Enough with the methane already. Every home has methane present, usually at levels that are in no danger of spontaneously combusting and blowing you and your house to smithereens.
The only reason this is an issue is because the developer wants to build there and
he can't secure financing for the project, the health department won't let him build unless he cleans up the site, he doesn't want to pay for it, so he needs to strike fear into the residents so they lobby the state to declare the area a brownfield so the STATE can clean it up for this developer, so he can build $200 million dollar condos and make a profit.
Relax. Take a deep breath. Just don't burp or fart. That releases methane.
Your dogs pooping in the yard?
Produces methane.
The grass clippings you leave on your lawn?
When it starts to break down, it releases methane.
Piles of decomposing leaves, or mulched leaves?
Methane.
Live near water?
Plant life in the water (bacteria, seaweed etc.) decomposing releases methane.
Live near a sewage treatment plant that releases raw sewage into the water occasionally?
Methane.
Live near a farm?
Cow poop releases methane. Crops decomposing causes methane.
Live near a swamp or a marsh?
Methane. Ever hear of marsh gas?
Have sewers or septic tanks?
Methane.
Developers who knowingly bought property located on top of a former landfill, near the edge of a filthy river with decomposing plant life, who now want the state to pay for the clean up of their PRIVATE PROPERTY?
Full of methane. Combustible levels.
There's been a few articles about the methane levels in the area of Timrod over the past couple of months. One that was in the D&C on October 2nd quoted Town engineers:
"Officials from the town‘s engineering firm stressed that the levels were low and that the gas has been detected only underground, not in homes. An official from the Monroe County Health Department also said there was the potential for the gas to seep into homes, but not necessarily explosive levels."
"Gregory Senecal of LaBella Associates, the town‘s engineering firm, said the news was something to be concerned about, but said the methane likely has been present in the homes for several decades."
"Methane is generally nontoxic," said Richard Rote of LaBella Associates. "What we‘re concerned about is flammability … but the concentrations (at) these two homes were very, very low. Don‘t go home too scared tonight."
October 4th, quoted Town officials about the levels of methane found in the homes.
"Town officials got results Thursday that methane gas has been found beneath two houses on Timrod, including the Schroeders'. Engineers stressed that the levels were low and that the gas has been detected only underground, not in the homes."
On November 29th, another article quoted the developer:
"Charles Morgan of LPA said his firm was the first to sue to get into the brownfield program, and said cleanup would cost $6 million to $8 million. Morgan said he already lost the initial funding source for Lighthouse Pointe but has other investors lined up."
Here are the articles from the D&C so far on this subject:
Methane Articles
The developer wants the tax breaks, and the money to clean up a site that they purchased KNOWING it was a former landfill. They lost the initial funding for their project, but has other prospects "lined up". They also want to be protected from lawsuits in the future if there is ever an issue, and the only way they can do that is if it is declared a brownfield. The state will clean it up at the taxpayer's expense, and protect him from any possible lawsuits for building on a former landfill.
Irondequoit......where developers and tax breaks meet......
