From the Environmental Protection Agency
NEW YORK (March 17, 2022) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it is adding 12 sites and proposing to add another five, including the Brillo Landfill, an inactive hazardous waste disposal facility in Victory, New York, to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL). The federal NPL includes sites where releases of contamination pose significant human health and environmental risks.
“A proactive approach in addressing the lingering contamination at the former Brillo Landfill is needed to safeguard local wetlands and mitigate the potential impacts on private drinking water wells,” said Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. “With this proposal, EPA is showing the Victory, New York community that historical contamination will not sit idle in their backyards and threaten their wetlands.”
“I’m pleased to see the EPA propose adding the Brillo Landfill in Victory, New York to the Superfund National Priorities List,” said Representative John Katko. “This move would provide federal funding to address legacy pollution in Cayuga County and was made possible by investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which I strongly supported. This cleanup effort would provide a long-term solution for our community and I’m glad to see the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law making a positive impact in Cayuga County.”
“New York State welcomes U.S. EPA’s proposed addition of the Brillo Landfill site and finalization of the Meeker Avenue Plume site to the Federal Superfund Program’s National Priorities List,” said New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos. “Working collaboratively with DEC, our federal partners will deploy the best available science and resources to protect the Greenpoint and East Williamsburg communities by addressing the soil, soil vapor, and groundwater plume in the vicinity of Meeker Avenue, and continue the critical work of preventing potential exposure to the public. DEC remains committed to partnering with the Biden Administration and EPA Administrator Regan to advance the cleanup of former industrial sites in Brooklyn, the town of Victory, and statewide to protect public health and the environment.”
Now closed, the Brillo Landfill accepted a variety of industrial and sanitary wastes, as well as paint and wastewater treatment sludge. As a result, it is currently contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and metals such as lead and mercury in numerous waste disposal units and surrounding soil. Further NYSDEC investigations in 2021 found similar contamination and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the nearby wetlands, which border Little Sodus Creek.
EPA conducted an immediate removal action to protect public health in June 2018, removing approximately 2,000 intact drums and drum carcasses, including about 8,000 gallons of liquid waste and 782 tons of contaminated soil and other solid debris. However, the site still requires a long-term cleanup to address the remaining contamination. Groundwater sampling results from facility monitoring wells show site-related contaminants above federal and state groundwater standards. NYSDEC has tested private drinking water wells within a one-mile radius of the site and has not identified impacts to these wells at this time. NYSDEC continues to monitor the groundwater for potential effects on these wells.
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