RANSOM TOWNSHIP — At the Ransom Township supervisors’ meeting July 11, residents complained about illegal dumping on Spring Drive.
Charles McCrae announced that since a fire occurred in the middle of June on that road, people have been dumping waste there. He said that a recently installed gate makes it hard to see what it being dumped.
“They just put a gate up either yesterday or today,” he said. Spring Drive resident David Smith said that he filed a complaint to the supervisors on June 17 about the matter. Supervisor Robert Wells said that the supervisors were told that the Department of Environmental Protection was working on it. Resident Susan Shields added that she has seen trucks dig dirt on Spring Drive.
“I know from a geologist’s frame of mind is that if you bury organic material without access to oxygen, you can create methane pockets,” she said. Shields mentioned that it’s possible more explosions can happen and it can be affecting the water in Ransom Township.
“We need to know, is our water being affected by chemicals that are coming from the activities up there,” she said.
Solicitor Edmund Scacchitti replied that the supervisors can send a cease-and-desist letter.
“If we find out he hasn’t stopped, we can bring a daily fine, but we’re also going to ask DEP to do the same thing,” he said. “DEP has more teeth than we do.”
Scacchitti said that the supervisors will find out about this matter by the supervisors, meeting in August.
In other business, supervisor Robert Wells announced that Gentry Rouse, senior project developer of SGC Power, will give a solar update during the supervisors’ meeting in September. In his treasury report, supervisor Dave Bird announced the general fund: $1,534,868.93; liquid fuels, $778,181.11; revenues, $20,174.05; expenditures, $72,278.89. Bird announced that the recycling for June was 5.73 tons. This month’s recycling date will be July 22. The next planning commission meeting will be Monday, July 18. The next supervisors’ meeting will be Monday, Aug. 1.
