Val Verde residents are planning to host a regional “barnraising” event from July 9-10 to work with the nonprofit Public Laboratory for Open Technology and Science to address environmental concerns.
Stevie Lewis, outreach manager for Public Lab, suggested the organization doesn’t have preconceived notions about the Chiquita Canyon Landfill, which is located off of Highway 126, near Wolcott Way and Chiquito Canyon Road. Some of the nearby residents have complained about air quality and expressed concerns about the possible health impacts of the landfill.
“The event is focused on environmental exploration,” Lewis said. “We have not planned activities such as air quality testing. The event is run in an un-conference style. This means we don’t set the agenda of what happens for the event until we are all there together in person at the event. (The) way we know what we’re doing is what people are interested in doing.”
“If people are interested in exploring issues around the landfill, we can do that together at the event,” Lewis said. “But again, no schedule has been set.”
John Musella, spokesman for Chiquita Canyon Landfill, said: “We’re pleased Val Verde is hosting a community-based environmental workshop. We hope that this additional review by the community will help further alleviate their concerns as was demonstrated last year by their independent air quality testing results.
“In 2015,” Musella said, “the Val Verde Community Advisory Committee hired a third-party air quality testing expert to test for various compounds in the air at the landfill and at three locations outside of the landfill. Those results concluded there were no health and safety issues.”
On its website, the environmental group explains: ”The Public Lab Barnraising is the closest thing we have to a Public Lab conference – but with an emphasis on ‘doing stuff together’ rather than just presenting (and) talking. In the spirit of bringing a community together to collectively raise a structure such as a barn, Regional Barnraising participants come together to test environmental monitoring tools in the field, develop new research projects, share out about environmental concerns and develop strategies to address them.”
For more information about the, click [here].
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6 Comments
Please note The event is focused on environmental exploration,” Lewis said. “We have not planned activities such as air quality testing. The event is run in an un-conference style. This means we don’t set the agenda of what happens for the event until we are all there together in person at the event. (The) way we know what we’re doing is what people are interested in doing.”
Don’t know how John Musella came up with we are testing the air, that is not what Public is coming to Val Verde for.
Once again the reporter does not get the info or quotes from the people the appear to interview! If Jessica Boyer had, she would not identify Stevie Lewis (a female), as a male!
Stevie Lewis submitted his quotes by email. There was no indication that he was actually a her. We’re happy to remove the story entirely, since everybody seems to have so much trouble with it.
Wasn’t one of those air testers bought by the land fill and silenced?
Don’t take it down, mistaking Stevie as a male, is nothing compared to reading the entire article.
I do not know if Val Verde fears are alleviated after the independent study. If anything I think the independent study brought up more concerns. As I remember the first scientist resigned the position, since he was hired from the landfill on the first day he was to do the study. The second one said he found all wells to be clean. When asked how he knew they were clean, his reply was the landfill interviews. But a search of a few articles will find that there were contaminated wells. I know the landfill worked a lot harder at controlling the stench while the scientist were here. The last few weeks have been pretty full of stench here in Val Verde. I think maybe the landfill is preparing for public Lab and their visit. I am sure that for that visit the landfill will go the extra mile and make sure it is compliant. At least Val Verde will be given a few days where the landfill is willing to pay to make sure there are no smells. I just wish that someone was here to test everyday so that the dollar was not the deciding factor in the level of stench.