SENECA FALLS, N.Y. — Seneca Meadows, the state’s largest landfill, is nearing capacity while continuing to send millions of gallons of chemically contaminated liquid waste to a wastewater facility that does not treat it for PFAS, according to the company’s newly released 2024 Annual Report and environmental advocates tracking the issue.
The report, prepared by Cornerstone Engineering and Geology, PLLC, and submitted to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), states that 24,091,521 gallons of leachate were shipped from Seneca Meadows to the Bird Island Wastewater Treatment Plant in Buffalo last year. The landfill, located in Seneca Falls, is permitted to send leachate to several off-site locations, including Bird Island, which is operated by the Buffalo Sewer Authority.
Leachate, a liquid formed when rainwater filters through landfill waste, can contain a wide range of pollutants, including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS — a class of man-made chemicals linked to cancer, liver damage, and reproductive issues, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency…