The Westville landfill site is located in upstate New York, in the United States, about 1 km from the Canadian border, near the small Quebec town of Elgin.  The facility began its operations around 1994, and now the site receives and buries approximately 125,000 tons of waste annually.
Based on the official request made by the developer (Franklin Solid Waste Management Authority), if the project unfolds in accordance with its plan, this site would expand from 120 acres to 630 acres (240 hectares), more than five times its current size.  Its proximity to the Châteauguay River watershed has the citizens of the Upper St. Lawrence quite worried.  The Châteauguay River’s watershed covers 2,540 km of land along both sides of the Canada/US border.
     Of course, in its background documents the developer is reassuring, leaving aside important matters that should be addressed publicly in the best interest of all. The vast majority of the region’s residents rely on surface and ground water from the Châteauguay Valley River watershed as their main, if not only, water supply. They fear the worst from this expansion. We strongly believe that waste management should be dealt with through more modern and less damaging solutions, such as those that have already been put into effect by some countries open to recycling and recovery.
     When asked about the lack of landfill materials recycling programs, the site manager said he did not believe in the advantages of recycling and recovery. This says a lot about the type and nature of future operations at the site. In Quebec, the provincial government encourages municipalities to implement and improve recycling programs in order to reduce dramatically the quantity of waste directed to landfill sites. The objective is to reach a 60% recovery rate by 2010.  But what about our neighbours to the south?
     According to the most recent statistics, the recovery and recycling rate in northern New York State accounts for only 12% of the urban waste produced annually. Obviously, these practices have yet to make their way into the American lifestyle and mentality.  The tendency should be toward stabilizing and reducing land areas occupied by landfills, and not the contrary. This objective can only be reached if the concerned governments show a real commitment to requiring the various stakeholders to comply with these new guidelines.  Only then can we hope to protect our lands and our water resources.
     Canada and the United States are equally responsible for the management of the joint waters of the Upper St. Lawrence watershed and the Great Lakes. In light of this fact, the coalition is asking the various governments to intervene in order to put an end to this controversial project and to implement, once and for all, an international policy aimed at protecting the waters and watersheds along our common borders.
     That is why we are asking you, in the weeks and months to come, to join us and support the “Coalition against the expansion of the Westville landfill site” in its lobbying efforts to put an end to this ridiculous project which threatens the drinking water supply of the area communities on both sides of the border.