage by “Vote4Energy” ads. pipelines. For example, before new pipeline construction can proceed, such a proposal must receive a “Water Quality The rhetoric in some of these ads is so hyped that you Certification” indicating that it complies will all applicable might be persuaded that natural gas is an elixir for all of federal and state water laws. society’s ills. (I’m reminded of the old Saturday Night Live skit in which Chevy Chase raves about a make believe On Earth Day, the New York Department of Environmental product called New Shimmer that “It’s a floor wax and Conservation rejected an application for a Water Quality a desert topping!”) Certification for the proposed Constitution Pipeline. Without this certification, the Constitution Pipeline cannot be built. But momentum may be building against natural gas and proposals to construct new pipelines to transport the fuel. The Watershed opposes the PennEast Pipeline proposed in In addition to well-publicized fears about the “fracking” our region in large part because of the pipeline company’s process used to produce gas from shale, other concerns proposal to “trench” through dozens of ecologically significant are also growing. streams that are tributaries to the Delaware River and the Stony Brook. We hope that, after New York’s actions, the First, there are mounting objections about natural gas’ New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection will effect on climate change. Yes, the combustion of natural gas acknowledge that they have the authority and obligation to generate electricity releases less carbon dioxide (CO2) to block the PennEast Pipeline if it harms the state’s water than burning coal. But the production, transportation and quality, which we are convinced it would. use of natural gas releases considerable amounts of carbon into the atmosphere in the form of methane, which leaks So no. Natural gas is not really clean. It’s a fossil fuel that from valves and pipes throughout the process. contributes to climate change. And pipelines built to transport natural gas do real damage to our water. The fact Methane, the primary component of natural gas, is a is that there are smarter, cleaner solutions to our energy powerful greenhouse gas. In fact, it is more than 100 needs, like solar, wind and energy conservation. Which times more potent at trapping heat than CO2. Methane is why the Watershed continues to oppose the proposed degrades faster in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, but PennEast Pipeline. as a greenhouse gas, methane still has an impact that is 84 times more potent than CO2 after 20 years and 28 times more potent after 100 years. So this “clean” fossil fuel has a considerable impact on the climate. 2 Summer 2016 www.thewatershed.org HONORING ACHIEVEMENT Annual Meeting ur 2016 Annual Meeting once again recognized O and rewarded environmental accomplishments of area leaders. We also welcomed new board members, and Executive Director Jim Waltman presents the Environmental thanked our departing trustees. Stewardship Award to John Riggs of Monroe Township and the Watershed Sustainability Award to Norm Torkelson. This year’s meeting marked the departure of three trustees from the board including Katy Kinsolving, Annarie Lyles, and Scot Pannepacker. We were fortunate to induct several new trustees, Sandra Cespedes Allen, Bob Baldwin, and Pernilla Burke, of Princeton, Diane Ciccone of Princeton Junction, Patty Cronheim of Pennington, Robert Harris, Ph.D., from Hopewell Township, and Mark Nurse from Monmouth Junction. Education Director Jeff Hoagland (left) stands with Maureen Quinn and a few of her students after presenting the Richard Rotter Award for Excellence in Environmental Education. green technology and energy conservation measures. His work to adopt and advocate for clean energy infrastructure in his district has left a long-term plan for efficiency in our schools that will benefit taxpayers, students, and the Advocacy staff, Kate Hutelmyer, Mike Pisauro, environment for years to come. and Ed DiFiglia welcome Kyle Van Arsdale and advisory board member, Betty Wold Johnson to the annual meeting. John Riggs was recognized for his work in Monroe Township with an Environmental Stewardship Award. He has served as Open Space Coordinator, Conservation Officer, Environmental Protection Manager, and Chairman of the Environmental Commission in Monroe Township. John has worked tirelessly to acquire open space and protect Monroe’s water and environment. This year’s Richard Rotter Award for Excellence in Environ- mental Education was presented to Maureen Quinn for her 23 years leading one-to-one mentor programs serving under- represented students in Trenton. Several of her students took Watershed members and staff applaud the induction of time to speak at the meeting on the mentor program and new trustees. their positive experiences with Watershed Nature Camp. Among those recognized, Norm Torkelson received the Three Watershed staff members were also recognized for Watershed Sustainability Award for his sixteen years as ten years of service, including Assistant Education Director director of facilities in the Hopewell Valley Regional School Maryann Polefka, Camp Director Tammy Love, and Senior District where he lead the adoption of award-winning Naturalist Allison Jackson. Summer 2016 www.thewatershed.orgSummer 2016 3 www.thewatershed.org 3 ADVOCACY UPDATE A Decade of Cleaning Our Waterways orty six years ago, the Nation had an awakening. The Hopewell, Lawrence, Millstone, Monroe, Montgomery, F tangible impact of that awakening is Earth Day. A day Plainsboro, Princeton, and West Windsor. we celebrate this planet and all of the life on it. A day we take stock of its conditions and in some small and some This year we collaborated with Raritan River Week, a large ways take steps to improve the health of the planet. network of over 130 organizations and businesses with the common goal of restoring the Raritan River, its tributaries and its estuary for current and future generations. Bloomberg Federica and Francesca Iovine pose with Nicole Stevens (center) at Princeton’s cleanup. Nick Ho tallies up trash and recycling totals at Colonial Lake Park. This Earth Day, while we shared in the celebration of New York’s successes against the proposed Constitution has continued to make this event possible, contributing Pipeline (see Jim Waltman’s column on p.2), Watershed both financial and volunteer support along with American staff and volunteers were out in force, picking up trash and Rivers and New Jersey Clean Communities. recycling from our waterways. 2016 marks the 10th year of our Stream Cleanups, shouldered by 4,000 selfless Our 265 square mile watershed has plenty of spring cleaning volunteers since 2007.