‘For yourself, for your family, for our future'

To the editor: Nobody said life was easy. By now, most of us realize that modern life presents problems that are complex and multi-faceted. But in everyday life we tend to forget this. The Community Preservation Fund (CPF) is one modest step to managing the overarching problem of too many people trying to crowd into a limited area and vying for use of limited natural resources. One of the facets of the overall problem is how we view our water sources, which we take too much for granted. The CPF will help to preserve some open space for essential watershed protection. The recent Community Water Forum, illustrated how much we don’t know about our water. Some think that only man-made chemicals pollute our water. That is true to a point - if you take out the word “only.” The experienced and knowledgeable experts at the forum named the two major threats to our water supply, and the worst offender is truly man-made - by each and every one of us. It is the result of a natural human function, that is, human waste - and I’m not talking about candy wrappers. The second is road salt. These two common substances threaten our safe drinking water. Agricultural chemicals are tightly controlled and studies show they are not significant polluters. But excessive human waste is already heavily contributing to eutrophying (killing) Greenwood Lake. Development means more people, more road use and more new roads, and that means more salt. Alternatives to salt are extremely expensive and would require such high municipal expenditures that they are not feasible. Road salt is so pernicious that it has caused the closing of water sources in nearby counties, because it cannot be gotten out of groundwater for generations. There are other things we can do besides preserving open spaces to protect our watersheds. One future possibility is allowing composting toilets which are a viable alternative to septic systems that leach directly into the ground. Currently not legal for residential use in Orange County, this is one of many avenues that must be reconsidered for our future health. No one, not experts or scientists, knows what the safety threshold is of any groundwater system. Right now, it is urgent, as overdevelopment threatens, to secure the natural balance that has provided us with life-giving safe drinking water. It’s up to each one of us on Nov. 7 to consider the facts and make the judgment to vote YES for the Community Preservation Fund on Nov. 7 (the proposition at the top of the ballot). Then go out and vote and make your voice heard, for yourself, for your family, for our future. Valerie Lucznikowska Amity