BARNSTABLE – The state Primary Election is Thursday and voters wanting to know more about how Cape and Islands candidates feel about local water issues can view results of a recent survey.
GreenCAPE, a non-profit that raises awareness about the risks of pesticides and other chemicals to the region’s water supply, has released survey results on three questions asked to all candidates running for local office.
Candidates were asked questions about the use of herbicides by Eversource Energy, the contamination of the Hyannis drinking water supply and potential problems with wastewater disposal options in the countywide 208 plan.
“We thought that the voters would really appreciate knowing more details about the candidate’s views and perhaps their intentions would they be elected to office,” said GreenCAPE Director Sue Phelan.
Phelan hopes the survey can generate some interest in the problems that can affect the Cape’s water supply and get candidates and voters thinking about what they really expect from their elected officals.
“We did achieve an overall response rate of 52 percent,” she said. “Thirty-three percent from republican candidates and 64 percent from democratic candidates.”
Phelan said 92 percent of those who responded would like to join all 15 towns in opposing the herbicide spraying under electric rights-of-way.
“All of them, just about, supported non-binding resolutions opposing the herbicide spraying,” Phalen said. “And none of them were opposed to non-chemical means of maintaining the easements and several even encouraged the use of grazing goats in lieu of the herbicide.”
A majority of respondents also supported the placement of more monitoring wells in the area of the fire training academy and biomonitoring some of the population being served by those affected wells.
To view all the survey questions and the candidate responses click here.
By BRIAN MERCHANT, CapeCod.com NewsCenter
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