NY: Cornell's brew of liquefied cows to go into Cayuga Lake

Fri May 22, 2009 3:31 pm (PDT)


Cornell must disclose what's in its brew of liquefied cows

High above Cayuga's waters this weekend the minds of thousands of
parents and students will happily focus on graduation.

One thought that won't likely cross their minds is whether they
should drink from Cayuga's waters.

That could change for future Cornell graduations. What Cornell is
putting into Cayuga's waters and possibly ending up in the water
glasses at graduation dinners could become important table discussion.

Cornell plans to deliver a liquefied brew of animal carcasses and
veterinary medical waste to the Ithaca Wastewater Treatment plant.
There, the material would be treated and discharged into Cayuga Lake.
The lake is the source of drinking water for thousands of county
residents, businesses and visitors - like those Cornell families
staying in area hotels this weekend.

For more than a month, Cornell has refused to disclose the components
of its liquefied brew of dead animals and medical waste. In early
April, The Ithaca Journal requested under the New York Freedom of
Information Law that Cornell provide details on the chemical and
biological ingredients of the waste.

Cornell argues New York's FOIL does not apply to the university. Even
though New York taxpayers fund many of the university's programs and
several state schools are located on its campus, Cornell claims it is
a private institution and not subject to FOIL.

To its credit, Cornell has filed thousands of pages of analysis on
the waste project. These are available at the Tompkins County Public
Library. But, nowhere in those thick binders of analysis has Cornell
provided a simple detailed list of chemicals and pathogenic organisms
that might be in the veterinary waste.

Cornell's brew of animal carcasses and waste is generated by the
Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine. That state college also houses
the New York State Animal Health Diagnostic Center and the New York
State Diagnostic Lab. Note the word "state" in the previous sentence.

Each of those Cornell operations is linked with New York state and
its taxpayers for financial support. Cornell's plan to dump its waste
into a public sewage treatment plant is linked to the health and
welfare of thousands who depend on Cayuga Lake for drinking water. The
Journal believes Cornell has both a legal and social responsibility to
disclose what might be in the liquefied waste and animal carcasses.

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http://www.theithacajournal.com/article/20090522/VIEWPOINTS01/905220308/1129/OPINION