MAMAKATING – The Sullivan County Partnership for Economic Development (SCPED) is calling for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to do whatever is necessary to bring to a close the process under which Yukiguni Maitake (YM), the Japan-based mushroom-growing company, would be issued water-related permits for the factory the company intends to build in the Town of Mamakating. The organization sent several representatives to the meeting hosted by the DEC in the Town of Mamakating this past Wednesday in order to let the DEC know that the business community was supportive of the plant's construction.

Tim McCausland, president of the SCPED, said that the group wants the plant to go forward.

"[Our position] stems from our role as chief economic development agency for the county," McCausland said. "It's all about creating jobs, and this only comes about in a long, broad, and meaningful way: through commercial development."

McCausland went on to say that the SCPED had in the past decided that there were projects that weren't worthy of the group's endorsement, and that they weren't simply reacting in a knee-jerk fashion when it comes to jobs. He said that the plant would be an important source of tax revenue for both the Town of Mamakating and Sullivan County.

At last week's meeting, however, a number of groups, including the Basha Kill Area Association (BKAA) and the Sullivan County Audubon Society, reiterated various concerns involving the proposed plant's geothermal cooling system. YM plans on extracting approximately 450,000 gallons of water per day from the local aquifer, approximately two-thirds of which would be discharged into an infiltration basin. It is this basin — or perhaps series of basins — that concerns these groups.

Dr. Katherine Beinkafner, a hydro-geologist retained by the BKAA, has reviewed in detail the proposed site plan, and feels strongly that plant's design, as currently configured, presents a host of potential problems. These include everything from the infiltration rate of the soil (how quickly it can reabsorb the discharge); and the lack of habitat assessment for the Bog Turtle, a species that is considered "threatened" at the federal level. Beinkafner would like to see YM conduct a bore test at the building site, and that this should be continually monitored over a period of months in order to gauge the rate at which the water filters down through the soil. If the rate is too low, Beinkafner fears that this could result in what is known as "doming," a phenomenon that sees a buildup of water at the surface level and which could lead to flooding — especially in those years in which the rainfall is particularly heavy.

Marlena Lange, president of the Orange County Land Trust, also spoke at the meeting and said that the organization is concerned that the discharge from the infiltration basin would have an effect on the areas downstream.

DEC spokesperson Wendy Rosenbach said that the concerns expressed by the BKAA and others are currently being evaluated and that it could be several months before the agency makes any kind of determination as to the problems outlined.

"It might take a little while," Rosenbach said.

She also went on to say that YM had recently submitted new scientific information to the DEC and that they would be scrutinizing this very closely.

It is also possible that the DEC would move next to an administrative hearing on the proposed plant. If so, the proceeding would be facilitated by a judge and the various participants placed under oath. The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) — another interested agency as the Basha Kill is part of the Delaware River watershed — will also likely have to issue a permit. The earliest the DRBC could take up the issue would be at its September meeting.

If built, the YM plant would create as many as 120 local jobs; and the product, the maitake mushroom, is considered a delicacy that may contain a number of health benefits, including the prevention of various cancers and the control of diabetes.