Another Earth Day has dawned and local photographer Geoff Welch captured the colorful burst.

Welch took pictures of the morning sun as it rose east over Torne Mountain in the Ramapos.

   Photo by Geoff Welch

Founded in 1970 during the early days of environmental activism, the impact of Earth Day celebrations have been profound — think the recycling movement, laws against littering, the continued tightening of federal Clean Air and Clear Water to fight pollution. All of these efforts and more  are rooted in the peopled powered movement that has turned Earth Day into a global phenomenon.

Local Happenings

The Sloatsburg Village Board meets Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. and one of the big agenda topics is Nakoma Brook. The Rockland County waterways slices through Sloatsburg and has been causing erosion problems for some properties during periods of heavy rains.

   Photo by Geoff Welch

The board will hear from the Rockland County Drainage Agency and get an accounting of agency funding for the local waterway.

You can get your adventure and environmental fix at the Lafayette Theatre Tuesday evening during the Suffern Film Festival — which hosts short films from around the world as part of the Wild & Scenic Film Festival. Tickets range in price from $15-$18 and buys viewers an evening of short films and other activities. The whole thing gets underway at 6 p.m. with a bit of music from the Mighty Wurlitzer organ.

About That United Water Rate Increase

The Town of Ramapo will play host to the New York Public Service Commission on Thursday, April 24, with hearings at both at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.

   Photo by Geoff Welch

United Water New York would like to raise Rockland County basic basic customer rates to by 24.5%.

Ramapo Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence has been a leading advocate against the water rate increase and said in a statement that United Water has failed to act responsibly to control its costs and reduce the burden on Rockland ratepayers.

A Municipal Consortium that includes the Town of Ramapo, the County of Rockland, Rockland towns and some villages, including two school districts, has recommended that United Water receive no rate increase.

“Rockland residents should not be required to pay for United Water’s mismanagement,” St. Lawrence said.

According to St. Lawrence, United Water has not done a cost-benefit analyses on its capital projects and never filed a report, required by the PSC, that its non-revenue water average of 21% was above the 18% threshold every year for the last 5 years.

St. Lawrence called United Waters actions “mismanagement” that has paid has increased dividend to its shareholders in 2013 by 50%–from $4 million to $6 million while asking for a 3% increase in management compensation.

The supervisor encouraged Ramapo residents to attend the water rate hearings “to let the PSC know Rockland is not an ATM machine for United Water.”