WATER WITHDRAWAL CONTROL ORDINANCE
-An Open letter to Atkinson- by Carol Grant
The purpose of this article is to prevent the draining and withdrawal of large amounts of Atkinson groundwater by a local private water company for pumping, transport, use and sale out of Atkinson.
It is against Atkinson’s best interests to allow our groundwater table to be negatively impacted by being lowered and drained by massive withdrawals of many millions of gallons every year of our groundwater supplies by a private company for private profit.
Atkinson’s residents have a duty and responsibility to current and future generations to take affirmative steps now to protect and safeguard Atkinson’s threatened precious groundwater supplies for current and future town needs.
Approximately half of Atkinson’s homes are on private wells which are totally dependant on adequate ground water supplies. These wells can be very seriously impacted by the lowering of the groundwater table which serves those wells.
Atkinson’s precious groundwater is held in the public trust as a commonly owned natural resource owned together by Atkinson residents. It is Atkinson’s most valuable and most important natural resource and we all own it together. No one -- company or individual – has a right to sell it out from under us for private profit.
This ordinance will not affect the water service which Atkinson homes or residents are currently receiving from an existing community well or from being on a private company’s water system.
This isn’t a zoning ordinance which applies only to specific zones in town. Instead, it is a town-wide ordinance which applies equally all over town, such as our fire safety, electrical and building codes.
This Ordinance is an exact replica of N.H.’s prototype ordinance which has been adopted and is successfully in place in Barnstead, N.H. It’s an ordinance especially written for N.H. towns.
Barnstead was facing a similar threat of a private water company making massive water withdrawals from Barnstead’s ground water supplies. Barnstead got the help of lawyers from the Community Environmental Defense Fund who have been assisting towns in several states by providing them with models of ordinances tailored to their state’s laws. They make sure that every legal “t” is crossed and every “i” is dotted.
New Hampshire law says that if a town’s laws are stricter than the states’, then the stricter law will apply. What is so scarey is that a state official of N.H. DES (Department of Environmental Services) recently in town for a question/answer session, freely admitted that ALL water withdrawal permits applications submitted by private water companies are ROUTINELY APPROVED as long as the application is properly filled out and the appropriate bureaucratic steps followed. Unless a town has regulations in effect preventing massive water withdrawals, the permits to do so will be granted.
Atkinson is a very environmentally-sensitive town. Atkinson residents care deeply about our environmental quality of life. We have one of the strictest wetlands ordinances in the state to
protect the quality of our ground water from any contamination or pollution. Atkinson voters
have always OVERWHELMINGLY voted against any attempts to tamper with or weaken our
Wetlands Ordinance.
Right now, it is not the quality or purity of our ground water which is threatened. It is the KEEPING of our valuable and precious, needed clean pure water in Atkinson that is threatened. Please
support the passage of the Water Withdrawal Control Ordinance at Deliberative Session on Tue.,July 17
and by your ballot vote on September 12 . We all have a responsibility to Atkinson and her now and future generations to protect Atkinson’s threatened water supplies.
Carol A. Grant
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ATKINSON's Vietnam HONOR ROLL as VOTED and PASSED by 2005 Town Meeting and re-approved at Special Town Meeting Sept. 12
EDITORIAL-
A voice of compassion, an example of fairness and reasonable government.
One who believes in the strength and comfort you, your children and your family can draw from good government leadership.
A person who knows Atkinson is our home -- our most important possession that must be preserved and protected through fair taxes and sound community planning and where our children must be safe to grow to become a new generation of leaders.
One who knows that the citizens of Atkinson are all neighbors with her leadership to be dedicated and responsive to all.
One who believes that when those from Atkinson have served our nation and honors are deserved, those honors must be given.
In Valerie Tobin, we now have a leader we know we can entrust with these responsibilities because they are part of her character.
It is our honor to endorse Valerie for election to Atkinson’s Board of Selectmen.
Just a note for those who wish to count the deer.
In January 08 this blog had 16,000 hits and 1,500 unique visitors (for the month).
In 2007 this blog had over 100,000 hits and 5,750 unique visitors (for the year).
In 2007 this blog had over 100,000 hits and 5,750 unique visitors (for the year).
EDITORIAL-
"I offer nothing more than simple facts, plain arguments, and common sense . . ." [TP, 1776]
We take no small measure of umbrage at such a hostile official act against this BLOG’s patron. Therefore, a timely Editorial comment is both appropriate and necessary.
Discussion of Atkinson’s financial direction, from any viewpoint, is fundamental and encouraged and we will always attempt to limit and correct errors.
However, Righteous indignation towards purported error of such inconsequential nature is not appropriate.
The ENTIRE car deal is problematic. If it was caused by poor judgement, improper exercise of authority, neglect or mistake or even specious reasoning, this will never trump the facts that the entire questionable transaction started and ended within a very small circle of confidants.
We find the entire circumstances surrounding the disposition of the police Cruiser highly irregular at the least and the "explanations" somewhat trifling and exhaustive of our intellect.
Mr. Consentino: It’s time to go. Being Chief of Atkinson’s Police Department is NOT a birthright. That is a fabled legend of yesteryear.
Historically in Atkinson, police chief appointments were made "under the hand of the selectmen" for terms of one year at a time, as was also the case in the beginning of Mr. Consentino’s assorted and discontinuous stream of appointments to this position.
Your only remaining credential established on a claim of indispensability has faded.
So time is neigh. Plan a graceful exit, Clean out your desk, Accept the gratitude and tearful sentiments from some. We plan no editorial recriminations. It is time. Thank you for your service, We wish you a long and happy retirement. Bon Voyage.
LETTER
"To All Atkinson Residents,
I am writing to ask for your help. A member of the Atkinson Police Department needs our help. I am here to ask for your help in Corporal John Lapham's fight for his life. As you are aware, John has been diagnosed with Leukemia. He has been once again hospitalized with an infection that is threatening his life. He is one of the bravest people that I have ever met. He has never asked of anything from the residents of the town. Now is our chance to step up and help both him and his family out. As everyone is aware John has been out of work for a few months. His family has been busy helping John to get better. He needs our help, and I am hoping that this town can step up to the plate and help. From the moment that I met John, I have admired him. He does alot, but never asks for anything in return. He has helped so many people in this town. I for one am one of those people. Please help him.
There is a fund set-up in his name at TDBanknorth in Plaistow. Any amount will help John, while he is out of work. It would be great if this town could help ease a burden off his wife.
Thank You
Also if anyone would like to send a card, please address it to:
John Lapham
c/o Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Ctr.
Inpatient mail
75 Francis Street
Boston, MA 02115
United States
Please show Corporal John Lapham, that this community can stand up and show our support to those in need. I for one, miss John and can not wait until he can get better and return to work. Please show him that we support him. "
2 comments:
Everyone better attend this deliberative session so the wording in the ordinance does not get changed by a small minority of special interests.
As most people know, anyone can propose a change to the wording in the ordinance and if enough people vote to accept the change, the ordinance can be rendered useless by the time it goes to vote.
It as all about attending the deliberative session and then following up in the voting booth.
Voter participation by everyone is critical at BOTH events.
And don't forget the other item on the agenda. The Vietnam Honor Roll panel placement. People voted overwhelmingly to put them in front of the town hall, and the selectmen refused to do it.
They need to be taught a lesson.
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