Town of Salina Landfill
Cleanup Plan for Central New York Landfill
The New York State DEC has released a proposed cleanup plan for the Town of Salina Landfill in Onondaga County to address contamination at the site and its migration into Onondaga Lake.
The proposed DEC and US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cleanup plan summarizes the findings of the Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study (RI/FS), which was conducted by the Town of Salina under DEC oversight. The RI/FS determined the overall situation at the site and also identified and evaluated cleanup alternatives.
The investigations revealed that soils contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and highly contaminated groundwater containing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and PCBs migrating through leachate seep into Ley Creek, a tributary of Onondaga Lake.
Remediation Proposal
The primary objectives of the preferred remedy are to control the sources of contamination and to reduce the migration of contaminants and their impact on health and the environment. The main features of the preferred remedy include:
* construction of a multilayer cap over the landfill areas north and south of Ley Creek
* construction of a groundwater/leachate collection trench north and south of Ley Creek
* excavation of contaminated sediments from the drainage swales located along the northern, eastern and western border of the site
* consolidation of all of the waste materials, soils and sediments on the landfill area as a result of excavation for the leachate collection trenches
* engineered drainage controls to address on-site surface water and contaminated sediments
* fencing
* institutional controls
* long-term maintenance of the cap and the collection trenches
* long-term monitoring
The estimated costs for the proposed cleanup are $12.2 million in capital costs and $175,000 in annual operation and maintenance costs.
In 1994, Onondaga Lake and sources that contaminated it were added to the EPA's Superfund National Priorities List (NPL). Because leachate from the Salina Landfill has seeped into Ley Creek, it is considered a sub-site of the federal Onondaga Lake NPL site.
OVERVIEW
In January 2003, NYSDEC and EPA released a Proposed Plan describing
the remedial alternatives considered for the Site and identifying the
preferred remedy with the rationale for the preference. The primary
elements of the preferred remedy included constructing impermeable caps
over the landfill areas north and south of Ley Creek, constructing
groundwater/leachate collection trenches north and south of Ley Creek,
and pumping the collected groundwater/leachate to the Metropolitan
Syracuse Wastewater Treatment Plant (METRO) for treatment.
Comments received during the public comment period indicated that
Onondaga County has a policy not to accept wastewater from inactive
hazardous waste sites for treatment at METRO. The Town of Salina and
the County participated in extended negotiations for an agreement to
allow the landfill’s groundwater/leachate to be treated at METRO (with or
without pretreatment). No agreement was reached. Therefore, two on-
Site groundwater/leachate treatment alternatives were evaluated in a
September 2006 Addendum to the May 2002 Town of Salina Landfill
Feasibility Study Report (hereinafter “FS Addendum”).
A revised Proposed Plan was released to the public for comment in December 2006
SUMMARY OF COMMENTS AND RESPONSES
Commenters on the Proposed Plans included Atlantic States Legal
Foundation, General Motors, Onondaga County, the Onondaga Nation,
National Grid, three local businesses, and local citizens.
Responses to the comments received at both public meetings and in
writing during both public comment periods are included.
The public comments received and corresponding NYSDEC and EPA
responses have been organized into the following topics:
• Waste Containment Versus Removal
• Waste Excavation and Incineration
• Part 360 Cap versus a Soil Cover
• Leachate Collection South of Ley Creek
• Leachate and Contaminated Groundwater Treatment
• Threat to Groundwater and Surface Water
• Contaminated Groundwater, Surface Water, and Sediments
• Old Ley Creek Channel
• Wastewater Treatment
• Risk Assessment
• Emissions of Hazardous Volatile Organic Compounds
• Site Development
• Potentially Responsible Parties and Cost Recovery
• Cost of the Remedy
• Drainage Ditch Sediments
• Government-to-Government Consultation
• National Grid Facilities at the Site
• Existing On-Site Structures: Sewer Line and Culvert
• Maintenance and Monitoring
• Miscellaneou