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by Julianne Mosher, Apr 6, 2026 - April 8, 2026
A crowd of people shouted “shame” at presenters during a recent Town of Brookhaven board meeting as tensions rose over the Town’s plans to address a growing underground contamination plume linked to the Brookhaven landfill.
At the March 27 public meeting, Brookhaven Town officials and representatives from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) outlined a long-term corrective plan for managing the plume — one that prioritizes monitoring, gradual closure and expanded access to public water. But for many residents, the proposal falls far short of what they believe is necessary to protect public health.
The town presented five potential strategies to address the contamination, ranging from immediate landfill closure to full waste removal. However, officials ultimately recommended a more gradual approach: enhanced long-term monitoring, connecting nearby homes to municipal water, and closing the landfill by the end of the decade.
Forever chemicals
The Brookhaven landfill, a 534-acre solid waste management facility, has been in operation since 1971 and consists of six separate cells built over decades using evolving technology. According to engineers, contamination is primarily linked to the oldest sections — cells one through three — which were constructed before modern liner systems were in place.
More recent sections, officials emphasized, include double-liner systems designed to prevent leakage.
A 2024 investigation confirmed that a “historic plume” of contamination extends from those older cells, traveling underground in a southeasterly direction. The plume contains chemicals such as PFAS, often called “forever chemicals.” Officials stressed that while contamination exists, public drinking water remains safe because affected homes have largely been connected to municipal water systems.
During the meeting, officials explained their methodology, noting they evaluated each option based on “performance and reliability, potential impacts, cost, and time required,” assigning numerical scores to determine feasibility. Using a scoring system based on cost, effectiveness and feasibility, the town ranked enhanced monitoring and water connections as the most favorable options.
More aggressive solutions, like excavation or large-scale treatment, were deemed too expensive and disruptive. As a result, the town’s preferred plan focuses on monitoring the plume, expanding water access, and closing the landfill once it reaches capacity — currently projected around 2028, with full capping by 2029.
“It’s not an immediate closure, but it’s a closure,” said Christine Fetten, commissioner of recycling and sustainable materials management. “Once we fill that final phase to its permanent capacity, if we have if we do an immediate closure of that phase, that means we have to redesign the whole cap because you have a huge void in that phase that you’re going to have to make sure it’s stable and it sheds the storm water correctly.”
Officials also argued that immediate closure would not solve the existing contamination problem, noting it “would really have no impact on the historic plume.”
Residents, however, said that this plan “doesn’t clean anything.” Visibly frustrated, residents and activists from both North and South Shores expressed how this plan is not suitable with some shouting, “Thanks for nothing.”
Long history of delays and distrust
The landfill has long been a source of controversy in Brookhaven.
Shutdown of the landfill has been repeatedly delayed, with no clear resolution on where Long Island’s trash will end up. It now remains a key part of Long Island’s waste management system, generating millions of dollars in revenue for the town annually while also drawing criticism from environmental groups and residents.
Meanwhile, residents continue to question whether financial considerations are outweighing public health concerns.
“It was shocking and irresponsible that the town offered no option to clean up the plume,” said Adrienne Esposito, executive director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment. “They believe by presenting the cheap option of doing nothing that the public will accept this environmental and public health threat. It was manipulation and a bad sales job.”
Officials clarified that the session was intended as a listening forum only, with public comments limited to three minutes per speaker and written submissions accepted through April 7. Feedback will be compiled into a final report for the DEC, due May 1.
Comments can be emailed to RSM-LFHistoricplume@brookhavenny.gov.
Brookhaven has also filed a lawsuit against the state DEC, arguing a new law limits the agency’s authority to require cleanup contamination like the landfill plume, a claim the DEC disputes.