Trash Transfer

One of the big questions facing Putnam County government this year has finally been resolved.

By an 8 to 1 vote, the Putnam Legislature decided last week to perform reclamation on its four-acre landfill in Carmel and truck the contents to Southeast, which is also under a state order to close its landfill.

Once the debris is removed from the county site, the property will be reclaimed, while the Southeast landfill will be capped with an impenetrable membrane to minimize infiltration.

The county landfill located off Route 6 and Old Route 6 operated from April 1975 through June 1976, when 56,000 cubic yards of municipal waste were deposited at the site. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation ordered the landfill closed years ago, but the environmental damage remains to this day.

Putnam County last year hired Clough Harbour Associates of Albany and Newburgh, which conducted a study of the site.

The Putnam Legislature met in special session with Keith Cowan, a project scientist with the consultant, along with Willie Janeway, Regional Director of the New York State DEC.

Janeway described landfills as “legacy problems. If they are not addressed, they will come back and bite us, whether in local community health issues or water issues, and by the time they get to that point the costs to remedy will become incalculable.”

Janeway commended County Executive Robert Bondi, Deputy County Executive John Tully, and members of the Legislature for “working with us as partners by coming to grips with this legacy problem and deciding the road to travel in ridding Putnam County of this potential health menace.”

Cowan told the legislators that the landfill was subject to formal closure per consent order since “seeping leachate was driving the current enforcement. There is an active contaminated discharge on the watershed, compounded by elevated levels of ammonia, iron, manganese, arsenic, and other parameters. A newly identified contaminant of vinyl chloride is also posing a concern.”

The county had two alternatives—waste relocation or capping the landfill.

Janeway said the DEC had issued a consent order mandating the closing of the Southeast landfill in December 2010 while the county landfill must be remedied by May 2012.

Janeway suggested consolidating the two landfills: “A proper landfill has a liner membrane. Neither of these landfills has such a safeguard. If we can place one inside the other and cap that environmentally that is the best solution.”

Janeway said now that the county has decided to consolidate, “our agency will be flexible on the closure date for Southeast allowing the county material to be transferred to greater Brewster.”

Approvals for Southeast will be based on a final grating plan consisting of 20,000 cubic yards of construction and demolition debris material being placed under a protective liner.

Janeway called reclamation of waste from the Carmel landfill to the site in Southeast more beneficial since the “DEC wants these two old landfills closed. We prefer to see them consolidated. The DEC will guarantee that all environmental safeguards are met.”

Clough Harbour has estimated the total capital cost for reclamation will be $3.7 million.

Legislator Tony Hay of Southeast supported the reclamation concept: “It makes sense to merge the smaller landfill into the larger one.”

Legislator Mary Ellen Odell of Carmel agreed: “Capping our landfill would only continue problems for future generations. The reclamation allows the county to clean any contaminants from the site.”

Legislator Mary Conklin of Patterson charged that capping meant “Putnam residents would be paying forever. The property couldn’t be used for anything. Now we can hopefully get the land back on the tax rolls.”

Legislator Tony Fusco of Mahopac Falls described himself as a “proponent of moving the landfill debris from Carmel to Southeast, but the county must get an appraisal of its property.”

Legislator Dini LoBue of Mahopac agreed: “The property must be returned to the tax rolls. It sits next to a future hotel and will become a very valuable piece of land.”

Only Legislator Dan Birmingham of Brewster expressed reservations and cast the lone dissenting vote. Birmingham said he was concerned about the excessive cost for reclamation over capping.

Legislator Richard Othmer of Kent called the reclamation a “win-win. Let’s stop looking under rocks to find things wrong with our decision. There is no sense looking for problems.”

County Executive Bondi agreed, calling the lawmaker’s decision a “home run for the people of Putnam County. The decision also serves as a tribute to the cooperation between the county and our neighbors in Southeast who realize the consolidation will result in less degradation and environmental worry.”

Southeast Supervisor Michael Rights also applauded the county decision, calling it “good news for residents of Southeast as well as the entire county.”

The deal is not done just yet since while the Southeast Town Board has voted in principle to pursue consolidation it has not yet voted on a specific agreement. The matter is expected to be resolved once and for all next month.