SLG Holds Seneca Falls Town Supervisor Ferrara to His Word, Asks to Independently Test Leachate From Landfill

SENECA FALLS, NY (07/07/2022) (readMedia)-- Earlier this week, during a contentious Seneca Falls Town Board meeting on Seneca Meadows landfill's testing of leachate for PFAS, Town Supervisor Mike Ferrara told Town Board Member Steve Churchill that "The leachate that is put into the sewer system, if you want to test that you are more than welcome to do that – I will personally pay for it. You can send it to an independent lab and come back with the science." Seneca Lake Guardian is holding Supervisor Ferrara to his word, asking to independently sample the leachate from the largest landfill in New York State before it goes to Seneca Falls, as well as Buffalo, Watertown, Steuben and other localities.

Additionally, Governor Hochul announced $255 million in grants for critical water infrastructure across the State. Yet, Texas-based Waste Connections that runs the landfill recently filed documents with the DEC to add 47 acres of new landfill space in the so-called valley infill between its two existing facilities and allow the landfill to continue operating until 2040.

Yvonne Taylor, vice president of Seneca Lake Guardian, issued the following statement in response:

"Seneca Meadows may use a more effective reverse osmosis treatment on the leachate in the facility to remove PFAS, but there is simply too much waste to process before the hundreds of thousands of gallons of wastewater go to Seneca Falls, Watertown and the Governor's hometown of Buffalo – where it eventually becomes drinking water. We're glad to see Governor Hochul investing in water infrastructure upgrades across the state, but much like other recent investments made in tourism and air quality, those investments will ultimately be money down the drain without dealing with the largest landfill in the state. Seneca Meadows landfill is poisoning our water and air, while pumping a putrid odor far and wide and threatening our $3 billion, 60,000 job agritourism industry – we will gladly take Town Supervisor Ferrara up on his offer to test the leachate, and we will independently collect and test our own samples of the leachate before it goes to Seneca Falls and the other localities across the State. We're also calling on Governor Hochul to continue to take bold climate action, and direct the DEC to close the landfill in Seneca Falls in 2025, as previously planned."

Background

Seneca Meadows Inc. Landfill

The Seneca Meadows landfill, located in Seneca Falls, the birthplace of American Women's Rights, is the largest of 27 landfills in New York State. It is permitted to accept 6,000 tons of waste and produce up to 100,000 gallons of toxic leachate per day. It accepts 36 percent of NYC's garbage annually, in addition to garbage from four other states.

Seneca Meadows was previously required to stop receiving waste and halt operations by December 31, 2025. However, Waste Connections, the parent company of Seneca Meadows Inc., gave around $280,000 in 2021 to pro-landfill candidates who won seats in Town Board and County races and are now supporting the Valley Infill, SMI's planned seven-story high expansion. The expansion would keep the landfill operating until 2040 with allowable dumping on the Valley Infill (the former toxic Tantalo superfund site), rising another 70 feet into the viewscape.

Even with the planned closure in 2025, the mountain of garbage promises years of problems and remediation that could take generations to mitigate. Waste Connections recently filed documents with the DEC to add 47 acres of new landfill space in the so-called valley infill between its two existing facilities and allow the landfill to continue operating until 2040.

Leachate and wastewater runoff from the landfill containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which can cause widespread contamination of drinking water and harmful health impacts, cannot be remediated. Seneca Meadows produces 75 million gallons of leachate each year which is distributed not just to Seneca Falls but also to Buffalo, Watertown, Chittenango, and Steuben County, contaminating drinking water across the state.

SMI is located two miles from Seneca River and three miles from every school in Seneca Falls and Waterloo, exposing students to airborne particulates and unseen gasses known to contribute to respiratory illness, asthma, and migraine headaches. The landfill is too big for methane collection and controls, making it a large contributor to climate change.

SMI is harming the Finger Lakes' natural resources that have led to the region being under consideration for a National Heritage Area Designation, and which the $3 billion, 60,000-employee wine and agritourism economy rely on. The odor from the landfill can be smelled from miles away, including at Thruway exit 41, the northern gateway to the Finger Lakes. Large, sustainable employers in the area are finding it difficult to recruit and retain employees, because nobody wants to raise a family near a dangerous landfill.

SMI's expansion is also at odds with the overwhelmingly popular amendment to the New York state constitution passed last year, which guarantees every New Yorker the right to clean air, clean water, and a healthful environment.

About Seneca Lake Guardian

Seneca Lake Guardian is a New York State Not-for-Profit Corporation with 501(c)(3) and is dedicated to preserving and protecting the health of the Finger Lakes, its residents and visitors, its rural community character, and its agricultural and tourist related businesses through public education, citizen participation, engagement with decision makers, and networking with like-minded organizations.