SOURCE:
https://www.trihamletnews.com/stories/dec-grants-town-extension-for-landfill-report,102735
By Nicole Fuentes - January 21, 2026
Larger issue, supe says, is what comes after the closure
On Jan. 8, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, DEC, extended the deadline for completion of the Corrective Measures Assessment period and Report submission to ensure a complete assessment and adequate public engagement for the Town of Brookhaven’s landfill closure.
According to the DEC, the town must host a public meeting and conclude their assessment by April 15, 2026, and submit the Corrective Measures Assessment Report by May 1, 2026, a three-month extension from previous requirements.
The cleanup report was ordered by the DEC after “forever chemicals” were found in a plume surrounding the landfill after inspection last year. Forever chemicals, known as PFAS, are resistant to breaking down, allowing them to build up in the environment, wildlife, and humans, posing health and environmental concerns.
The extension, according to Citizens Campaign for the Environment executive director Adrienne Esposito, is “completely unnecessary.”
“This is not even a large or complicated plume,” she added. “The longer they delay the cleanup, the further the contamination will spread and the more damage the plume will do.”
However, according to the DEC, the extension will allow for focused completion of the draft Corrective Measures Assessment Report with time for adequate public engagement.
Once the town has set a new meeting date, DEC will post the announcement on its Brookhaven Landfill webpage. The meeting will invite all residents that live within 500-feet of the plume, which includes parts of Bellport and Brookhaven Hamlet.
“We’re going to have a much more meaningful community gathering and meeting with better prepared engineers,” supervisor Dan Panico said of the extension, noting that the DEC agreed. “More time was needed to ensure the meeting would be meaningful, there is no sense in having a meeting if one is not ready to be had.”
The larger issue, he said, is focusing the state’s energy on figuring out what comes after the landfill closes. The town most recently completed capping another 23-acre portion of the landfill, according to Panico, which now equates to a total of 75 to 77 percent capped.
The landfill solely accepts ash waste from the regional facilities formerly known as Covanta and, according to the DEC, it must be completely filled and capped for closure.
Additionally, the town stopped collecting commercial and demolition waste as of Dec. 31, 2024. Panico stated the landfill is still on schedule to close by the third quarter of 2028, likely, he said, depending on volume.
Another issue, he added, is whether LIPA, Long Island Power Authority, renews the power purchase agreement with the new owners of Covanta to continue converting waste to energy. The agreement, Panico said, is set to expire on Oct. 31 of this year.
LIPA, PSEG LI, did not respond as of press time regarding the agreement.
“This issue is not being talked about enough if those waste-to-energy facilities were to close you are going to see a substantial increase in the cost of getting rid of municipal solid waste,” he added, noting that is really the issue the state and governor should be focused on.
As for the alternatives after the landfill closes, even with the renewed ash facilities agreements, Panico explained, both the Kings Park and Brookhaven Town rail proposals were stalled or nixed.
After years of planning for the Brookhaven Rail terminal, the Long Island Advance reported the proposed Winters Bros. rail-based waste-transfer facility, which was going to move ash waste from Long Island by train to reduce truck traffic, was dropped in 2024.
“The state did not support the idea,” Panico said, stating that the town felt it was the most economically, environmentally and feasible solution. “This should be at the forefront of the governor’s mission this year.”
As for the landfill, Panico said that former supervisor Ed Romaine’s plans for an energy park will continue, though it has changed with plans for six 5-megawatt solar farms and a new substation.
“We updated the plan with our partner who has worked with us on other projects and we are moving forward still to make it happen,” he added.
The 50-acre landfill is Brookhaven Town property, located at 350 Horseblock Road in Yaphank.
