In 2004 the State of New York built a road, Route 840, that cut through Hearts Hill Farm, reducing its acreage from 40 to 27, with seven of the 27 acres being cut off from the main farm and landlocked without access. At about the same time that the road was being built, land just uphill from Hearts Hill Farm was purchased, with the idea being to put in a gas station. In the process of preparing the land for commercial use, more than 200,000 cubic yards of dirt and shale was bulldozed to a point uphill from and adjacent to the farm, creating an earthen cliff reaching in some places to a height of 25 feet. You can see this earthen cliff in the lower photo. The Roberts' have had a storm water run-off problem because of this mound of dirt for more than 3 years, a problem which has periodically flooded their garlic fields.
But this water run-off problem will be compounded when (and if) the gas station itself is built. There is no town sewer in this area, so the gas station wants to put in a septic system. It doesn't take a lot of imagination to figure out why this might be a problem for an organic vegetable farm, but this problem is compounded by the fact that this area is a wetland, with a stream running through it that's a tributary of Oriskany Creek, a well-known local trout stream. You can see this stream in the upper photo, which is full of mud from the previously mentioned 200,000-cubic-yard pile of dirt.
Add to this the fact that the Roberts' main source of water is from a shallow aquifer, only about three feet beneath the surface of the ground. The people who are trying to put in the gas station have put in two retention ponds, complete with pipes that direct water onto the Robert's property. Right now this water is simply muddy run-off water, but what if the gas station's tanks should leak? You can see, in the middle photo, the Roberts' pond, which is very near their organic vegetable gardens. Notice that it is full of muddy run-off water. If the gas station is built it may become full of muddy run-off water and gas and salt and oil. Of course the DEA will make sure the gas station owners will put in safety features to prevent the leakage of gas and oil, but how much confidence can the Roberts' have that this will be done properly when something as relatively simple as controlling a water run-off problem caused by a big pile of dirt hasn't been solved in the last several years?
All of this may just kill the Roberts' business, which is a one-of-a-kind one: the only certified organic vegetable farm in Oneida County. I'm not sure how many gas stations there are in Oneida County, but I'm willing to bet that there are far more than just one. Is it really necessary to build a gas station at this exact spot? And, if it is, how long is it going to take for something to be done about the water run-off problem caused by the mound of dirt and shale that borders the Roberts' property? Four years? Five years? Six years? Seven years? Forever?
And even if no salt or oil or gas gets into the muddy water that keeps on running off the mound of dirt into the Roberts' fields, they don't grow rice, which is just about the only thing you can grow in water-logged soil.
I've spoken to Michelle Roberts about this situation, and she has told me that she and her husband, Kent, are going to do their best to continue providing their customers with high-quality organic herbs and vegetables, but shouldn't they have some help? After all, they didn't build that 25'-foot-high wall of dirt that's threatening to turn their farm into a rice paddy, so why should they have to spend their time and money to correct the water run-off problem that's caused by it?
An article about the problems the Roberts' face was previously published in the November 27, 2007 edition of the Utica Observer-Dispatch, which can be found here:Heartshillfarm.
Michelle Roberts has informed me that she and her husband would appreciate any help you can give them, and would especially appreciate letters to the Utica Observer Dispatch, and also to the town council of Whitestown. She has also told me that Senator Griffo's office has expressed an interest in helping them, and thinks letters to his office might help, as well. For further information about Hearts Hill Farm and what you can do to help, please contact the Roberts' at 315-736-5714.
For further information go here: Whitestown.
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