Cornell must disclose what's in its brew of liquefied cows | theithacajournal.com | The Ithaca Journal

Cornell must disclose what's in its brew of liquefied cows | theithacajournal.com | The Ithaca Journal

High above Cayuga's waters this weekend the minds of thousands of parents and students will happily focus on graduation.

One thought that won't likely cross their minds is whether they should drink from Cayuga's waters.

That could change for future Cornell graduations. What Cornell is putting into Cayuga's waters and possibly ending up in the water glasses at graduation dinners could become important table discussion.

Cornell plans to deliver a liquefied brew of animal carcasses and veterinary medical waste to the Ithaca Wastewater Treatment plant. There, the material would be treated and discharged into Cayuga Lake. The lake is the source of drinking water for thousands of county residents, businesses and visitors - like those Cornell families staying in area hotels this weekend.

For more than a month, Cornell has refused to disclose the components of its liquefied brew of dead animals and medical waste. In early April, The Ithaca Journal requested under the New York Freedom of Information Law that Cornell provide details on the chemical and biological ingredients of the waste.

Cornell argues New York's FOIL does not apply to the university. Even though New York taxpayers fund many of the university's programs and several state schools are located on its campus, Cornell claims it is a private institution and not subject to FOIL.

To its credit, Cornell has filed thousands of pages of analysis on the waste project. These are available at the Tompkins County Public Library. But, nowhere in those thick binders of analysis has Cornell provided a simple detailed list of chemicals and pathogenic organisms that might be in the veterinary waste.

Cornell's brew of animal carcasses and waste is generated by the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine. That state college also houses the New York State Animal Health Diagnostic Center and the New York State Diagnostic Lab. Note the word "state" in the previous sentence.

Each of those Cornell operations is linked with New York state and its taxpayers for financial support. Cornell's plan to dump its waste into a public sewage treatment plant is linked to the health and welfare of thousands who depend on Cayuga Lake for drinking water. The Journal believes Cornell has both a legal and social responsibility to disclose what might be in the liquefied waste and animal carcasses.