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#Post#: 109--------------------------------------------------
What Happens when Safety Loses to Ignorance
DIR By: Doug K
Date: July 29, 2018, 1:19 pm
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What's wrong with this picture... how is this situation
possible? Everyone supports safety right?
WRONG! A group of people, dedicated to protecting Nature, is
actively fighting against an Erie Canal Safety Project that
helps all of Rochester's Communities that live along the
waterway & trail. That's the TRUTH of the matter that has pitted
yet another "grass-roots" group, The Stop the Clear Cut group
(STCC) against the New York Power Authority and Canal
Corporation (NYPA & NYCC) who are trying to repair a 100 year
old Erie Canal. I'm a bit offended by this groups behavior, are
human beings part of "nature"? Don't those living BELOW the dams
matter?
Tried to sum that answer up with ONE word, maybe this is the one
that fits best - IGNORANCE. You will see that word used a lot
here.
IGNORANCE here carries a dual meaning dependent on whether you
are Supporting the Embankment Repair project or if you are
actively Fighting against these safety changes being made to the
Erie Canal. I happen to be supporting this project, as suddenly
there is a 377' long x 15' tall Dam that showed up in our
backyard a few months back. Maybe it would have been easier to
let other's do my thinking, but if you live NEXT to these unsafe
Erie Canal Embankments you are acting IGNORANTLY if you don't
understand how living at the BOTTOM of an Earthen Flood Control
Structure will change your life, which is what an Embankment Dam
is, a FLOOD control structure that keeps the water from washing
your house away.
This is something I learned becoming LESS IGNORANT: Based on
typical Erie Canal topography if the embankment nearest your
property is taller than 16-18' then ALL of the water you see
INSIDE the Erie Canal (at that point on the trailway) is ABOVE
the ground level below it. All of the earth used to build the
Dam, from the waterline down, is very saturated below the
water's surface to the Phreatic Line which naturally drains
water towards the Toe of Slope. Woody vegetation disrupts this
natural water flow and THAT is what causes normal leakage to
turn into a devastating flood. That saturated soil does NOT go
away when they "dewater" the Canal in winter, it's just "less
water in the Dam".
Smart Neighbors of the Erie Canal would recognize these
Embankments for what they are, unsafe Dams as they look today.
So how is it this project has caused so many of our neighbors to
be divided by a simple "recognition of safety"? Is it just
IGNORING the TRUTH?
First, there's the IGNORANCE of those fighting against safety,
like the STCC group. Whether it's willful or true IGNORANCE, the
simple fact is there is a pronounced safety aspect associated
with this Embankment Repair Project. That fact has been clearly
stated by the NY Canal Corp and still a group of people simply
can't or won't see that fact. They do NOT talk about safety on
their website & simply refuse to call these embankments DAMS.
Those who support keeping trees are unconsciously working
AGAINST safety, safer dams, and safer communities, no matter how
they disguise it.
This type of IGNORANCE places thousands of people in possible
peril while this group says "sorry, we don't see it", there is
NOTHING wrong with the Erie Canal, nothing to fix". The fact is
everything about SAFETY on this Embankment Project IS TRUE.
There is overwhelming evidence supporting it with recent
inspections and major emergency repairs. This version of the
Erie is one of the OLDEST, and as such DOES need to be brought
up to 21st century standards... hopefully we won't all be
IGNORANT of that simple fact.
It's not an opinion, it's FACTS that define DAM SAFETY my
friends... remember that
This ignorance in itself is bad enough, but when the NY Canal
Corp & Power Authority are unwilling or unable to correct these
folks about a simple question of SAFETY you have to ask yourself
why? Are these two groups so IGNORANT that they can't see WHY
fighting back AGAINST those who deny SAFETY is a denial in
itself? It borders on negligence on the part of management here,
they should be REINFORCING their message if they want people to
believe them. If Embankment Remediation is a SAFETY project they
certainly don't act like it is
There are MANY groups within New York State that would feel the
need to be engaged if the words "Unsafe Embankments" was being
touted as the reason behind a multi-million dollar Safety
Project, DEC, ASDSO to name a couple. If there is STRENGTH in
NUMBERS then why hasn't the NY Canal Corp asked for help
engaging this ignorance of safety, seem to me they are IGNORING
their duty to escape being criticized for "causing their own
problems". Right now groups who SHOULD be aware of UNSAFE DAMS
in NYS are IGNORANT to that fact... that WILL change soon.
Department of Environmental Conservation does need to weigh in
soon, for SEQR study... they will hopefully END the practice of
IGNORING these aging Dams, & get much needed OVERSIGHT of 122
miles of Erie Canal Embankments
There is an answer to the work stoppage of this Erie Canal
Safety Project on Rochester's Eastside Communities it's quite
simple, make those IGNORING the safety aspects associated with
this project understand these issues are REAL, no question, no
argument. That includes STCC, DEC and the ASDSO, for their part,
NYPA & the NYCC have TRIED to correct their issues until "well
meaning" people simply IGNORED their SAFETY message.
The conversation on this Embankment Repair project, especially
the actual NEED to have this work done, will always STALL until
ALL parties acknowledge the simple message of Safety here. Those
entrusted with insuring that safety have NO choice but to wait
until those "feigning ignorance about safety" come to their
senses, if that's even possible now as others have given them
credibility, when they should have had NONE.
It's called liability folks, and can't be IGNORED. NYCC & its
management KNOW the right course to take and MUST take it
regardless of how silly the public is acting or how IGNORANT the
public is to its own safety, or lack of safety in this case.
While the STCC folks can IGNORE public safety, these state
agencies charged with MAINTAINING SAFETY can't. Those who
believe they can are just being IGNORANT.. see the theme?
The act of IGNORING carries a strong message to those who expect
your support on something like this project. After you have
gained public support but LOST the advocacy of those individuals
who actually get the safety message and help you, there is a
sense that somewhere you are still failing, which NYPA & NYCC
are both doing on this project. Choosing to IGNORE those who are
lying about safety as well as IGNORING those who are trying to
spread your safety message in the guise of "fairplay" seems a
bit IGNORANT to some as well who follow this project... enough
said there.
I've chosen to simply IGNORE the Project Owners until we, the
ECNA, hear the message that is needed from them which is "safety
safety safety"! That message has to be delivered from the
Project OWNERSHIP to ONLY one group, those who are IGNORING it
NOW, those that support the STCC and their continued IGNORANCE
of the FACTS... not my facts or your facts, accepted facts &
science about Embankment Dams & Vegetation Free Zones needed to
maintain SAFETY.... after all we can't be IGNORANT to the fact
that this project is ALL ABOUT SAFETY.
Once everyone is talking about Safety again, and NOT TREES,
regarding this Embankment Repair Project, we will know that the
NYCC has finally figured out how to communicate it's message and
is making ALL of Rochester safe from this aging series of
Earthen Dams that makes up the Erie Canal. The sad truth here
is, most communities would be welcoming ANY help to correct a
safety issue in their midst, well at least the SMART ones that
don't IGNORE the message of Safety
Until then I plan to IGNORE this Project Leadership and their
IGNORANCE in not understanding how to deal with the IGNORANCE of
the public opposition to Safety Issue THEY created & own in our
community...shameful they can't change the conversation away
from trees back to safety. We seemed to be able to do that,
what's their issue?
We've heard that sometimes "less is more". In this case NOTHING
but silence from those supporting this project should speak
VOLUMES against how it's being run.
#Post#: 110--------------------------------------------------
Re: What Happens when Safety Loses to Ignorance
DIR By: Doug K
Date: July 31, 2018, 8:21 am
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Almost 145 views of this post and not ONE reply?
Must be a bunch of guests who are on the fence about joining the
ECNA. Remember this, long after the trees are gone, the
chainsaws stop, and reconstruction is done on these Embankments
the Erie Canal NEIGHBORS will all have to contend with the "new
neighbors" who've re entry cleaned up their act, fixing their
safety issue in our backyards.
But this also changes EVERYTHING about the Erie Canal & those
who own it,, they will operate differently now, and we as
neighbors will need to adapt. We also will need a collective
"voice" that will communicate with our new neighbor if their
changes affect our 339 mile long neighborhood.
If ypu want to insure your voice is heard, there is strength in
numbers, join the ECNA and GET INVOLVED.
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