O SWER/OSRTI Washington, DC 20460 

## N ATIONAL 

## P RIORITIES 

## L IST 

## (NPL)

[The description of the site (release) is based on information available at the time the site was evaluated with the HRS. The description may change as additional information is gathered on the sources and extent of contamination.]

For more information about the hazardous substances identified in this narrative summary, including general information regar ding the effects of exposure to these substances on human health, please see the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) ToxFAQs. ATSDR ToxFAQs can be found on the Internet
at http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html or by telephone at 1

- 888

- 42

- ATSDR or 1

- 888

- 422

- 8737. *** Final Site*** March 201 1 

### DEWEY LOEFFEL LANDFI LL Nassau , New York Rensselaer County

 **Site Location :**  The Dewey Loeffel Landfill site , which consists of an inactive hazardous waste disposal area and associated releases, is locate d in a rural portion of southern Rensselaer County, New York , approximately 15 miles southeast of Albany.

 **Site History:** From 1952 to 1968, the facility was used for disposal of more than 46,000 tons of waste materials generated by several industries , in cluding General Electric (GE)
, Bendix Corporation

, and Schenectady Chemicals, Inc. The waste materials were dumped into a lagoon area, oil pit, and drum burial area. Some drum contents were pumped onto the ground surface, and waste materials were also bu rned

. In 1968, after years of citizen complaints , documented downstream fish and cattle kills, and uncontrolled fires at the site, the State of New York ordered the operator to stop discharges from the disposal facility and perform remedial activities. T he operator completed some remedial measures by 1974, but continued to use the facility for waste oil transfer until 1980

. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation ( NYSDEC ) has

overseen remedial investigations and remedial actions by GE sin ce 1980

.
 **Site Contamination/Contaminants:** S olvents, waste oils, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), scrap materials, sludge s , and solids were dumped at Dewey Loeffel Landfill

.

 **Potential Impacts on Surrounding Community/Environment :**  Some hazardous substa nces, in particular PCBs, have migrated from the landfill to underlying aquifers and downstream surface water bodies, resulting in contamination of ground water, surface water, sediments, and several species of fish

. Nassau Lake and Valatie Kill are fishe ries that have been closed due to the site

- related PCB contamination . T here are 1.7 miles of wetlands located within the zone of contamination.

 **Response Activities (to date):** By 1974, the operator cover ed and grad ed the drum disposal area, oil pit, an d lagoon with soil, and construct ed drainage channels to control runoff. In 1980, GE entered into an agreement with NYSDEC to perform additional investigation and remediation at the facility. From 1982 to 1984
, GE removed 500 surface drums and four 30,00 0

- gallon oil storage tanks

, and installed a NYSDEC

- approved slurry wall, clay cap, and leachate collection system. From 2001 to 2004, GE removed

a pproximately 15,000 tons of PCB

- contaminated soil and sediments from the site drainage

- way between the facili ty and Nassau Lake

. In June and August 2009, EPA co llected sediment sampl es from downstream water bodies . The analytical results indicated the continuing presence of PCBs in the former Mead Road Pond, Tributary T11A, Valatie Kill, and Nassau Lake.

 **Nee d for NPL Listing:**  The S tate of New York referred th e site to EPA. Other f ederal and s tate cleanup programs were evaluated but are not viable at this time. EPA received a letter of support for placing this site on the NPL from the s tate.