WASHINGTON COUNTYNEW YORK

AN ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH DIAGNOSIS

by Maizie Steele3rd grade, Tamarac Elementary

Abstract The aim of the study is to explain Washington’s County environmental health. Much of the

information was gathered from government websites, such as the DEC and EPA. The results of the study showed:• Washington County places windmills on mountains• Agriculture is more common in Washington County than in most of New York State• Manufacturing is the largest industry• The rivers are much healthier than lakes• These results and research make me think that Washington County should get more people involved

in environmental programs

MAPS

Methods It’s important to study counties to help understand the environment that we live in. There are 62 counties in New York State, and are different in many ways – the land ranges from seaside to farmland to mountains, with very large cities as well as very rural areas.To understand the environmental health of a county, researchers must ask questions about:• Quality of water in lakes, rivers, and watersheds• Quality of air• Types of fuel used to generate electricity used in the county• Is the county able to use renewable energy sources like solar, wind, and hydroelectric• Data on the county is available from different sources, including the DEC and EPA

About EcoEd & Mentors

Rensselaer's EcoEd Research Group involves faculty and students in the development and delivery of creative, interdisciplinary environmental education to K-12 students. The goal is to extend the broad impact of humanities and social science research on environmental problems through translation into hands-on exercises through which young students develop capacity to deal effectively with environmental problems, and with complex problems in general - integrating many types of knowledge.

In EcoEd’s Upper Elementary School Research Program, young students are assigned an RPI student mentor, and with them move through a nine-week exploration of a research topic, culminating in a substantial written report and formal oral presentation.

Timeline Washington County Timeline1 billion years agoFormation of the Adirondack mountains in the northern part of the county 440 million years agoFormation of the Taconic Mountains, which run along the southern edge of the county. 1600s Mohican Indians lived in Washington County 1772 Charlotte county was founded in the area of what is now Washington county 1784The name was changed to Washington County 1813The county was changed to its present size 1994The county seat was moved from Hudson Falls to Fort Edward

Background General information: The population of Washington County in 2010 was 63,216. The county area is 846 square miles.

Parts of a county: HabitatsWashington County has several habitats including mountains, forests, wetlands, and highways. Challenges faced by the habitats include acid rain that harms the forests, leading to attack by insects and disease, as well as development that fills in wetlands. To improve the habitats, we can work to reduce the pollution that causes acid rain, and developments that fill in wetlands and cut down forests.

Parts of a county: IndustriesThe largest industry in Washington County is manufacturing, followed by public administration, and then educational services. When we compare the county New York State, agriculture and mining are much bigger industries. Industries are generally seen as good because they bring jobs. A challenge to industries can sometimes be environmental regulation from the government. One way to help this would be to have the government work with industries to find ways to limit pollution less expensively.

Parts of a county: Water & SoilWater resources include many ponds, lakes, rivers, and streams in the county. They include the Upper Hudson River and Lake Champlain watersheds. There are many types of water and soil contaminants. Industry releases chemicals such as mercury, lead, and arsenic. Wastewater can also flow into the watersheds, as can acid rain and other toxins. Ways to help reduce water and soil contamination include participation in the county environmental programs, including ones to help farmers reduce fertilizer runoff, and the stream bank stabilization and erosion programs.

Parts of a county: EnergyRenewable energy is energy that can be used over again and doesn’t run out. It’s good for the environment because there is not as much pollution created. The county has one renewable energy plant, the Champlain Spinners hydroelectric project.

There are no new renewable energy sites planned right now in the county, but there is opportunity for several more, including wind and cellulosic biomass.

For wind power, the potential is somewhere between modest and high, but it’s closer to high potential on the windy mountaintops in the northern part of the county. Biomass and biogas might also work well, probably because of all of the farms in Washington County.

Parts of a county: WasteA transfer station is a place where garbage trucks can take the garbage and then separate it so it can be sent to the right place. There are no regulated (major) transfer stations in the county, but there is one registered (smaller) transfer station, in Fort Edward. There are no active landfills, but there is one waste to energy station at Wheelabrator in Hudson Falls. This station burns garbage to generate electricity. There is one composting site in Ft. Edward to help reduce waste needing disposal. Washington County is trying to improve education of people and businesses about the benefits of recycling. I found that they want to reduce waste from about 2,500 pounds per person per year to about 240 pounds by the year 2030. The question was asked - What do you think your region/county should do to make waste management more sustainable? I think people could try to use and buy products with less packaging.

RecommendationsIn conclusion, it is important to study counties to understand the environmental health of the county. Washington County geography ranges from rivers to fields to mountains. The largest industry is manufacturing. The environmental health of the county is average, because it’s better with rivers and fuel sources, but worse for lakes. The county offers programs to help the environmental health by running programs for farmers, providing trees and shrubs to reduce erosion and stabilize stream banks, and stock lakes and rivers with fish. There isn’t one most important environmental challenge that people in Washington County should be concerned about and work on in the years ahead, but it would be good for the environmental health of the county for more people to participate in more of the programs, such as recycling, and the programs offered to farmers to reduce waste and runoff into watersheds.

Environmental Health Indicator

WATERSHED HEALTH Watershed name: Upper Hudson River Watershed

What percentage of rivers have poor water quality?

What percentage of lakes have poor water quality?

Overall percentage with poor water quality?

5% 46% 51%What percentage of rivers have good water quality?

What percentage of lakes has good water quality?

Overall percentage with good water quality?

46% 7% 53%

Environmental Health Indicator

AIR QUALITY Unhealthy air days for

general population in 2012.

Unhealthy air days for people with asthma in 2012

Since 2003, has air quality for asthmatics improved or gotten worse?

WASHINGTON COUNTY

0 0 -

RENNSSELAER COUNTY

0 0 -

ESSEX COUNTY

0

4 Improved

NEW YORK COUNTY

0

2 Improved

Environmental Health IndicatorENERGY What region is your county located in? NPCC Upstate NY

Type of Energy % of County Energy Composition

Renewable 32.5%

Hydroelectric 28.2%

Nuclear 28.9%

Oil 0.8%

Gas 22.2%

Coal 15.3% We use some renewable energy sources, but not as much as we could. It might not be as easy to find non-renewable energy in the future as it is now. Washington County uses a lot lower percentage coal than the nation, which is good because coal is a dirty fuel. The County uses much more renewable energy, which good because renewable energy is good for the environment.

Sources"Renewable Energy Map." NRDC: Renewable Energy for America. Natural Resources Defense Council, n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2014."Power Profiler." How Clean Is the Electricity I Use? -. EPA, n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.Tesar, Jenny. “Wetland” The new book of knowledge Grolier online. 2014. Web. 13 Mar 2014Jenkins, Dylan. “Forest and Forestry.” The New book of knowledge. Grolier Online. 2014. Web. 13 Mar 2014The Nature Conservancy. Berkshire Taconic Landscape programConniff, Richard. “Green Highways: New Strategies to manage roadsides as habitat” Yale.edu. 10 Jun 2013. Web. 13 Mar 2014