Orange County, New

York

An Environmental Health Diagnosis by Russell Armstrong

3rd Grader at Susan Odell Taylor School

AbstractThe aims of my study are to find out about the

water quality, air quality, soil quality and other environmental qualities of Orange County. We used books and websites to help us with our research. It made me more aware of pollution in the world, global warming, and that Orange County has fairly clean water. They also have a good recycling program. Reading my paper could make someone think about making Orange County’s environment healthier. They could improve air quality by burning less coal and becoming a climate smart community.

Maps

Map of Watersheds for NY counties

Map of NY Counties

Methods It is important to study counties so we can

understand more and fix problems. There are 62 counties in NY State. These counties are different from each other, because they have different qualities. They also have altered geography. The different parts of a county are the county and city/town governments. They work together to provide resources for the county. The county executive is Steven Neuhaus. There are many resources for information about Orange County, and most are on the web. Some of these sites include Wikipedia and the DEC. Some problems in researching counties are trying to find information. It takes me a while to figure out what is good information and what is non-accurate information.

Habitat Some habitats in Orange County are swamps or

forests. Swaps are very wet and marshy. Some animals in swamps are turtles, herons, snakes, frogs and toads, and bass. Forests are densely populated with trees, with oak, birch, spruce, maple, and pine. There is much water. Beavers, raccoons, and many others live here.

Orange County has very dirty air. Dirty air is caused by wildfires. Other challenges that could affect the environment are global warming, and building. These things can effect animal population, endangering more and more species and making some extinct.

We could stop air pollution by making water powered cars and by stopping arsonists. We can help save forests by planting trees and making more homes for animals.

Industries One important industry in Orange County is the

educational industry. The educational industry does what it sounds like: it educates! People needed for the school to work are teachers, students, construction workers, superintendents, and the board of education. Another industry in Orange County is retail trade, which is the biggest industry in the county, making up 9% of its industries. The other biggest industry is healthcare and social services.

Some challenges that are created by the Educational industry are air pollution from the bus and cutting down trees for school buildings.

Educational services should start to use water-powered buses instead of normal buses to stop air pollution and release less smoke into the air to also stop air pollution.

Water and SoilOne water source in Orange County is the Hudson

River. The Hudson River is 315 miles long. It was named after Henry Hudson who, in 1609, sailed up the river thinking it lead through America. Another water source is the Delaware River.

Some problems for the soil could be toxic spills. Spills like oil or acid can be horrible. Both acid and oil spills can pollute water and soil. The toxins in the ground could mix in with our drinking water.

One way we could protect soil and water is to do a daily chemical check. That way we can make sure there are no leaks in the tanks that store chemical waste, oil, fuel, etc. We could also build storage away from important water sources.

WasteA transfer station is where garbage and

crushed and sent to landfills. Landfills are where trash is buried. Waste-to-energy stations are where we turn waste to energy. Composting facilities are where we put apple cores, banana peels, etc.

Landfills can fill up the ground and pollute it. Trucks from transfer stations can cause pollution. We could make a rocket ship to send trash to the Moon. We could also add a waste-to-energy station in Orange County. I think that they should try to recycle more.

Enviroindicators: Watershed Health

WATERSHED HEALTHWatershed name: Delaware River WatershedWhat percentage of rivers have poor water quality?

What percentage of lakes have poor water quality?

Overall percentage with poor water quality?

2 54 28%What percentage of rivers have good water quality?

What percentage of lakes has good water quality?

Overall percentage with good water quality?

53 0 26.5%This watershed has more poor water than good water quality. Possible reasons for poor water could be that there is mercury in the water that poisons fish which we cannot eat. 

Enviroindicators: EnergyENERGYRegion 3: Mid-Hudson Region

Type of Energy % of County Energy Composition

Renewable 4.3Hydroelectric 28.2Nuclear 28.9Oil 0.8Gas 22.2Coal 15.3  

Other EnviroindicatorsCLIMATE SMART COMMUNITIESThere are climate smart communities in Orange County:  A Climate Smart community is a partnership that bonds a town/city and a state to meet climate change challenges. There are climate smart communities in Orange county; the town of Woodbury is a climate smart community. I don’t know why a community wouldn’t work to become a climate smart community. A citizen could persuade people in the county to work to become climate smart communities by saying, “If you become a climate smart community, you will NOT have to worry about climate change where you live.” 

ENVIROTHON COMPETITIONThe North American Envirothon is an environmental education program for high school students in the U.S. Environmental education helps the health of the county because it helps people get clean water, air, and education about the environment.

Timeline1600s Delaware Indians lived in Orange County, region 3

1700sRockland was part of Orange until the Revolutionary War

Background

Orange County is in New York state, region 3. It was established in 1683. Some geographical features of Orange County are mountains. The highest point is the Schunemunk Mountain 1,661 feet above sea level.  The Hudson Highlands take up most of the county. The county is 839 square miles.

Rockland County was part of Orange County until 1798, after the Revolutionary War.

Schunemunk Mountain, the highest point in Orange County (“Schunemunck Mountain,” Wikipedia)

ConclusionsWe should study counties because we can

learn about counties, and maybe become a person who can improve a county or save a county.

The environmental health of Orange County is not great, but it’s not bad. The air quality is bad but improving. Programs in Orange County that are helping the environmental health are Climate Smart Communities. One of the most important challenges is climate change. Priority action to stop climate change is to take public transportation, use cars that go farther with less gas, and always plant trees.

Sources Department of Environmental Conservation. New York State Department of

Environmental Conservation, 2014. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.   United States Environmental Protection Agency. United States Environmental

Protection Agency, 2014. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.   Envirothon. North American Envirothon, 2013. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.   National Resources Defense Council: The Earth’s Best Defense. National

Resources Defense Council, 2014. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.   Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 2014. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.   “State & County QuickFacts.” United States Census Bureau. U.S. Department

of Commerce, N.D. Web. 17 Apr. 2014. “Danskammer Generating Station.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 22

Mar. 2014. Web. 17 Apr. 2014. “Schunemunk Mountain.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 17 Dec.

2013. Web. 23 Apr. 2014. “Orange County, New York.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 16 Apr.

2014. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.