"Michael Alberini's now serving Youngstown Shrimp"

[Shar]

Amen......I am really not trying to be a naysayer about this.   I am personally very picky about what I eat.  I grow most of my own vegtables organically.  I am carefull what I purchase, try to buy organic if possible.  I would like to be able to support locally grown shrimp as I do other locally grown products.  I just can't imagine not having periodic testing of the water quality, doesn't make sense to me.  I wouldn't think it would be that expensive to do and would assure a quality product.  It seems to me to be the responsible thing to do.

[northside lurker]

From a purely capitalistic point of view, it would be in Ron's best interest to make sure the water is suitable and safe.  Nothing would put him out of business faster than food poisoning (of some sort or another) caused by his product.  And, if the restaurant improperly stored or prepared the shrimp, and someone got food poisoning, it would still be beneficial to Ron to have paperwork documenting that his ponds were safe.

[Youngstownshrimp]

Stewie, you are a standup guy and you have guts to question the City's compliance. I have not studied the sewer systems on the eastside but I do remember work being performed along the tributary.  I have met with the City's engineer from the wastewater plant a couple of years ago when we first were thinking about discharging effluent to the YTown sewer infrastructure, it was not cost effective, we now retain all effluent and reuse the water.  I would think that if the City knew of any problems, they would have disclosed, but you know the City.  The OEPA have also visited the sites several times and have not brought this issue up so I really do not know.  I do know this, in Poland Village there was a large sewer overflow onto the Library and the Yellow Creek theatre, testing wasn't required, you could smell and see it.  It was I after seven years who got the OEPA to make the county fix it when even the Village government failed, this was a year ago.  If I would have smelled or seen any signs of sewage, I would have blown the whistle loudly.  It appears that you have knowledge on systems and we really could use your insight here, sorry if I was suspicious of you, some here make us this way.

[stewie]

Sorry Ron I had to work today. Here are a couple of links.

http://www.waterworld.com/index/display/article-display/141150/articles/waterworld/volume-18/issue-4/epa-action/youngstown-agrees-to-settlement-to-halt-sewer-overflows.html

http://www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/cases/civil/cwa/youngstown.html

I pulled up the pond location on Google earth.  That would be Sugar Creek that you are feeding the ponds from.  Super sweet!! I worked for the contractor that ditched it and re excavated up stream from there about 10 years ago.  We found 3 or for direct sewage discharges into the creek from homes out there.  I don't know if the City ever did anything about them.  The sewer runs right next to and crosses the creek a couple of times.  Im sure its not leaking. After all its only about 80 years old.  Maaaaybe you should test the water.

[Shar]

Did you do any testing of the water in your ponds so that you know what you are feeding to people??   I assume not since you ignore the question! 

[Youngstownshrimp]

Hey Stewie!  Stewie, Stewie, Stewie.  Come back and back up your ignorance, we gave you a whole day, you need more time?  Or do you just want to hit , run and hide like the other faceless insignificant people here.  Out of curiosity, what do you do for Youngstown or America, anything?

[Shar]

So your buddy Ron hasn't done any water quality testing?? 

Wow...check out the comments on this Vindy article.  Apparently I am not the only one that doesn't trust him!!

http://www.vindy.com/news/2010/sep/30/valley-shrimp-are-no-shrimps/

[Rick Rowlands]

The only people to question the water are themselves questionable, IMO.  Can you say "ulterior motive"?

[Shar]

I trust that a self proclaimed "savvy entrepreneur" such as youself Eiseislein, has insisted upon frequent water tests in all of your ponds to insure that the water quality is good.  I can't imagine that you would sell shrimp to resturants if the quality of the water was questionable. 

[Youngstownshrimp]

When I first moved to Youngstown twenty years ago, a wise old man once told me, "this is Youngstown, you have two cows, I wish one dies."

[Rick Rowlands]

Stewie is just trying to stir something up, unless he can provide proof.  I don't think any of Ron's ponds are fed from water that is downstream from a combined discharge location.  Besides, God gave us immune systems. Stewie must be one of those neurotic people that George Carlin talks about in this clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnmMNdiCz_s

[Youngstownshrimp]

Hi Stewie, can you provide documentation of sewer overflows on the eastside?  If you can, we need to notify the Ohio EPA because this would be highly illegal and the City will most likely be placed on notice to correct this danger in their jurisdiction.  Seriously, if this is not a rumour we need to bring this to the attention of the officials, I just hope this isn't just to disseminate false information to try to tarnish a new business and other businesses (local restaurants).

[stewie]

There are sewage overflows all over the east side and all over youngstown.  I wouldn't trust one drop of water in youngstown not even a puddle in my back yard. People are eating seafood that was swimming in this water???

[Youngstownshrimp]

One of the the Valley's upscale restaurants is now serving fresh Youngstown shrimp (prawns) with the heads on and the feedback was the conversation of the night when the prawns were served last Sunday.  Youngstown can now boast of a unique product and present the abandoned lands of Youngstown with all the available freshwater to the global aquaculture industries.  I never would have thought that the high end restaurants would be the first to take advantage of fresh seafood now being produced in our backyards.