DEC investigating A.D. Call & Sons after raw sewage dumping complaints from environmentalist

STAFFORD DEC investigating A.D. Call & Sons after raw sewage dumping complaints from environmentalist According to Lt. Josh Verhague of the DEC Division of Law Enforcement, the DEC is involved in an ongoing investigation at A.D Call & Sons located at 6380 Main road in the Town of Stafford. Verhague and Conservation Officer Richard Rauscher are conducting the investigation and hope to have it completed in a few weeks. The results of the investigation will be released at that time. According to environmentalist John Volpe, only two inspections have ever been completed at the Main road facility. Through a foil request, information was obtained by Volpe showing that an inspection was completed on May 8, 2014. A.D. Call & Sons was informed that tanks at their facility had to be removed because inspector John Thompson with the DEC stated, "The tanks were rusted with visible holes and at least one tank had a chunk of steel missing just above the ground surface." On July 25, 2014 facility staff confirmed the removal of the the tanks through a telephone conversation. Volpe and his partner Chris Krtanik of East Bethany appeared before a packed house at last nights Stafford Town Board meeting. Volpe and Krtanik say over the last 30 years about 12 million gallons of raw sewage has been dumped on 65 acres of land owned by A.D. Call. According to the Town of Stafford that number is 8 million gallons over 30 years. A 4 million gallon difference. That discrepancy has the DEC taking action. The Town of Stafford allows 25,000 gallons per acre/ per year. Companies who deal with septic sewage are self monitored. Volpe and Krtanik believe human waste is being trucked in from other places. The Town of Stafford population is about 2,500 people according to Town Supervisor Robert Clement. Clement says A.D Call and Sons has a permit to dump the untreated sewage collected from septic systems. He says they are in compliance with the town's permits and are not doing anything wrong. Gerald Call says his company is not doing anything illegal. "We are a business why are people trying to tear us down." Call says, "We are under the amount allowed per year. No one has ever gotten sick from this. We spread it legally and cover it daily." According to the Town of Stafford the permits for A.D. Call & Sons are effective through August 1, 2015. Volpe requested a public informational meeting be held at the July 2015 Town Board meeting so a speaker from Cornell University can come in and talk more about the topic. The Town agreed to conduct a public informational meeting.