Protecting the Great Flats Aquifer has once again been getting a lot of attention. The most recent instance is a resurgence of public outcry regarding the potential impact Long Pond Village will have on our water supply. This, of course, is being prompted by the visible construction of that project now being done, though the public hearings and subsequent project approval occurred long ago.
A closer look invites examination of past projects in the same area. The long-embattled Rotterdam Square Mall literally paved the way. BJ’s plaza and associated strip mall wasn’t far behind. Putnam Woods condos also jumped the bandwagon. Long Pond Village is simply the latest encroachment, soon to be accompanied by associated small strip malling next door. Don’t forget to consider potential adverse impact from the Marotta dump issue in Pattersonville too.
The Schenectady County Intermunicipal Watershed Board is charged with oversight to ensure that the aquifer continues to serve as a viable clean water source for Rotterdam and the other communities that rely on this water source. To date, they do not seem alarmed that all this development will cause harm. I’m not an environmentalist by any stretch but I do recognize that our water supply is probably Schenectady County’s most vital asset. Those in charge need to recognize that greater protections of it should be afforded. I can’t imagine that the final straw isn’t far away from being laid, if it hasn’t been already. Who’ll be responsible for that?
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