During the past three months, there has been a great deal of press coverage as well as editorial comment regarding the Dewey Loeffel Toxic Superfund Site in the Town of Nassau. What has been made clear through all of this coverage is that this region's residents share a strong desire for clearer communication from the federal government, effective toxin cleanup and a commitment to the overall health of our residents.
As many now know, the Loeffel site is an unlined landfill containing two times the contamination of the infamous Love Canal — approximately 46,000 tons of a toxic cocktail of sludge, waste oils, solvents, PCBs and numerous other chemicals.
The bottom of the toxic site is composed of fractured bedrock that, to this day, is seeping chemicals into the surrounding groundwater.
In the past, the chemicals freely left the site contaminating the Valatie Kill, Nassau Lake, Kinderhook Lake and the Hudson River estuary system.
Since the site was closed, a series of remediation actions by the state and federal government have been undertaken to address this contamination. To date, none of these actions have been comprehensive and some have been what I frequently have termed "Band-Aids on bullet wounds." A comprehensive approach is truly needed to address our toxic legacy and our uncertain future.
Most recently, the federal Environmental Protection Agency has constructed a water treatment facility at the site that when, fully operational, will discharge treated contaminated groundwater directly into the Valatie Kill. Currently, treated and tested groundwater totaling approximately 120,000 gallons have been discharged from storage tanks at the facility, which is running at a low level of operational capacity.
I remain deeply concerned about the ultimate discharge from this facility when it is operating at full capacity and discharging directly into the Valatie Kill.
However, I do remain cautiously optimistic that this initial stage of remediation and study by EPA may lead to a comprehensive approach to clean up this site.
We can all agree that the health of our communities and our clean water and clean air are not partisan issues. They are requirements that all of us should continue to strive to ensure.
I certainly do not want the inheritance of another generation of Rensselaer County and Columbia County residents to once again be that we had the opportunity to do the right thing to remediate this site and did not do all we could to ensure the health and safety of our families and children not yet born.
The media spotlight on this toxic site has changed the dialogue and the outcome of the latest approach to current remediation activities. Public informational sessions are now being offered. Due to community pressure, EPA will now hold a Columbia County meeting 6-9 p.m. on Monday at St. Paul's Church, 6 Sylvester St., Kinderhook. They will also hold a Rensselaer County meeting 6-9 p.m. on Tuesday at St. Mary's Church Parish Hall, 26 Church St., Nassau.
Community involvement and freedom of the press have been invaluable factors in providing appropriate scrutiny and keeping the polluters and government on target.
I encourage all to educate themselves on this dangerously toxic site, its historical impact on our communities, and the hope we have for a future free from this toxic legacy.