High Falls, New York, USA – 2011

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Water Locale

Village Green, High Falls, NY
Near 5 Locks Walk entrance
by Delaware and Hudson Canal (D&H Canal)

Audience Site

D&H Canal Five Locks Walk, beside Depuy Canal House. See http://www.hudsonrivervalley.com/PhotoGallery/D.aspx

History

The tiny hamlet of High Falls, NY has been declared an EPA Superfund site because its ground water and residential wells were contaminated with industrial VOCs, such as trichloroethane. As a result of its designation as a hazardous waste site, little High Falls now has its own water district and shares its tap water with New York City.
HYDROFRACKING IS THE WATER ISSUE FOR NEW YORK STATE! Gas drilling has been going on in the state of New York for many years, but it has been straight drilling, with no toxic fluids and comparatively little water usage. Hydrofracking is a newer type of shale gas drilling that consumes and contaminates huge amounts of water. According to U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) fact sheets, “a single hydro-fracking treatment can yield 15,000 gallons of chemical waste” and “a single hydro-fracked well can require 3-9 million gallons of water per treatment–dozens of times what is used in conventional vertical gas drilling.” A recent study by Duke University researchers found high levels of leaked methane in well water collected near shale-gas drilling and hydrofracking sites. Susan Riha, director of the New York State Water Resources Institute at Cornell University and Dr. Anthony Ingraffea, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Cornell University and an expert on Hydraulic Rock Fracturing, have both been independently speaking out on the many dangers of hydrofracking. New Yorkers are organizing to protect their wonderful drinking water.
The D& H Canal (Lock 16 in photo) is 108 miles long with 108 locks. It is a Historic Landmark. The ongoing relationship between water, human industry, and New York City is what makes the D&H Canal and the tiny hamlet of High Falls, NY legendary. D&H Canal — one of the earliest man-made industrial transport canals in the U.S. — was built in the early 19th century to INTRODUCE and deliver coal to New York City. The cheap coal barged up the D&H Canal and down the Hudson River to New York City proved to be central to the rapid development and industrialization of NYC for over 50 years.

Water issues

Hale gas drilling that consumes and contaminates huge amounts of water. According to U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) fact sheets, “a single hydro-fracking treatment can yield 15,000 gallons of chemical waste” and “a single hydro-fracked well can require 3-9 million gallons of water per treatment–dozens of times what is used in conventional vertical gas drilling.” A recent study by Duke University researchers found high levels of leaked methane in well water collected near shale-gas drilling and hydrofracking sites. Susan Riha, director of the New York State Water Resources Institute at Cornell University and Dr. Anthony Ingraffea, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Cornell University and an expert on Hydraulic Rock Fracturing, have both been independently speaking out on the many dangers of hydrofracking. New Yorkers are organizing to protect their wonderful drinking water.
The D& H Canal (Lock 16 in photo) is 108 miles long with 108 locks. It is a Historic Landmark. The ongoing relationship between water, human industry, and New York City is what makes the D&H Canal and the tiny hamlet of High Falls, NY legendary. D&H Canal — one of the earliest man-made industrial transport canals in the U.S. — was built in the early 19th century to INTRODUCE and deliver coal to New York City. The cheap coal barged up the D&H Canal and down the Hudson River to New York City proved to be central to the rapid development and industrialization of NYC for over 50 years.

The Choreographers

Public water ceremony was by Mirah Moriarty and Rodrigo Esteva of Dance Monks, Leslee Rachel Cooper of High Falls, Glenn Leisching of Indigenous African Spirit Technologies.

The Music

Statewide Day of Action Against Hydrofracking – Harvey Kaiser and the Kansas City Sound
Global Water Dances – Fre Atlast and others of The Elders Drum Project and TRANSnDANCEnDRUM CENTER of Rosendale, NY

The Performance

New York Statewide Day of Action Against Fracking began at 2:00 p.m. Harvey Kaiser and the Kansas City Sound played. Frack Free Catskills and Frack Action will provided information on hydrofracking.
Global Water Dances with the Water Blessing ceremony began at 5:00 pm. Mirah Moriarty and Rodrigo Esteva of Dance Monks, Leslee Rachel Cooper of High Falls and Glenn Leisching of Indigenous African Spirit Technologies will be the celebrants for the public Water ceremony and make offerings to the Water Shrine. The public were invited to bring water-related offerings to the shrine.

Directions to Site Location

“Downtown” High Falls On the green beside the Depuy Canal House.
Directions From The South: Take the New York State Thruway to Exit 18 (New Paltz). Turn left, westbound on Route 299. Turn right onto Route 32 North in New Paltz and go 8 miles to Rosendale. Turn left onto Route 213 West. The Depuy Canal House is located approximately 3.5 miles on the left, across from the Locktender Cottage with the For Sale sign in front.
From The North: Take the New York State Thruway to Exit 19 (Kingston). Take the exit (Route 28 West) off the traffic circle to Route 209 South towards Ellenville. At the south end of Stone Ridge, turn left onto Route 213 East and go 1.5 miles to High Falls. The Depuy Canal House is on the right, across from the Locktender Cottage with For Sale sign in front.

Email contact

[email protected]

Local website

http://www.nywater.org/