More than 50 environmental and community groups have announced their opposition to a proposed incinerator ash dump in Catskill, according to a statement released by the environmental group Riverkeeper, April 15. At a news conference held in Albany, the coalition released a letter to Catskill Town Supervisor Doreen Davis, signed by 53 groups and approximately 200 individuals, calling on the town to stop the project now. Wheelabrator Technologies, one of the country's largest incineration companies, intends to build a large incinerator ash dump in a former quarry in Catskill, near the Hudson River. The company is now in the process of applying for permits from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Under Wheelabrator's proposal, 445,000 tons of ash, potentially containing high levels of heavy metals and dioxins, would be transported on local roads, including U.S. Route 9W. According to Riverkeeper, the project would pose a significant risk to the surrounding communities and the entire river ecosystem. "Putting massive amounts of incinerator ash in an old quarry so close to the Hudson River makes no sense. This is one of the worst pollution projects I have seen in a long time in the Hudson Valley..," said Judith Enck, former Regional Administrator with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Among the organizations that signed on to the letter to Davis: Church Women United in New York State, Basilica Hudson, Catskill Mountainkeeper, NYPAN Enviro, the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater and the Thomas Cole National Historic Site. The coalition will hold a community meeting to discuss the details of the Wheelabrator project, 7 p.m., April 23 at the Catskill Community Center, located at 344 Main Street in the village. Read the full press release at Riverkeeper [dot] org.