What’s at stake: A pristine Forest Lake
Update: NH DES Wetlands Bureau sets July 14 hearing on Dalton dump wetland permit
YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! We need testimony at the DES public hearing to protect our state park from an abutting dump. You can attend in person (preferred), remote via WebEx, or send written comments.
Date: July 14, 2021 – 3PM
Location: White Mountains Regional HS, Whitefield, NH 03598
This hearing and pending decision will have a profound impact on the future of the North Country for generations to come as the landfill company has access to 1900+ acres. We are requesting that all of our supporters be in attendance and give testimony to the devastating impact on the environment, economy, property values and our way of life.
The deadline to sign up to speak is July 9, so PLEASE, sign up NOW, it only takes a minute , please see the link below. If you cannot attend in person please provide written testimony.
For more information on how to register: Check out NH DES News Release Dalton landfill hearing.
Update: “State Investigating “Significant” Landfill Leachate Spill at Bethlehem NCES facility”
“Can you imagine 154,000 gallons of PFAS-contaminated leachate spilled near your favorite State Park?
Caledonian Record reports Friday, May 14
As Casella Waste Systems tries to drum up support and obtain permits for a new landfill in Dalton, the state is investigating what officials are calling a “significant” leachate spill – up to 154,000 gallons – at the company’s North Country Environmental Services landfill in Bethlehem.
“We would describe that as a significant release of leachate,” said Michael Wimsatt, director of the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services Waste Management Division. “We were notified more or less in real-time when the folks at NCES discovered this. We are doing an investigation to understand what the magnitude was.”
The incident drew reactions from opponents to the proposed Casella landfill beside Forest Lake State Park in Dalton, among them members of the North Country Alliance for Balanced Change.
“All systems, no matter how well designed, will fail at some point in their life cycle,” said Dalton resident and NCABC board member Erik Johnson. “Any system failure at a landfill means the impact can last forever in the environment and the surrounding community.”
NCABAC board member Gary Ghioto said, “Leachate is a nasty byproduct of industrial landfills, a polluting soup of chemicals, garbage and other wastes that rainwater percolates out of what’s dumped in that mountain of trash over in Bethlehem next to the Ammonoosuc River. Can you imagine a 154,000-gallon spill of that stuff next to your favorite state park. Like Forest Lake State Park?”
Who is opposed to the Dalton dump? And who favors HB 177, a bi-partisan bill before the Legislature setting a 2-mile buffer around state parks from landfill encroachment?
Many town conservation commissions in the White Mountains, the Conservation Law Foundation, the Ammonoosuc River Advisory Committee, the NH Sierra Club, the Ammonoosuc Conservation Trust, Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests, NH Lakes Association and hundreds of local town meeting voters, business owners, residents, as well as Grafton and Coos county lawmakers.
Update: May 1: New Hampshire Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests issues this Legi-Alert to its members and other conservation-minded voters in New Hampshire to support HB 177.
Update April 30: The Littleton Food Coop urges its community of members to contact the New Hampshire State Senate and urge passage of HB 177.
Check out this compilation of letters opposing the ill-suited and unwanted Granite State Landfill proposal currently up for permitting by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services and in support of HB 177:
And check out our HB 177 fact sheets that dispel the misleading narrative being spun by solid waste industry lobbyists on the bill.
Standing up for HB 177
HB 177 passed the New Hampshire House on April 9, 2021 in a bi-partisan vote of 197-159. Why did this bill opposed by solid waste company lobbyists win approval? That’s because NH House lawmakers understand why our 68 state parks are worth protecting. Watch this video featuring Rep. Andrew Bouldin of Manchester explain why he voted for HB 177.
Forest Lake State Park lies at the geographic intersection of the towns of Dalton, Bethlehem, Whitefield, and Littleton. Created in 1935 as one of the 10 original NH state parks, the state park is comprised of 397 acres of woodland with hiking trails and snowmobile trails as well as a 200-foot sandy beach on Forest Lake. The park and surrounding area hosts thousands of visitors every year through all four seasons.
The lake is fed by underground springs and run-off from the surrounding hills and forests, and its outflow feeds Burns Pond and the Johns River in Whitefield. Forest Lake has been used by North Country families for generations as a swimming and boating destination. In addition to its recreational uses, Forest Lake water is so clean that many surrounding homes draw their water from it.
Casella is a waste processing company based in Vermont which operates dozens of landfill and transfer stations across New England, New York and Pennsylvania. They are well known for their controversial and community-unfriendly operations, especially in Bethlehem, NH and Southbridge, MA.
Facing eviction from Bethlehem, Casella is seeking to develop a new, 180 acre landfill in Dalton, NH adjacent to Forest Lake and directly abutting Forest Lake State Park. With first-right refusal to purchase 1900+ acres of property, Casella is positioning itself for access to landfill property which will last at least a century.
The location of the landfill is nestled in a valley at the foot of Dalton Ridge. The south and west south sides of the property includes Alder Brook which flows into the mighty Ammonoosuc River, through heart of the Littleton, NH River District Redevelopment Project, to the Connecticut River, as well as private residential property in Littleton.
The east side of the optioned land abuts private residential property on Forest Lake and surface waters which flow into the lake. The north side of the property directly abuts Forest Lake State Park.
Landfills are known to be responsible for water pollution, noise pollution, air pollution, and fecal contamination from landfill scavengers like seagulls, all resulting in negative impacts on property values.
An NCABC environmental expert’s review of the wetlands permit application submitted by Casella revealed troubling data. If the Dalton dump is built, damage to a pristine forest, 17 acres of wetlands and thousands of feet of downstream impacts will occur including the Ammonoosuc River. The expert concluded the Dalton dump will have seven times the impact on wetlands posed by the failed Northern Pass project.
A major dump in Dalton, NH would harm our environment, wildlife, and people for generations. We must prevent it. Explore our website to find out more.
