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Impacts of Sharon Hills (Brickstone) on Easton Residents
In addition to unregulated PPCPs, enforcement of discharge permits by state authorities is lax (see http://www.mass.gov/dep/water/priorities/sggwhome.htm - gwcom), so there is no assurance that even regulated contaminants will not be released into the groundwater.
The closer you are to the site, the more likely and severe the contamination. If you are not on well water, or in the contamination zone, please be aware that other citizens of Easton, some of whom may include your friends and neighbors, are at risk.
Click here to see how far your home is from the wastewater treatment system.
Traffic: The Sharon Hills project would house over 1,000 residents and require approximately 300 employees. Rattlesnake Hill is located in a Rural 2 zone on historic Bay Road, one of the oldest roads in the country and an officially designated Scenic Road. Bay Road's undulations and curves interfere with lines of sight, increasing the risk of accidents. Additional traffic associated with the Sharon Hills project will inevitably lead to more accidents. The large elderly population and nursing home would require more high-speed ambulance runs. All residents, employees or visitors to this site would have to pass through the towns of Stoughton, Easton, or Sharon, adding to congestion in the area (the nearest store being over 4 miles away and the highway 15 -20 minutes.)
Tax Increase: Easton's northernmost well is within the possible contamination area. If this well becomes contaminated, Easton's taxpayers will need to spend money to shut down the well and find another water resource. Additionally, the costs incurred by the increase in traffic and resultant accidents on the Easton portion of Bay Road will be borne by Easton taxpayers.
Environmental: Water contamination from this development's wastewater treatment plant will threaten not only humans, but also the wildlife in the area. Rattlesnake Hill has been declared a “highest priority” for protection by The Nature Conservancy and a Priority Habitat of Rare Species by the state's natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program (NHESP.) It is part of an unusual wildlife corridor. Sharon Hill's access road would bisect the corridor, limiting movement of wildlife and potentially leading to the demise of endangered Blanding's turtles and vernal pool salamanders that would get run over as they try to cross the road.