GLEN, N.Y. -- More than a month after the Town of Glen planning board rejected a proposal by a Canadian company to bring a sewage sludge facility to the area, opponents are still working to keep the project from moving forward.
"The people of this area do not want this company in here or any company similar to it," said George Galeazza, of Citizens Against Local Landfills.
For months, Lystek International has been trying to bring the facility to the Glen Canal View Business Park. It's predicted to bring in about 150,000 tons of sewage sludge each year and convert it to a bio-solid fertilizer.
Many residents are worried this could pose a threat to the environment and their water source.
"There's not another facility like this one in the entire United States," said Stella Gittle, another member of Citizens Against Local Landfills.
Earlier this month, opponents filed a lawsuit against the town board and planning board. It's in regards to a zoning change that allowed the project to progress.
But residents are also hoping to get some help from the state.
Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara has sent a letter to the state Department of Environmental Conservation, calling for a moratorium on the siting of sewage sludge facilities in New York. He says the process involves potentially dangerous materials, and there's just not enough information or study of it.
"The details are not there," Santabarbara said. "The questions haven't been answered. The environmental impacts have not been addressed. What are they and what are we doing to mitigate them?"
There's currently no word on if or when Lystek will bring up another proposal. A company spokesperson declined to comment. He would only say they're doing their due diligence.