Moral and Ethical Dimensions of Destroying Forested Land
Such as Granite Pointe on Amawalk Reservoir:

• Public Trust and the Common Good: Drinking water sources are a finite, shared, and essential resource for the entire community and future generations. Decisions that prioritize short-term development interests over the long-term integrity of this critical resource can be seen as a violation of the public trust and an example of the "tragedy of the commons."

• Irreversible Consequences and Future Generations: Forests provide natural, cost-effective water filtration and regulation services that are immensely difficult and expensive to replace with technology. Converting forests to development often causes irreversible damage to the watershed's natural ability to provide clean water. The health risks and increased costs of water treatment associated with development are often passed on to future residents, raising questions of intergenerational equity.

• Health and Equity Concerns: Development can introduce various pollutants (sediments, nutrients, pesticides, chemicals, pathogens) into the water supply through increased stormwater runoff and altered water cycles. These contaminants pose public health hazards. Furthermore, the burdens of pollution and the costs of mitigation often disproportionately affect low-income communities, creating an environmental justice issue. 

• Precautionary Principle: The precautionary principle in environmental ethics suggests that if an action might cause severe or irreversible harm to the public or the environment, it is better to avoid or mitigate that action, even if the precise extent of the harm is not fully known. Allowing development in sensitive source water areas arguably violates this principle.