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NPL Site Narrative for Port Washington Landfill
PORT WASHINGTON LANDFILL
Port Washington, New York
Federal Register Notice: September 8, 1983Conditions at listing (December 1982): The Port Washington Landfill, also known as the Town of North Hempstead L-4 Landfill, has been in continuous operation since March 1974 on the western side of Hempstead Harbor within Port Washington, Nassau County, New York. The site is bordered by sand pits, the North Hempstead Country Club, and a residential community. The Salem School, which is adjacent to the residential area, is less than 700 feet from the site. Before North Hempstead operated the site as a landfill, it was used for sand mining. At the time, the site sloped gently from an elevation of 40 to 60 feet above mean sea level and terminated in a 100-foot cliff. Over the years, the landfill has accepted refuse at the rate of 200,000 tons per year. This has created a fill 115 feet thick and extending 15 feet above the cliff.
Area residents have complained of gas problems at the site. In early 1981, Nassau County found that methane was migrating off-site and, in a number of instances, creating potentially explosive conditions in adjacent homes. Benzene, toluene, xylene, and vinyl chloride were identified in gas from the landfill. Ground water in a deeper zone (100 to 110 feet below sea level) under the landfill has a high salt content from sand-washing operations when the site was used for sand mining.
Status (July 1983): The State is working with the Town of North Hempstead for cleanup of the site.
EPA is preparing a Remedial Action Master Plan outlining the investigations needed to determine the full extent of cleanup required at the site. It will guide further actions at the site.
For more information about the hazardous substances identified in this narrative summary, including general information regarding the effects of exposure to these substances on human health, please see the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ToxFAQs. ATSDR ToxFAQs can be found on the Internet at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html or by telephone at 1-888-42-ATSDR or 1-888-422-8737.