Overdevelopment of environmentally sensitive intersection will harm our community’s long-term health

To the Editor:

More than 60 years ago, Nobel Prize-winning biochemist, Albert Szent-Györgi, told us that water is the “mother of life,” Renowned biophysicist Dr. Mae-Wan Ho called water “a living rainbow” and stated that water is central to “quantum coherence” in all living organisms. Quite simply, the quality of water in a plant or animal largely determines the quality of life of that organism.

With these thoughts in mind, please consider the issue at hand with the planned development at Exit 46 of Interstate 84, west of Milford. This intersection lies in the heart of the Sawkill Watershed, supplying Milford Springs below it and the water aquifer for our community.

I am a member of the newly formed citizens group, Friends of the Milford Aquifer (FMA), and here are the various concerns, water quality being the first, that drew me to join this organization:

Health and safety: We need to preserve the purity and integrity of our water supply for ourselves and future generations. As the Lakota Sioux people wisely remind us, Mní wičhóni, or “Water is life”.

Legal: why issue such a large variance (warehouse space of over 8x the current zoned limitation on one parcel) if there are health, safety, environmental and community quality of life issues at stake – and clearly unexamined?

Environmental: Sawkill Watershed supports wildlife and biodiverse ecologies of which we are a part.

Quality of life: How will such a large variance influence traffic patterns, i.e., trucks and traffic on Route 6 in and out of Milford, and other intangible aspects of quality of life in Milford?

Economic: What will be the long-term economic impact if we need to redress contamination of our water supply or loss of tourism or housing due to health, safety or quality of life changes?

Friends and neighbors, water runs downhill. As it finds its path, it carries with it many nutrients it picks up along the way. However, it also picks up almost any waste products and pollutants it may encounter. Once in the water supply, many of these pollutants are difficult and costly to remove. Often, removing them requires filtering out the biologically active nutrients in the water as well.

It therefore seems to be in the interest of our community to limit overdevelopment of this environmentally sensitive intersection (Exit 46) for the long-term health and welfare of our community. Friends of the Milford Aquifer (FMA) will advocate for development of this land only in such a responsible and sustainable way, in cooperation with other state and local organizations and regulatory bodies.

For more information, please email fma54vdb@gmail.com or egragert@gmail.com. FMA will also have a Facebook page soon.

David Richard

Friends of the Milford Aquifer (FMA)

Milford