To the Editor:

The Sand Lake Town Board is considering a new zoning code that would feature stricter requirements on mining. The regulations would allow mining on 20 or more acres and the mining could only begin 200 feet from the property line. Miners would have to pay reclamation bond to the town for any future cleanup of a mining site. The rules would also forbid trucks hauling mined materials from using town roads.

It’s time Guilderland considered adopting such regulations. In the past year, the sand and gravel mine on Stitt Road has greatly extended its operation and apparently is planning to expand even further.

The acre upon acre of moonscape they have created is only a few hundred yards from the Watervliet Reservoir, a major source of Guilderland’s drinking water, and less than a hundred feet from Stitt Road. The mining company is supposed to maintain the road but for most of the mile to the homes along the reservoir, the road surface consists of deep potholes and bumpy patches.

A low berm alongside the road provides a driver with limited protection from going over a hundred foot embankment. The berm also hides from public view the extent and ugliness of the operation.

I would like the Guilderland Town Board to answer the following  questions regarding the Stitt Road mining:

— 1. Does the mining company have to provide a reclamation bond?

— 2. Are there any limits or control over the extent of the mining?

— 3. Why hasn’t the mining company been held accountable to the road maintenance agreement?

— 4. When was the last time a town board or town environmental group member officially visited the site?

— 5. What is the town’s position on mining operations such as this?

— 6. What is the town plan for reclamation of this extensive scar on our environment?

— 7. To what extent has the town involved the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation with this situation?

These are just a few of the questions that should be answered. As an over 50-year resident of Guilderland, I am concerned that the Stitt Road mine site is now or will be a threat to Guilderland’s drinking water.

I am also concerned that future generations will be left with the cost of reclaiming the mining site. Too often in the past, powerful interests have raped the resources and landscape of our beautiful country and have not been held accountable. Don’t let it happen here.

Charles Rielly

Guilderland

Editor’s note: Charles Rielly formerly held these positions: He was a leader of the Restoration Advisory Board that guided cleanup of the old Army depot in Guilderland Center; he was chairman of Guilderland’s Natural Resources Committee; and he was the technical representative for the Pine Bush Commission.