Today, 21 environmental and community organizations sent a letter to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) asking the agency to provide a 90-day public comment period for its upcoming rule on how landfill leachate is treated and disposed of. The coalition submitted the request ahead of the rulemaking process beginning, asking the […]
Takeaways As New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) develops rules requiring landfills to treat leachate prior to disposal at municipal Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs), we must also address what will be done with the concentrated toxic contaminants once they are removed. The state has suggested that this concentrated material – sometimes called “residual” […]
At a Glance New York State is marking ten years of responding to PFAS with a progress report and public events The report lists many actions the state is taking and reflects an attempt at collaborative, comprehensive approach The milestone is a moment to ask: How did we get here in the first place? The […]
January 31, 2026 Last week, New York River Watch submitted formal comments to the New York State Legislature as part of the joint Senate Finance and Assembly Ways and Means 2026-2027 budget hearing. Our testimony focused on one of New York’s most urgent—and least understood—threats to drinking water: the ongoing practice of sending untreated […]
After sustained advocacy and coordination with our partners across New York State, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced two public, virtual presentations on its upcoming rule for On-site Treatment and Disposal of Landfill Leachate. This is an important step forward—and one we’ve been championing alongside our partners. These presentations will […]
At a Glance A coalition of groups, led by New York River Watch (NYRW), is asking the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to pause its rulemaking on onsite leachate treatment and disposal. Until now, NYRW has been urging DEC to begin this rulemaking as soon as possible. However, new information shows that DEC […]
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 […]
In June 2017, six months into the first Trump administration, Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli issued a report on drinking water regulation in New York State. Contamination crises in the Village of Hoosick Falls and City of Newburgh had exposed “significant gaps in protections,” and in response, his office analyzed federal and state roles in drinking water […]
By Rebecca Martin This summer, a small group of advocates—including Rhonda Keyser, a talented artist, Program and Policy Director at Cafeteria Culture and member of the Brooklyn Solid Waste Advisory Board, Natalie Russianoff, Program Assistant at Beyond Plastics; and myself—traveled to Brookhaven, NY (North Bellport) to visit Monique Fitzgerald, co-founder of BLARG (Brookhaven Landfill Action […]
There was a great letter to the editor in this weekend’s Albany Times Union: What’s in Colonie’s drinking water? Albany Times Union (Sunday) 27 Jul 2025 Although it is illegal to discharge landfill leachate directly into waterways, state law allows this poisonous concoction to be piped through municipal sewer systems and then into waterbodies, including […]