Wawayanda has been known for its open fields, farmland and quiet country roads for decades.

Now, residents and environmental advocates say a growing wave of industrial development is transforming that landscape — and they’re taking their fight to court.

Protect Orange County has filed two lawsuits challenging the proposed Marangi Waste Transfer Station on Dolsontown Road and the RDM Route 6 Logistics Center, a warehouse project proposed along Route 6 across from the CPV Valley Energy Center.

Opponents say the projects are the latest in a string of industrial developments changing the rural character of the Orange County town. They argue Wawayanda is approving large industrial projects one by one without fully considering their combined impact on traffic, air quality, water resources and nearby communities.

“We’re at a fork in the road,” said Protect Orange County Chair Pramilla Malick. “Either we choose to hold on to our rural heritage and our cultural heritage, or become an industrial waste. We have to decide.”

One lawsuit challenges permits issued by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) for the proposed Marangi Waste Transfer Station. Opponents argue the agency failed to adequately consider the project’s potential impacts on nearby wetlands, the Monhagen watershed, groundwater and surrounding neighborhoods before issuing the permits.

The facility would be built on Dolsontown Road near homes, the Orange Heritage Trail, protected wetlands and the Monhagen watershed.

“It’s going to become a toxic cesspool,” Malick said.

She says the facility would bring about 250 trucks a day beginning at 4 a.m., six days a week, and is part of a larger network of industrial projects that could ultimately bring up to 2,000 truck trips a day through the area.

“This is a treasured resource that needs to be protected,” she said.

The second lawsuit centers on the proposed RDM Route 6 Logistics Center across from the CPV Valley Energy Center.

The Town of Wawayanda recently reached a settlement with the developer that allows the project to continue through the planning process. Opponents argue the Town approved that settlement without giving residents a meaningful opportunity to weigh in and improperly cleared the way for the project to move forward after years of litigation.

A public hearing originally scheduled for July has been postponed until Aug. 26.

Opponents say the warehouse and waste transfer station are just two of nearly a dozen industrial projects the town has approved or is considering. They point to the CPV Valley Energy Center, the proposed Amazon lithium-ion battery warehouse and several other warehouse developments as examples of what they say is an increasingly industrial corridor.

Greenville resident Dennis O’Gorman has lived in the area for 36 years and says the changes have been dramatic.

“There was none of this when I first moved here. Most of the people who moved here didn’t move here for warehouses and dumps,” O’Gorman said.

He says some neighbors have even begun talking about leaving.

“Everyone is starting to look. Where can we go?” he said.

In a statement, Town Supervisor Denise Quinn said the Planning Board’s review of the waste transfer station application “must be conducted in accordance with applicable laws and our zoning regulations.”

She said the Planning Board will “conduct a thorough review of the application, carefully consider all relevant information, and do its due diligence before making a determination based on facts, the law, and the standards set forth in our zoning code.”

The DEC declined to comment, citing the pending litigation.

News 12 also reached out to the developers and attorneys involved in both projects and is waiting to hear back.