Ulster County Environmental Management Council urge the DEC to adopt new regulations for onsite treatment and disposal of landfill leachate

The Ulster County Environmental Management Council (EMC) has formally urged the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to take immediate action to protect public health and water quality by closing the “Leachate Loophole.”

The EMC is an advisory body made up of representatives from municipalities across Ulster County. Members are appointed by the County Executive and confirmed by the County Legislature. Its mission is to protect and conserve the environment on behalf of all the people of Ulster County.

In a letter recently approved by the Council, the EMC called on the DEC to adopt new regulations requiring on-site treatment and disposal of landfill leachate—the toxic liquid that forms when rain and snowmelt pass through landfill waste.

“Current practices are outdated and unsafe,” the EMC stated. “We need to stop sending this hazardous waste to municipal wastewater treatment plants that were never designed to handle it.”

Leachate often contains harmful contaminants like PFAS and 1,4-dioxane—chemicals linked to cancer and other serious health risks. Yet across New York State, this toxic liquid is still routinely sent to facilities such as the City of Kingston’s wastewater treatment plant, which cannot effectively remove these substances. The result: untreated toxins discharged into the Hudson and Mohawk Rivers.

The EMC’s call to action follows the 2024 report from the Hudson and Mohawk Rivers Leachate Collaborative, which found that leachate pollution poses a direct threat to the drinking water of approximately 360,000 residents, including those in the Towns of Esopus and Lloyd.

As a countywide council advocating for environmental protection and sustainability, the EMC urges the DEC to adopt regulations mandating on-site leachate treatment at landfills and to initiate a 90-day public comment period.