Residents and businesses are growing increasingly concerned about the environmental and public health impacts of the massive Seneca Meadows landfill about 45 miles west of Syracuse. State regulators continue to review a proposal allowing the state’s largest landfill to grow and keep operating.
Life-long Waterloo resident Michelle Grillone said she’s picked up her children from school many times because the odor inside the building became unbearable.
“They've called me crying, telling me that they have headaches, they feel dizzy, they're nauseous," she said during a recent town hall. "Obviously, many events that we've been at have been ruined because of the smell, sporting events. Having the kids play outside, that has become a daily battle because I don't want them out there and they want to be able to play.”
The town hall was organized by the Seneca Lake Guardian, a Finger Lakes-area environmental watchdog group. They and others said methane emissions pollute the air. Meanwhile, contaminated runoff threatens the nearby pristine lakes which are all used for public drinking water.
Seneca Meadows’ permit expired in December. They’ve asked the Department of Environmental Conservation permission to expand and to extend the operating permit through 2050. Assemblymember Anna Kelles told the crowd there’s no timeline for the DEC to act.
“In New York State, a facility can run on an expired permit indefinitely," she said as the crowd murmured in disbelief. "So what will probably happen if a permit is denied by the DEC, then Seneca Meadows will sue. And that can then lead to years of judicial process.”
Mark Pitifier is with Waterloo Container, one of the area’s largest employers that pre-dates the landfill across the street.
He said his company has spent millions of dollars expanding its footprint under the assumption that the landfill would not expand.
“They are going to run out of space," he said. "The question is, is it a perfect storm? Are they going to run out of space in the time it takes for the state to approve or deny that expansion?”
Meanwhile, he said his company having trouble attracting and retaining workers, and employees are getting sick. Finger Lakes wineries also said their livelihoods depend on the air, water, and soil, and tourists that are all threatened by the landfill.
