| Casella says … | The Truth is … |
| “Guaranteed payments of $2million per year over a 25 year period to the town of Dalton” | 70+ lawsuits between Casella, host towns, and residents, including a recent frivolous lawsuit against the residents around Forest Lake which cost residents $20k to defend. Casella is required to engage with Dalton town government regarding local zoning ordinance, yet so far has refused. Casella denies Dalton’s request to perform a landfill site visit during spring to assess wetland impact. |
| “The site is located in the industrial area of Dalton, specifically on a parcel already used as a sand and gravel pit.” | Casella claims that PineTree Power, the lumber mill, Gilbert & Son Block Co, the Alder Brook range, Ingerson’s non-existent “industrial park” and Team O’Neil comprise the industrial area of the region. There is no ‘industrial area’ of Dalton. The vast majority of proposed landfill property is currently rolling, wooded foothills of Dalton Ridge, directly abutting Forest Lake State Park. The businesses above have no impact on the state park or surrounding community. The landfill site is home to wetlands, vernal ponds and Alder and Hatch brooks which feed into the Ammonoosuc. The landfill project will have a wetland impact bigger than the failed Northern Pass. |
| “A 180 acre landfill … allows sufficient room for operations.” | The original 3-phase, 180 acre footprint is within a land area of 1900 acres which Casella has first rights of refusal to purchase. Casella has a well-documented history of suing towns into allowing them to expand well beyond original committed limits. The active landfill site will be as big as Forest Lake itself and will eventually grow much larger. |
| “There is a willing landowner.” | The landowner has been cited for violating Department of Environmental Services (DES) regulations on his property. He has made disparaging and incorrect statements regarding Forest Lake. He has served on the Conservation Commission twice: the first time when he was trying to build a drag strip. He abdicated the position when his project was rejected by DES. Most recently he was Commission chair and introduced conflict of interest with regards to the town’s position on the landfill. |
| “Visual and noise impacts are screened by ridge lines” | Landfill equipment and associated trucking will significantly increase noise along Rte 3, through Whitefield center, and for residents of Forest Lake and surrounding neighborhoods in Bethlehem, Whitefield and Littleton. The landfill will rise to a height where it is visible from Forest Lake. The landfill will be in plain sight of residents of Mann Hill Rd in Littleton, West Forest Lake Rd in Bethlehem, and Kimball Hill and Gould Rd in Whitefield. It will stink for over 2 miles away. Scavenger birds such as seagulls will take up residence at the lake, polluting its waters and crowding out native wildlife such as loons. |
| “Direct access to NH Rt 116 without passing through town centers to help minimize minimizes traffic impacts” | 190+ round-trips of garbage and leachate haulers will travel through Rte 3 into Whitefield center, tying up traffic at the 116 intersection stopping in front of and within 20 feet of the Triangle Dairy bar and Dunkin Donuts. Many of these trucks will be 18- to 24-wheel tractor-trailers. |
| “Casella’s landfills are highly regulated and highly engineered to ensure that groundwater is not contaminated. Federal and state regulations are constantly monitoring for contamination and require multiple barriers of protection provided by the double-liner system” | It’s a well known, published fact that all landfills leak eventually. Casella has not completed studies that determine deep bedrock groundwater flow between aquifers adjacent to the lake. Alder Brook and Hatch Brook, designated as the most critical wetland category in NH, will be located within feet of the landfill. The requirement for monitoring wells and regulations are themselves proof that landfill contamination is a likely event. Casella has a long history of incompetence in managing its current operations, evidenced by dozens of fines and findings of non-compliance at their landfills in Ontario county NY, Southbridge MA, and Bethlehem, NH. Casella is currently under investigation for the largest leachate spill in the history of the state, which occurred in June in Bethlehem. |
Sources for Casella claims:
daltonfacts.com
Cassella North Country FB page
June 2020 mailer to Dalton Residents