Geology and Human Health: Forming and Fostering Partnerships

Barry Boyer, Professor of Law, SUNY-Buffalo

Jill Singer, Professor of Earth Sciences, SUNY-Buffalo State

Western New York has a national reputation (sadly) for being both a source and repository for industrial waste.

Use the Buffalo River as an example of how partnerships can be developed and used to influence decision making at the local and national levels.

Region has also benefited from a number of proactive environmentalists.

Buffalo River is one of the 43 Areas of Concern (AOCs) within the Great Lakes basin.

Both the US and Canadian governments are committed to restoration of the beneficial uses of the AOCS.

The Internal Joint Commission (IJC) has defined a process involving the development and implementation of remediation plans (RAPs, or remedial action plans).

Some stretches of the river reflect its industrial legacy, others show potential for habitat restoration

Due to its industrial legacy, sediments contain heavy metals, organic compounds, and pesticides, with levels exceeding the criteria for open-lake disposal.

Fish that live in the river have external deformities and skin lesions, and a significant percentage have liver tumors.

Habitat has been destroyed and only a few limited stretches within the AOC can be considered ‘natural’.

Nature of the Problem:-contaminated sediments-fish advisories-loss of habitat

Issues:

• Profiling sediment contaminant hot spots

• Determining fate, transport, and uptake of contaminants

• Relating contamination movements to human uses and exposures

• Developing remedial scenarios to “restore beneficial uses”

• Monitoring and preventing recontamination

Despite pollutionproblems and potential human health issues, there is no debatingthat the public is attracted to the river.

Building Partnerships--Setting the Stage:

• Great Lakes United, based in Buffalo, played a pivotal role in getting language into the RAP process that mandated a meaningful role for citizen input.

• Environmental activists were appointed to the Buffalo River RAP committee; other citizens became involved by joining the technical subcommittee.

• Even after the first stage of the RAP was submitted to IJC, the citizens remained actively involved in the process.

• Members on the technical subcommittee were appointed to the RAC (Remedial Advisory Committee), responsible for the implementation of recommendations made in the RAP.

• A new organization emerged, the Friends of the Buffalo River. This group became the primary source for community education and outreach activities.

What Worked and Why?

• Citizens met frequently and stayed the course• Members represented some of the regions’ most

active environmental advocates• Forceful, seldom ‘obnoxious’, yet unyielding when

necessary• Some members were in leadership positions on

other federal, state, and local committees giving them access to ‘agency’ people

• Overlapping memberships so both the technical experts and community outreach organizers kept apprised of what was going on

• Some members tied their research and teaching to projects

Players and Partners:

State Environmental Agency (NYS DEC)US Army Corps of EngineersEnvironmental groups (e.g, Friends of the Buffalo Niagara RiversCommunity GroupsAcademic institutions (build local capacity)County and municipal governments

Roles for Students:

• Research Assistants on river-related projects• Classroom case studies, examples,

hypotheticals• Prepare and give a formal statement at a

government meeting• Guest speakers• Field trips• Internships• Independent study, thesis/dissertation

Other Local Geology and Health Issues in Our Backyard:

• The swales of Love Canal• Groundwater and contaminant movement

at the Niagara Power Project• Coke oven wastes at Hickory Woods• Rock quarrying and respiratory health in

Cheektowaga• Sand lenses at West Valley

Your Advantages:Technical expertise, statusPeople like to talk about what they doMany experts are eager to educate studentsProblems often generate studies (“gray literature”) that provide readingsStudents are energized by real-world problems

Getting Started: Network, Network, Network!Follow local newsAttend public meetingsLook for people who do this sort of thing at academic meetingsJoin a local organization--or start oneFind colleagues in Law, Public Health, Planning, Engineering, Environmental Studies, etc.

Things to Watch Out For:

Does my department value community involvement?Does this activity really support my teaching and research?How much time can I afford to commit to this problem?Can I deal with controversy and the adversary system?

“Next Wave” Environmental Action?

• Outside courts• No “perpetrators”• Stakeholder-driven• Multiple agencies, funding source• Slow (but hopefully steady) progress

toward solutions