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 […]
We’re pleased to share an op-ed published in today’s Buffalo News, co-authored with one of our key coalition partners, Yvonne Taylor of Seneca Lake Guardian. Special thanks to Meg Fitzgerald of BerlinRosen for her support and assistance. ANOTHER VOICE | PUBLIC HEALTH Another Voice: As feds roll back PFAS regulations, New York needs to […]
Shortly after we published our report, we needed to use different terminology to refer to the facilities that process sewage. In January, we began to use the term Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) rather than Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP). We did this because “Wastewater Treatment Plant” implies that these facilities treat a broad […]
The Woodstock Land Conservancy (WLC) will honor Rebecca Martin, project manager of the Leachate Loophole and a longtime Hudson Valley environmental advocate, with the William R. Ginsberg Stewardship Award at its 13th annual Vernal Fling on May 17 at White Feather Farm in the Hudson Valley. Martin, known for her leadership with KingstonCitizens.org, Kingston Land […]
It’s encouraging to see the impact of our Leachate Loophole report. After reviewing our report, the City of Kingston, located in Ulster County, NY, stopped accepting leachate from the Town of Hurley’s Superfund landfill—prompting important conversations and progress. We helped connect the town with engineers working on onsite treatment technologies, including one system we […]
In April, the Hudson and Mohawk Rivers Leachate Coalition hosted Drew Gamils, Senior Attorney at Riverkeeper, for a presentation on the New York State rulemaking process. The session was timed to prepare coalition partners for an upcoming rulemaking proposed by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation since 2023, which aims to address the critical issue […]
In a unanimous April vote, the Ulster County Legislature passed a resolution urging the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to initiate a rulemaking process to establish new regulations under 6 NYCRR Parts 360 & 363 for the onsite treatment and disposal of landfill leachate. The resolution was sent to key state officials, […]
The Hudson and Mohawk Rivers Leachate Collaborative is proud to welcome Maureen Cunningham as our new Strategy and Management Advisor. Maureen brings extensive experience in environmental policy and community leadership. She currently serves her second term on the Bethlehem Town Board and is founding member of We Are Bethlehem, a group focused on equity and […]