Face the Problem: this is an ecological catastrophe for central NH and the Merrimack River

Bordered by an ever-changing oxbow of the Merrimack River on three sides, the 295-acre site is subject to intense erosion Conservation areas surround the site to the North, South, and West: Gold Star sod farm, Riverland & Highway View Farm in Boscawen. I-93 is the eastern boundary. Solid waste landfills are environmentally inferior to waste-to-energy production Despite “impermeable” liners, leakage is inevitable Leachate, a toxic effluent, likely will percolate to the water table and river Putrid odors, equipment noise, and views of dump will compromise recreation The riverbank will likely need to be shored up with riprap to prevent dump’s erosion; studies show faster erosion than that predicted by the Co-Op in its application. A mountain of trash may ultimately rise more than 140 feet above the river 2 million in the Merrimack Watershed may feel dump’s environmental effects, including 300,000 in down-river cities that draw from the river for drinking water "Hundreds of truckloads of trash" washed down the Merrimack River in the May, 2006 floods, according to the Plum Island officials now tasked with removing it.

Placing a landfill at this site along an oxbow of the river is ecologically negligent. Studies show that landfills leak despite “impermeable” liners. Leachate, the toxic effluent that drains from decomposing matter in a landfill, would likely percolate to the water table and endanger ecological equilibrium on the Merrimack. The state identifies solid waste landfills as environmentally inferior to waste-to-energy production. Properties to the North and South were purchased as conservation land within the past decade, with agricultural lands to the West under conservation easement. If a solid-waste landfill is built, recreation along the river would ultimately be compromised by smell, sound, and sight, as diesel fumes and decaying garbage mingle in local noses, the din of trash compactors and heavy haulers replace calls of blue jays, and a 140 foot mountain created by garbage becomes visible from all angles. Two million people live in the Merrimack River watershed; the potential for compromising water quality stretches through Manchester, Merrimack, and Nashua (the latter of which draw from the Merrimack as part of their public water supplies) to Lowell and Newburyport. Indeed, WMUR-TV reported that the May 2006 flooding dumped NH's garbage on Plum Island, at the outlet of the Merrimack River. According to Plum Island officials quoted in the newscast, "...hundreds of truckloads of garbage have washed up on shore...[including] a recycling barrel with the name of the town 'Goffstown NH'etched on the side of it." The Co-Op takes refuge in engineering. This year's floods show the limitations of that thinking and the horrific ecological implications that can result from blind faith in engineering.

SPNHF map shows 8,845 acres of riparian conservation lands (green) and aquifers (light shading) near proposed landfill site