Gillian Gregory

Please support this bill to prevent the potential degradation of Forest Lake State Park and the quality of life for those of us living in the surrounding area. Given that the state has ample capacity to landfill our own trash and much of what will be sent to this proposed landfill in Dalton will be from out of state, there is no compelling need for this new landfill. The proposed site is an existing gravel pit, which by definition means the subsoils are pervious and thus there is significant potential for migration of leachate toward Forest Lake, especially if any defects develop in the proposed liner. In addition, the daily influx of trash trucks through surrounding towns will create a nuisance (traffic, noise, odor, etc.) as we well know from the truck traffic that currently arrives daily at the existing landfill in Bethlehem (NCES). Also, Casella has a documented record of not complying with permits: witness the numerous violations of reporting exceedances of various chemicals in their ground water wells near the Ammonoosuc River (a drinking water supply for the Town of Bethlehem) and the problems they have had with storing and shipping out leachate from NCES.