There was a good turnout at the community meeting at Palaia Winery last night. An individual, rather than a group, organized the event. Jackie Hernandez opened the meeting with an explanation of what she was trying to accomplish. “We’re here to protect resources,” she said, “not to vilify our neighbors. This is … about us coming together as a community.”
Mrs. Hernandez, a Mountainville resident, has three school-age children. After Kiryas Joel received a permit to draw 612,000 gallons from its well on Route 32, she worried about her water supply. “Are we staying or going?” she asked her husband. Then she thought about her kids. “They’re entitled to continue their education here,” she said.
So rather than put their house on the market, Jackie and Rey Hernandez got residents together to share information and to form action groups. Close to 100 people were at the Oct. 22 gathering.
Woodbury’s town engineer, Dennis Lindsay, told them that Kiryas Joel would have to “make good” if its well impacted neighboring water supplies. Later in the evening, Assemblyman James Skoufis elaborated. “Groundwater in New York,” he said, “is owned by the state. The rights to extract the water are given to the property owner.”
The assemblyman then explained the “Responsible Use Rule.” He said property owners have rights to draw water, but they must use them in a way that won’t damage other wells or aquifers.
So a possible task for homeowners, Mrs. Hernandez said, is to gauge their water supply now and create a base line so if their wells are affected in the future, they can document the change. The DEC could modify the limit for the Route 32 well, the audience was told, or they could refuse to renew the Kiryas Joel permit when it expires in two years.
Assemblyman Skoufis was not optimistic about assistance from the DEC. He accused the agency of “dereliction of duty” and said that its decision was “politically motivated.” He did think, however, that the coalition of municipalities might have more success in court than the Town of Woodbury had when it challenged Kiryas Joel in the past.
Jim McGee, speaking on behalf of Sen. Bill Larkin’s office, said there was no plan for monitoring the well and no penalty for not complying. He invited audience members to call the senator if they had suggestions for legislation.
At the end of the session, guests were invited to sign up for teams — legal, fund-raising, communication, administration, impact, research and technical.
