Air quality in Ithaca NY area

[Newarkbomb]

that fresh smell of animal poop and dirt!
hah i dont really know, im from North East jersey (jersey city/hackensack), so what i smell on the turnpike thru elizabeth is nothing campared to farm air in ithaca.. Elizabeth, NJ is the armpit of jersey if not america

[CBaillo]

rofl @ jersey making fun of ithaca's smells.

[Ellie C.]

I would think the air is better in Ithaca than in Norfolk. If you live outside of town, be prepared for the occasional cow poop smell when you pass a farm. I would think you would want to visit the area to see what it's like. The winters here would be very different than the winters in Norfolk. Would you be prepared for that? The two cities are very different - economically, demographically... what about the other factor that may be important to you?

[looking4home]

ItSmellsBad is right, CBaillo. CAFO's are becoming a problem not just in rural NY, but elsewhere across the country. It's a growing problem, and not one that is going away any time soon. It has to do with farms of all size being pressured to turn into CAFO's to maximize their profits, and compete in a world market. It's very sad, really, because this type of farming operation not only negatively affects nearby residents, but it's not healthy for the animals to be treated that way.

And to be fair, CBaillo, you have not lived in the area long enough to give a qualified judgement of this issue. You are a newbie to upstate NY, and are currently enamored with the lifestyle there, but problems like this do exist. There are several incidents of residents living near CAFO's that have suffered greatly from well-water contamination and breathing problems. One rural family living in Cayuga county had to abandon the home that they had for generations because their well became contaminated, and family members were becoming ill frequently. No one would buy the home, as this large, nearby CAFO had become a notorious polluter. Unfortunately, various NY agencies that oversee such things look the other way, and are not interested in investigating it. The agri-lobby in NY is too powerful politically.

It eventually will have to be dealt with, as CAFO's are starting to affect the quality of life of those who don't even live in rural areas. It's has been contaminating the watershed of local towns in the the Finger Lakes region. That's because the run off from the manure lagoons gets into the creeks and tributaries that empty into the lakes. Besides all the fish it kills along the way, when it gets into the lakes, it increases nitrate levels and they now have a lot of problems like invasive water weeds which are creating havoc with the lakes' ecological balance. The Finger Lakes are the jewels in the crown of upstate NY. Residents are justifiably proud of them, and they are a source of natural beauty, as well as producers of revenue from tourism and related industries. Everyone who lives upstate must take this issue seriously because it will eventually affect all who live there.

[CBaillo]

The OP isn't talking about all of upstate NY though, they are talking about Ithaca, and it's surrounding areas, and in my year here, i've seen and been through most of it at various stages of the year. I also worked for months outdoors in a vineyard.Aside from the manure smell thats all i experienced, in the area mentioned. Being new here doesn't matter if youve been to most of the places in question in the areas brought up. And i'm never the kind of guy to spin a one sided view on things.

[looking4home]

CBaillo, casually ask around about the presence of CAFO's. They are a controversial topic, and Cornell Ag has taken a lot of heat over their lack of environmental activism over this. True, this is mostly a problem north of Ithaca, in Cayuga County, in areas like Ledyard, King Ferry, Genoa, etc. Ithaca is a developed college town with small, suburban-type towns surrounding it, but if the OP decided to live a bit further out in the country, they might run into problems. Hey...weren't you supposed to PM me?

[rosette8]

Ithaca is beautiful and smells nice. Outside in the country it is the poop smell and thats it. I went to school in Ithaca and married a local and have spent TONS of time there. Air quality is VERY good. My brother lives in Norfolk and have heard good things about the changes there.

Bigger issue....political and social attitudes are the extreme between Norfolk and Ithaca....I believe. You are talking large military town and very green liberal town. (Not many years ago a former registered Socialist was the mayor)

I would never compare the two towns....