OSWER/OSRTI

Washington, DC 20460

NATIONAL PRIORITIES LIST (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 regarding 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 2011

DEWEY LOEFFEL LANDFILL 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

located 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, including 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 burned. 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. The 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 since 1980.

 Site Contamination/Contaminants:

Solvents, waste oils, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), scrap materials, sludges, and solids were dumped at Dewey Loeffel 

Landfill.

 Potential Impacts on Surrounding Community/Environment:

Some hazardous substances, 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 fisheries that have been closed due to the site-related PCB contamination. There are 1.7 

miles of wetlands located within the zone of contamination.

 Response Activities (to date):

By 1974, the operator covered and graded the drum disposal area, oil pit, and lagoon with soil, and constructed 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 30,000-gallon oil storage tanks, 

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

approximately 15,000 tons of PCB-contaminated soil and sediments from the site drainage-way between the facility and

Nassau Lake. In June and August 2009, EPA collected sediment samples 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.

 Need for NPL Listing:

The State of New York referred the site to EPA. Other federal and state 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 state.