Riverfront Preservation Society Wants Dumping Prevented

The Rocky Hill Riverfront Preservation Society is expected to present the town council with a petition tonight asking them to protect the Connecticut River and prevent more than 400,000 tons of possibly harmful material from being trucked into the old dump.

According to its website, the Rocky Hill Riverfront Preservation Society is a "group of concerned property owners committed to protecting Rocky Hill's riverfront for generations to come."

In October, Meadow Properties LLC signed a Stewardship Permit that would allow them to reopen and cap the old town dump, which has been dormant since the 1970's, according to the society's website.

The society, which has recently partnered with the Toxics Action Center, has been actively fighting the threat of dumping on the site and many argue that Meadow Properties LLC "plans to make money" from the dumping of the "contaminated fill" on the site.

The petition states about "462,000 tons of fill" could be trucked into the site, which might contain items such as "lead, arsenic and mercury along with many other industrial type chemicals."

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"The fill is so toxic, it wouldn't be legal in New Hampshire or Massachusetts," the petition states.

According to the Meadow Properties LLC webite, Department of Environmental Protection employees noticed that there were areas where the cap had eroded and "areas of landfill leachate outbreaks" during a visit to the site on Aug. 21, 2008. The company states on its website that it is taking corrective actions "to bring the facility into compliance with the state regulations."

Members of society along with town officials and state lawmakers have all previously stated that "there is no evidence of any contamination on the site."

The company also states that it will not be reopening the landfill and accepting trash. Meadow Properties LLC is considering turning the old dump into "a passive recreation area and/or open space."

The members of the Riverfront Preservation Society feel the dumping and trucking material to the site will create additional dust and noise, devalue neighboring properties and affect the quality of life in the area.

The society is now asking residents to sign a petition to ask "Mayor (Anthony) LaRosa to contact our Federal representatives to seek other means to close the dump properly."

"We do not deserve toxic material being trucked into our community," the petition states. "This landfill should be capped with a no pollution solution."

The group is expected to present its petition to the council at its meeting at 7 p.m. inside the council chambers at the . People can add their signature to the list at the following link.  

For more information about the Riverfront Preservation Society visit their website.