Drinking Water Intermunicipal Council on Hudson River Request New Regulations for Treatment of Leachate at Landfills

On March 12, the Hudson River Drinking Water Intermunicipal Council (Hudson 7) sent a letter to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), urging the immediate initiation of rulemaking under 6 NYCRR Parts 360 & 363 to address the management, treatment, and disposal of landfill leachate. They also requested a 90-day public comment period to ensure meaningful participation in this process.

Formed in 2018, Hudson 7 includes the City and Town of Poughkeepsie, Village and Town of Rhinebeck, the Towns of Highland, Hyde Park, and Lloyd, and Dutchess and Ulster counties.

“The downstream burden of removing these contaminants should not be the responsibility of the drinking water treatment plants—often without the knowledge of upstream municipal sewer plant leachate discharges. Communities relying on these rivers for drinking water could bear significant financial costs, if required to remove these contaminants, and in most cases, lack the capability to effectively treat these pollutants.”  they wrote.  “The current regulatory system is failing to adequately address the leachate problem. A new waste management regime is necessary to protect the public and shift cost burdens away from municipalities and back to polluters. The rulemaking process would allow various stakeholders to collaborate in designing a system that is both equitable and efficient.”

“While it is unclear the degree to which landfill leachate contaminants are currently impacting the water drawn into our plants, the potential risks to public health and water quality posed by the current practice are clear. Immediate action should be taken to protect drinking water supplies and the environment, ensure accountability, and modernize outdated waste management practices. For these reasons, we strongly believe raw leachate should never be allowed to leave the landfill, and urge the DEC to move forward promptly with new regulations for Onsite Treatment and Disposal of Leachate at Landfills.”