June 11, 2009

 

VILLAGE OF NICHOLS-- Piles of horse manure are raising quite a stink in Nichols.
     The mayor says stockpiles in the village hurt the quality of life, and he worries about the water supply.
     But the state and village trustees in charge of transporting the manure say the piles are legal, and environmentally safe.
     The stockpiles are from racehorses.  A local businessman is turning the manure into topsoil to sell to local farmers, but the mayor says it's a nuisance to the community.
     “I think that's a fine business to be in but I don't think that business belongs in the 2.2 miles of the Village of Nichols and we have a law that says it's not supposed to be here,” said Mayor Douglas Horton.
     Horton says the Village of Nichols local law forbids manure piles like this without the right permit and environmental review paperwork.
     “You cannot start any type of business without that permit, and I’m certainly looking for those permit papers now,” Horton said.
     Horton says the smell bothers kids and families who hang out at Kirby Park right next to it.
     He’s also concerned about the one water well left in the village- and what will happen if it’s contaminated.
     “I believe that we'll have to go outside the Village of Nichols to find potable water,” Horton added.
     The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation says village trustees, who own the company that transports the manure, and the property owners of the stock piles are in compliance with all environmental laws- but is asking everyone to help the neighbors out.
     “Because there have been so many people who have been complaining we simply called Mr. Cole and said look you'd make all the neighbors happy if you'd cover the pile- so he covered the pile,” said Diane Carlton, of the DEC.
     We couldn't reach the stockpile's property owner Thursday, however the DEC tells us the he's making plans to move the piles out of the village.