United States Environmental Protection Agency—Region 2 Dewey Loeffel Landfill Added to Federal Superfund List Community Update March 2011 PUBLIC INFORMATION MEETING: The United States Environ- mental Protection Agency (EPA) invites you to attend a public information meeting to learn more about the Dewey Loeffel Landfill NPL listing. Date: Thursday, March 24 Time: 7pm - 9pm Location: St. Mary's Church, Parish Hall (located behind the church) 26 Church Street Nassau, NY 12123 For more information about the meeting or other site related issues, contact the EPA Region 2 Hudson River Field Office at (518) 747-4389. On March 10, 2011 the Dewey Loeffel Landfill Site (the "Site") in Rensselaer County, NY was added to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) of hazardous waste sites. The NPL listing makes the cleanup of the site a high priority nationally, and enables EPA to initiate and oversee the cleanup of the site, building on the work that has already been done by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC). In order to expedite the remedial investigation process, EPA expects to perform the investigation of the site in phases. As part of this effort, EPA has prepared a work plan for the additional investigation of the landfill and groundwater contamination migrating from the site. Although EPA offered the Potentially Responsible Parties (PRP's) an opportunity to perform this work, EPA and the PRP's were unable to reach agreement on a settlement. As a result, EPA will perform the investigation of the landfill and groundwater contamination. EPA expects to begin this work in the spring of 2011. Additional work plans to evaluate the water bodies, the effectiveness of the cleanup work conducted to date, and risks posed by contamination remaining at the site are in the process of being developed. SITE DESCRIPTION: The Dewey Loeffel Landfill Site includes the inactive hazardous waste disposal area, a/k/a the landfill and all areas to which contamination has migrated including groundwater, sediments and surface water bodies. The approximately 19-acre waste disposal area is located four miles northeast of the Village of Nassau, within a low-lying area 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. The waste materials were dumped into a lagoon area, oil pit, and drum burial area. THREATS AND CONTAMINANTS: The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) has estimated that between 1952 and 1968 a total of 46,320 tons of waste materials were deposited at the landfill. The waste materials included industrial solvents, waste oils, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), scrap materials, sludges and solids. Some hazardous substances, in particular volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have migrated from the facility to underlying aquifers resulting in contamination of groundwater. PCBs have also migrated to downstream surface water bodies, resulting in contamination of surface water, sediments http://www.epa.gov/region02/superfund/npl/dewey/ ------- Community Update March 2011 EPA encourages public participation. If you have questions or would like additional information, please contact: Kevin Willis Remedial Project Manager EPA Region 2 290 Broadway, 20th Floor New York, New York 10007 (212) 637-4252 willis.kevin@epa.gov Larisa Romanowski Community Involvement Coordinator EPA Region 2 Hudson River Field Office 421 Lower Main Street Hudson Falls, NY 12839 (518)747-4389 romanowski.larisa@epa.gov Information Repository: EPA Records Center 290 Broadway, 18th Floor New York, NY 10007 (212) 637-4308 and several species of fish. Nassau Lake and Valatie Kill are fisheries that have been closed and monitored since 1980 due to the site-related PCB contamination. CLEANUP PROGRESS: 1968: The State of New York ordered the operator to stop discharges from the disposal facility and perform cleanup work. Over several years, the operator covered and graded the lagoon area, the oil pit and the drum disposal area, and constructed drainage channels to control surface runoff. NYSDEC has overseen the investigation and cleanup actions at the site since 1980. 1980: GE entered into an agreement with NYSDEC to perform additional investigations and design and then make a payment towards specific cleanup work at the waste disposal area. 1982-1984: NYSDEC removed approximately 500 drums and four 30,000- gallon oil storage tanks and built a slurry wall, clay cap and leachate collection system. NYSDEC has been maintaining the landfill and disposing of landfill leachate at an off-site permitted facility since that time. 1992: GE performed a remedial investigation of groundwater, surface waters, sediments, and biota outside the waste disposal area boundaries, and a feasibility study to evaluate potential remedial alternatives. 2001-2002: NYSDEC issued Record of Decisions selecting cleanup options for a leachate collection system at the landfill, construction and operation of a wastewater treatment facility at the site to manage leachate and groundwater generated as part of the site remedy, installation and operation of a bedrock groundwater recovery system to control migration of the plume, removal of contaminated sediments, and implementation of a maintenance plan for Nassau Lake Dam. Interim Remedial Measures were also conducted, including the installation of residential well treatment systems to address site-related VOCs. The new leachate collection system has been designed, but not constructed and the design for the wastewater treatment facility was begun, but not completed. 2001-2004: Under NYSDEC oversight, GE removed approximately 15,000 tons of PCB-contaminated soil and sediment from the drainage-way between the facility and Nassau Lake. 2008: NYSDEC completed an off-site ground water collection system consisting of three bedrock extraction wells and a containment system. 2009: NYSDEC referred the site to EPA. Sediment sampling from downstream water bodies by EPA indicated the continuing presence of PCBs. 2010: Dewey Loeffel Landfill site was proposed for the NPL; 60-day public comment period. 2011: Dewey Loeffel Landfill added to the federal Superfund List (NPL). EPA site investigations to begin in the spring. For more info, on the NPL Site listing process: http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/npl/npl_hrs.htm. ------- |