§ ^ Superfund Redevelopment Initiative Celebrating Success: Syosset Landfill Oyster Bay, New York Through innovative planning and creative partnerships, the Syosset Landfill Superfund site (the Site) provides valuable municipal amenities and serves as an excellent example of energy conservation in action. Coordination between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Town of Oyster Bay, New York (the Town), has led to the successful cleanup and green transformation of the Site, which is now home to a new state-of-the-art compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station for use by the Town's fleet of vehicles. "Natural gas is the cleanest readily available fuel for large taicks, and the construction of a CNG fueling facility, coupled with converting diesel-powered trucks to CNG-powered vehicles and purchasing CNG-ready vehicles, are providing real, quantifiable, significant reductions in greenhouse gas... helping further the Town's commitment to energy conservation and reducing greenhouse emissions." -John Venditto, Oyster Bay Supervisor Separate Oyster Bay's Recyclables Today (SORT) recycling trucks fuel up at CNG slow fill terminals. (Source: EPA) For more information, please contact Melissa Friedland at (703) 603-8864 or friedland.melissa@epa.gov or Frank Avvisato at (703) 603-8949 or avvisato.frank@epa.gov. The 38-acre Site operated as a landfill from 1933 until 1975. Site operations resulted in soil and ground water contamination and EPA listed the Site on its National Priorities List (NPL) in 1983. Cleanup efforts have successfully contained and addressed site contamination with the installation of a landfill cap, preventing the infiltration of rainwater through the landfill and eliminating the potential for direct contact with site wastes. EPA determined that ground water contamination was limited and did not pose a significant threat to human health. EPA deleted the Site from the NPL in 2005 and the Town's Highway Division now uses the Site for salt storage, miscellaneous equipment storage, vehicle parking and as a sanitation vehicle facility. EPA later approved a design plan submitted by the Town for a CNG fueling facility, ensuring that construction activities would not negatively impact the Site's remedy. The Town received funds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 through the U.S. Department of Energy Clean-Cities Alternative Fuel and Advanced Technology Vehicles Pilot Program to construct the fueling station and to convert 44 heavy-duty sanitation trucks from diesel fuel to CNG. The Town estimates that the CNG trucks will reduce the Town's petroleum usage by an estimated 264,000 gallons per year, thereby reducing dependence on imported fuel. The clean- burning CNG vehicles will produce an average of 27 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than comparable gasoline or diesel models. It is estimated that a total of 67,130 pounds of identifiable pollutants will be reduced annually as a result of this program. The project also provides green job opportunities to the local community in vehicle and equipment manufacturing, station construction, and ongoing vehicle and station operations. July 2013 The Department of Public Works uses a portion of the site to park sanitation vehicles. (Source: EPA) ------- |