Toxic landfill “garbage water” is making its way into New York’s rivers and lakes, including drinking water sources. When rainwater moves through the waste buried in a landfill, it picks up contaminants and becomes a toxic liquid called leachate. It can contain PFAS, heavy metals, pesticides, and thousands of other chemicals, including contaminants that have been banned or phased out because garbage in landfills can be decades old.
The toxic landfill leachate is then sent to sewage treatment plants that aren’t designed to handle the complex mixture of contaminants in leachate, and is then discharged into the rivers and lakes.
A new statewide report from New York River Watch reveals just how widespread the problem is. Between 2019 and 2023, more than 532 million gallons of landfill leachate were sent each year to municipal sewage treatment plants, with 167 million gallons entering rivers and lakes designated as drinking water sources, including the Hudson, Mohawk, and Niagara Rivers, and Lake Ontario.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s proposed regulations, released on July 1, are insufficient and must be redrafted to protect waterways and public health.
