Air quality in Ithaca NY area (New York, Norfolk: agriculture, jobs, colleges)

[PABlondie]

I would like to hear from anyone who lives in the Ithaca/Watkins Glen area concerning the air quality. We are thinking of moving there from Asheville, NC where we are choking on a paper mill. I have breathing problems and don't want to make another bad move. I'm assuming the lakes help to clean the air and there is less ozone because of the cooler weather. Any insight is appreciated.

[boomvang]

The air upstate in general is quite good. While I don't have stats for Ithaca, I visit there quite often and have never noticed any issues with air quality. I imagine that on some days it is possible that an inversion layer would trap some pollution from vehicles in the valley locations of the city.

[itSmellsBAD]

Originally Posted by boomvang

The air upstate in general is quite good. While I don't have stats for Ithaca, I visit there quite often and have never noticed any issues with air quality. I imagine that on some days it is possible that an inversion layer would trap some pollution from vehicles in the valley locations of the city.

Watch out for the Factory Farms. Lots of massive Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) starting up or expanding all over the central and Western NY area. Methane gas, hydrogen sulfide and ammonia from the massive manure slurry pits and tankers spreading year round in the fields. It's a smell like nothing you've ever expierenced before. If you see a farm silo, stay away from it and don't buy in an Ag District if you have respiratory problems. The farmers do lots of burning also. It's turning into a real slum in some rural parts of NY. Do a Google search under CAFO POLLUTION NEW YORK and see what you get. FWIW.

[PABlondie]

Originally Posted by itSmellsBAD

Watch out for the Factory Farms. Lots of massive Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) starting up or expanding all over the central and Western NY area. Methane gas, hydrogen sulfide and ammonia from the massive manure slurry pits and tankers spreading year round in the fields. It's a smell like nothing you've ever expierenced before. If you see a farm silo, stay away from it and don't buy in an Ag District if you have respiratory problems. The farmers do lots of burning also. It's turning into a real slum in some rural parts of NY. Do a Google search under CAFO POLLUTION NEW YORK and see what you get. FWIW.

Thank you. I will check this. We are trying to decide whether to take a job in Norfolk, VA or Icatha, NY. I thought Icatha would have cleaner air, but I may be wrong. It's hard to tell from just the EPA info. I appreciate the help.

[tchemgrrl]

Ithaca is pretty clean. The town itself is small, no big highways go through, and all the nearest cities are 45-60 minutes' drive away, so not much pollution from vehicular sources.

There's little farmland within city limits except for some Cornell Ag school projects. There's not much heavy manufacturing (the majority of jobs are linked to the colleges in some way), although I know that a few years back they were trying to deal with heavy metals in the soil around the old Ithaca Gun Company. Up on the hill there's usually a breeze.

I don't know how it compares to Norfolk though.

[vicarian]

I've never heard of any air pollution issues in Ithaca. There aren't any major highways in Ithaca except for the state highway, so vehicular pollution is limited. The farms are a few miles out, with the exception of Cornell's ag fields.

The only concern I could raise is that since downtown Ithaca is in a valley, inversion layers might kick in on some of the warmer days. But then again, not everyone lives in downtown Ithaca.

[doghead]

New York

State of the Air Quality by the American Lung Assn.

[CBaillo]

Please don't listen to "ItSmellsBad" he is the resident finger lakes area troll.
Ithaca and almost all the surrounding town's air has always been pretty darn good, as far as we can tell..my wife has bad asthma too, and she's never had an issue. We're originally from L.A. so we know the difference LOL.

As far as smells...almost all the areas surrounding Ithaca have some (and a lot of towns are MOSTLY agriculture) agricultural land. And it's just a fact of life that with that comes some funny smells certain times of the year, when they are prepping for their crops.

[CBaillo]

Originally Posted by doghead

New York

State of the Air Quality by the American Lung Assn.

Tompkins county (which is where ithaca is located) isn't even on there though.

[doghead]

Not all counties are. Sorry.