Hillary Opposes Filtration Plant

By JORDAN MOSS

U.S. Senate candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton expressed her opposition to the filtration plant proposed for Mosholu Golf Course in Van Cortlandt Park in a July letter to an upstate watershed protection activist.

"I strongly believe that the Watershed is a natural and economic resource of priceless value," Clinton wrote in a letter to Dr. Marian Rose of the Croton Watershed Clean Water Coalition (CWCWC), which opposes the filtration plant. "Residents of New York City have been blessed with amongst the purest water in the country. Rather than spending $1 billion for a filtration plant, we should invest in less expensive efforts to protect the watershed at its source. I strongly support efforts to deter development in areas surrounding the Croton Watershed and other steps to protect it from polluted runoff."

The CWCWC and other environmental groups like the Sierra Club have been urging Clinton to take a position on the plant over the last several months.

John Klotz, an attorney for the CWCWC and a member of the Sierra Club, believes Clinton staking out a clear position on the matter will translate into a campaign issue.

"For the first time the people are going to have a referendum on the plant," said Klotz, who identified himself as a partisan Democrat. "[Republican Senate candidate Rick] Lazio has been masquerading as an environmentalist but his position clearly shows that the only green comes from developers' pockets. Voters will now choose from one who advocates protecting the watershed and one who advocates catering to development pressures."

Lazio's campaign staff did not respond to a call requesting comment.

The practical implication of Clinton's stance is unclear, as the decision on the plant is now in the federal court system. In June a federal judge ruled against the park and community groups who sued the city for failing to consult the state legislature before siting the plant in a public park. That decision is now being appealed. Construction is scheduled to begin in September 2001. Local residents and elected officials oppose the plant because they feel that the construction will inundate the area with noise, dust and traffic and that it will ruin a precious piece of parkland.

Some local residents along with Rose and the CWCWC also argue that the plant should not be built anywhere because they believe it will give upstate developers a license to build along and pollute the watershed.

Klotz acknowledged that Clinton's clout will have more meaning if she is elected.

"The important influence Hillary will have is when she is elected U.S. senator," Klotz said. "There will be plenty of time to deal with this after Jan. 1. Beyond that, because she has shown an interest and taken a strong position [during the campaign], we're going to get far more attention from media and press, and public awareness of the issue than we've had in the past."

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