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Dewey Loeffel Landfill
Rensselaer County, NY
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Involvement Coordinator:
Larisa Romanowski
(518) 747-4389
romanowski.larisa@epa.gov
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In March 2010, the Dewey Loeffel Landfill was proposed for inclusion to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) of the country’s most hazardous waste sites. The facility is located four miles northeast of the Village of Nassau, within a low-lying, 19.6-acre easement between two wooded hills. Formerly, the site was used as a dump for hazardous waste generated by several companies including General Electric (GE), Bendix Corporation and Schenectady Chemicals.
More than 46,000 tons of waste materials were disposed of in the area including solvents, waste oils, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), scrap materials, sludges and solids. Some hazardous substances, in particular PCBs, have migrated from the facility to underlying aquifers and downstream surface water bodies, resulting in contamination of ground water, surface water, sediments and several species of fish. Nassau Lake and Valatie Kill are fisheries that have been closed due to the site-related PCB contamination. There are 1.7 miles of wetlands located within the zone of contamination.
In 1968, after years of citizen complaints, documented downstream fish and cattle kills, and uncontrolled fires at the site, the State of New York ordered the operator to stop discharges from the disposal facility and perform cleanup work. In 1980, GE entered into an agreement with New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) to perform additional investigation and remediation at the facility. From 1982 to 1984, GE removed 500 surface drums and four 30,000 gallon oil storage tanks, and installed a NYSDEC-approved slurry wall, clay cap, and leachate collection system. From 2001 to 2004, GE removed approximately 15,000 tons of PCB-contaminated soil and sediments from the site drainage-way between the facility and Nassau Lake.
In June and August 2009, EPA collected sediment samples from downstream water bodies. The analytical results indicated the continuing presence of PCBs. The State of New York referred the site to EPA and issued a letter of support for placing this site on the NPL.
EPA added the Dewey Loeffel Landfill site to the NPL in March, 2011. The investigation of the landfill and groundwater contamination components of the site began in April 2011. Once the Remedial Investigation is complete, a Feasibility Study will evaluate cleanup options for the site.
