DON'T DRINK THE WATER

UPDATE : from NYS Health Department
9:07 AM Sept. 29, 2011
Yesterday as I was reading an article in the Water town Times about water quality at Wilson Bay. Reportedly Wilson Bay’s waters, once plagued by high bacteria counts, met state and federal safe-swimming standards this summer, according to a Save the River report.

However, the Clayton-based environmental organization is hesitant to conclude that the bacteria problem at Wilson Beach has been completely eradicated because different standards were applied this year.
In years past, Save the River has been testing for enterococci bacteria, but this year the state Department of Health wanted E. coli tests conducted instead. Both types of bacteria can cause rashes and gastrointestinal illness.

I called the New York State Health Department to find out if bacteria in the water would pose any health implications for people that have shore wells. What I asked was do you have to ingest the water for it to be a hazardous to your health? Is the water considered safe for bathing? I was promised an answer to this question; as soon as I have an answer, I will post it on my blog.

The N.Y.S Health Department reported to me that the water from shore wells is safe to bathe in

Right now as I am writing this there are residents of the Town of Cape Vincent that do not have safe clean drinking water, or clean water to bathe in . However, we have a mysterious water line that serves no purpose or does it...

This story covers the details of this mysterious water line; why does this waterline exist? The following story will shed some light on this.
Additionally I have added links to Watertown Times articles related to water district #5
Plus the USDA July 17, 2006 press release link here describing the completed project~ And internal links with related info~
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PELO ROAD - A Waterline to Nowhere or a Waterline to ACCIONA's Cement Batch-Plant?
You've heard of the infamous Alaskan Bridge to nowhere – the $400 million bridge to Gravina Island with its 50 residents? This bridge became a national icon to political pork and political absurdity. Well Cape Vincent may have its own example and brand of local absurdity – the Pelo Road extension of Water District #5.

This isn't a tale of pork, however, it's more a tale of questionable change orders, maybe some unauthorized expenditures, perhaps wind industry collusion and, of course, the ever-present conflicts of interest of local officials.
Cape Vincent Water District #5 was started in November 2005 as an extension of Water District #1 to serve the residents of St. Lawrence Corners. Federal dollars made the project possible. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development branch provided $500,000 in grant money (that's a free-bee) along with a loan for $299,000. The loan will be paid off-by those residents that are served by the water district.
An important point: a waterline down Pelo Road was not part of the original project. It was an add-on after the original project was completed.
Apparently the initial project came under-budget. Normally, this would mean either a saving of Federal Grant money or a reduction in the debt owed by the residents of the water district. However, Tom Rienbeck, Cape Vincent's past Town Supervisor, and a few of the good-ole-boys may have viewed this as an opportunity to spend a little loose cash. How did they choose to spend the “extra” money? They decided to put an extension on the waterline down Pelo Road to the Clayton town line. But, there's a catch.
According to a USDA July 17, 2006 press release, “The new distribution system brings clean, safe drinking water to 39 homes in St. Lawrence Corners.

Area residents were formerly plagued by water quality problems, including e-coli and other dangerous bacteria.

” The Pelo Road addition, however, services NO homes. Monies that were intended to address a community health problem in Cape Vincent were used to run a waterline down an uninhabited road to nowhere! But why? What possible reason could the good-ole-boys have for spending lots of cash, apparently over $60,000, on a waterline extension that would service no families?
Here is where Acciona Energia comes into the story. The figure below was taken from the St. Lawrence Wind Farm's project layout as it appears in their website's SDEIS documents (figure 2-1). The No. 1, blue highlighted area along Pelo Road on Wood Farms, LLC property is designated as a “Potential Cement Batch Plant.” In the development of its wind farm, Acciona Energia has a huge requirement for cement for the construction of wind turbine pads or foundations. A huge requirement for cement also means a huge requirement for water. But why the need for a cement plant on Pelo Road, why not place it anywhere along Water District #1, which runs parallel to NYS Rte 12E? Heavy cement truck traffic along a busy, populated State roadway is not ideal; along an isolated rural, secondary road is ideal.








Now we come to the part of this story where we scratch our heads and wonder. If the Pelo Road extension to the water district was an add-on, was it properly authorized and if so, who authorized it? It is hard to imagine all this took place without the knowledge and approval of Supervisor Rienbeck. If there are no families along the road and the water district was designed to provide safe drinking water to people, then why was it added to the project after the completion of the original project work? If it was not added to provide safe drinking water, then what was its purpose? Was USDA aware of any change orders and did they approve the Pelo Road add-on?

There is also a lot of uncertainty in how Acciona fits into this story. The cement batch plant is located on Wood Farms, LLC property. Prior to the July 2006 completion of Water District #5 the LLC signed a contract with Acciona and expected to have 6-20 wind turbines installed on its property. At that same time Town Councilman Joe Wood and Zoning Enforcement Officer Alan Wood had direct financial connections to Wood Farms, LLC. Their sister Karen Bourcy served on Cape Vincent's Planning Board and her son is a part owner of Wood Farms, LLC.
The timing of Pelo Road extension, the Wood Farms, LLC wind contract with Acciona, and Acciona's need for a source of water for a cement batch plant all came together conveniently in 2005-06. Obvious questions remain. Did Wood family town officials discuss Acciona's need for a water source for its cement batch plant during their wind contract negotiations in 2005? Did Wood family town officials then influence the decision to add the waterline extension along Pelo Road abutting property owned by Wood Farms, LLC? Finally, is it fair to residents of Water District #5 to pay off that portion of the construction debt that may be more the responsibility of the Wood Farms, LLC or Acciona Energia?
Acciona Energia's wind agreements stipulate that leaseholders have to support and assist Acciona in forwarding their wind project. This is not a casual suggestion, but rather, it is a binding contractual obligation. Wood family town officials took an oath of allegiance to support the constitution when the assumed their town office positions, but when they signed leaseholder agreements they may have compromised their duty to their community by signing a financial agreement that required a more important, personal allegiance to Acciona.
What Cape Vincent needs now is a thorough investigation of the Pelo Road waterline extension, including an examination of Acciona's records to establish any potential wrongdoing on their part. Good corporate practice in this situation would demand stepping back and waiting for New York’s Attorney General to complete its investigation, but it remains to be seen if good corporate practice is any concern of Acciona Energia.

The Lone Ranger...