THE DESTRUCTION OF EDEN
Asbestos from the now defunct Vermont Asbestos Group on Belvedere Mountain has invaded the surrounding wetlands, polluted two brooks and a pond, and has damaged or destroyed eight wetlands. There are two waste piles in the area, one at the ironically named Eden and the other at Lowell.
State analysts have documented high levels of asbestos in stream sediments close to the mine; elevated levels of magnesium, nickel and arsenic in the water; and very few of the aquatic bugs found in healthy brooks. Concern for public health is growing because there is a real fear that a large chunk of the rock could break away from the eroding towers of rock and slide into a waterway. If this were to happen, the breakage and slide-friction could release asbestos dust into the air.
Much of the asbestos washed out of the piles has been trapped, at least temporarily, in the mud on brook bottoms. But it also coats plants and the ground when water levels drop after spring floods, and can be turned into airborne dust when disturbed.
The EPA estimates the Eden quarry waste pile at 12 million tons, and the 80-acre Lowell quarry at 30 million to 60 million tons.