“After traces of PFAS chemicals were found in water samples taken near the Dunn Landfill in Rensselaer, activists are stepping up their campaign to convince the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to close the landfill.
Kyla Bennett from PEER – Public Employees For Environmental Responsibility – says the group tested for 36 different PFAS chemicals.
Sean Mahar is Chief of Staff for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. “DEC requires the Dunn facility to conduct comprehensive groundwater and surface water monitoring quarterly. And all data collected has shown no impacts to water quality caused by this facility, and there are no threats to any drinking water sources. Instead of fear mongering, DEC is focused on using science and validated monitoring data to inform our decisions and aggressive oversight of this facility to ensure area residents are not at risk.”
Former EPA Regional Administrator Judith Enck, a regular WAMC Roundtable panelist, says activists have a simple request: “The New York Department of Environmental Conservation test the leachate from the Dunn Landfill for PFAS. Make sure that the landfill is not accepting waste that contains PFAS, such as carpet and children’s car seats, which we’ve actually seen. And then finally, and most importantly, we’re requesting that the DEC take enforcement action against the landfill and consider closing it once and for all.””
