Tapping Hudson no substitute
for planning
August 22, 2008
Letters to the Editor, The Journal News
Responsible planning must be based on
real information, not propaganda provided by interested parties.
Unfortunately, United Water, working closely with the Rockland
Business Association, is doing its best to mislead the citizens of
Rockland.
On January 12, 2007 United Water sent a
report to the Public Service Commission that compared the operating
cost of water from Ambrey Pond (Exhibit 3 in the report) to the cost
of water from the Hudson River (Exhibit 5). According to the report,
Ambrey water would cost 70 cents a thousand gallons, while Hudson
River water would cost $1.79, or about 150% more. The capital costs
were shown to be roughly comparable (Exhibits 2 and 4 in the
report). Yet in today’s Journal News Jan Degenshein, the
vice-president of the Rockland Business Association, claims that the
cost of the development and distribution of water from Ambrey Pond
would be "prohibitive". (A more detailed analysis can be found on
the
PreserveRamapo website.)
United Water is not the least bit
concerned that Hudson River water will cost at least ten times our
current winter rate. It knows that the more water it sells, and the
more expensive that water is, the more money it will make. The
Rockland Business Association also does not care because unlimited
growth in Rockland means unlimited profits for its members.
Rockland needs real planning based on
an honest search for real facts. The public deserves no less.
Robert I. Rhodes, Ph.D., Chairman,
Preserve Ramapo, www.PreserveRamapo.org
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