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/
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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.
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