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Westport Matters: Tripp Farm Pollution Cleanup, 2007With original footage from 1991, this absorbing documentary follows the cleanup of an inadvertent pollution problem which affected not only farmland but also threatened the Westport River. More...
Right click on the movie player window for contextual controls. Claude Ledoux narrates this engrossing account of community involvement, as local farmers and excavating contractors, with the support of many town and state officials, together strive to rectify the situation. In this case, waste runoff from a large herd of dairy cows had overwhelmed the ponds that ordinarily would have contained it, purifying any water before it ran into the river. With expertise and extraordinarily great effort, a volunteer group of Westport residents labored to clean the existing areas and dredge new channels that would eliminate the pollution in the future. Donald Bernier, a general contractor and leader of the cleanup effort, filmed the endeavor himself. His handheld, VHS camera, vintage 1991, gives a surreal, almost robotic atmosphere to some of the scenes. The viewer experiences a feeling of direct involvement with the activity shown. Ledoux's narration is smooth and expert. As always, he is clear and concise in his point-by-point description. However, the real heart of the film is in the last few minutes. Donald Bernier, now deceased, takes the camera a year later to show the success of the project. As he records the clear water teeming with small fish, his voice, vibrant with emotion, quietly affirms, "This video… should pretty much explain it all." |
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