SOURCE:
September, 2026
A coalition led by New York River Watch says the proposed regulations on leachate management is an important step, but New York must close loopholes and stop the perpetual cycling of toxic pollution.
ingston, NY — More than 100 organizations and 700 individuals have urged New York State to strengthen proposed regulations governing the management and treatment of landfill leachate as the public comment period comes to a close on September 9, 2026.
The effort is being led by New York River Watch, in partnership with a growing coalition of partners that includes Hudson Riverkeeper, Seneca Lake Guardian, Earthjustice, WESPAC Foundation, Brookhaven Landfill Action and Remediation Group (BLARG), Talking Rivers, Citizens Campaign for the Environment (CCE), Office of Peace, Justice and Integrity of Creation, Sisters of Charity of New York, Rensselaer Environmental Coalition and other environmental, public health, community, municipal, and civic organizations across New York State.
The coalition’s call for stronger regulations comes as New York River Watch releases a new report documenting the scale of the problem statewide. The organization’s new statewide report tracks more than half a billion gallons of landfill leachate leaving landfills and entering sewage treatment plants each year—where it can ultimately make its way into New York’s rivers and lakes, including waters that serve as drinking water supplies for more than two million people.
Landfill leachate—or “garbage water”—is the contaminated liquid generated when water moves through a landfill. It can contain PFAS and other persistent and potentially harmful contaminants. New York River Watch’s report found that, under current practices, approximately 530 million gallons of landfill leachate are sent annually to sewage treatment plants in New York State, with a significant portion ultimately discharged into rivers and lakes. Many of these sewage treatment plants were designed primarily to treat human waste—not the complex mixture of persistent chemicals and other contaminants found in landfill leachate.
The report reveals why stronger state regulation is needed. Treating leachate at sewage treatment plants does not remove the contaminants it contains. Instead, pollution can be transferred from one part of the waste-management system to another, with contaminants ending up in waterways or concentrated in treatment residuals that are returned to landfills, where they can contribute to increasingly concentrated leachate—creating a cycle in which contaminants re-enter the waste stream and compound the problem.
“We commend the DEC for taking this critical first step toward addressing the serious threat that toxic landfill leachate poses to our treasured waterways across the state,” said Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment (CCE). “However, the Department must go further to strengthen the proposed regulations in order to provide a comprehensive solution that fully closes landfill leachate loopholes. New York State has an opportunity to demonstrate national leadership in protecting clean water and we urge the Department to do so by adopting stronger final regulations.”