SLG Testifies on DEC Regs: State's Largest Landfill Must Be Included in Prohibition on Expansion

SENECA FALLS, NY (07/20/2022) (readMedia)-- Seneca Lake Guardian testified in a public hearing yesterday held by the NY Department of Conservation [DEC] on a proposed regulation to prohibit the expansion or creation of new landfills that sit within 1,000 feet of a home or school. DEC found that eight landfills fall within the boundary, but failed to include "Seneca Meadows" – the largest landfill in New York State. SLG testified that Seneca Meadows must be included because it falls within the admittedly arbitrary boundary proposed by the agency.

The odor of Seneca Meadows can be smelled from miles away, and it's permitted to accept 6,000 tons of waste and produce up to 200,000 gallons of polluted leachate – formed when rainwater filters through waste and contains toxic "forever chemicals'' called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) – per day. The landfill also exposes local residents to airborne particulates and unseen gasses that are known to contribute to respiratory illness, asthma, and migraine headaches. 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 through 2040.

The testimony submitted by SLG is below:

My name is Yvonne Taylor, I am the Vice President of the grassroots, non-profit organization Seneca Lake Guardian, or SLG.

SLG supports the proposed change that will prohibit new or expanded landfills within 1000 feet of schools or residences. In fact, we suggest that even 1001 feet is too close, and DEC should make the proposed distance at least half a mile.

Regardless, as proposed, this regulation must apply to the Seneca Meadows landfill (or SMI), which is slated to close but is now seeking to expand. We have identified at least 9 residences that are within 1000 feet from SMI, and in some cases, they share a property line with the landfill. We will be submitting the addresses of these residences in writing.

SMI, 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 200,000 gallons of polluted leachate – formed when rainwater filters through waste – per day. A quarter of the landfill is trash from NYC, followed by four other states.

SMI was previously required to stop receiving waste and halt operations by December 31, 2025. However, Waste Connections, the parent company of SMI, contributed 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 through 2040 with allowable dumping on the Valley Infill (the former toxic Tantalo superfund site), rising another 70 feet into the viewscape.

Leachate and wastewater runoff from the landfill contain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which can cause widespread contamination of drinking water and harmful health impacts. 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.

In conclusion, SLG supports the regulation, which would prohibit SMI from expanding when it should be closing.

These are all addresses within 1,000 feet of SMI

• 2155 Burgess Rd.
• 1750 North Rd.
• 2227 Co Rd. 106/Burgess Rd.
• 2226 Co Rd. 106/Burgess Rd.
• 1900 Co Rd. 106/Burgess Rd.
• 1905 Co Rd. 106/Burgess Rd.
• 1897 Co Rd. 106/Burgess Rd.
• 1879 Co Rd. 106/Burgess Rd.
• 2139 Burgess Rd.

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 200,000 gallons of polluted leachate – formed when rainwater filters through waste – per day. A quarter of the landfill is trash from NYC, followed by 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., contributed 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 through 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 through 2040.

Leachate and wastewater runoff from the landfill contain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which can cause widespread contamination of drinking water and harmful health impacts. 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 Cayuga-Seneca Canal 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 landfill cannot process all of the methane that is generated and is forced to burn almost a billion cubic feet per year in 5 flares, contributing 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.