The FMC Corp. Dublin Road Landfill covers 30 acres in the towns of Ridgeway and Shelby, New York. From 1933 to 1968, the site received coal ash cinders, laboratory wastes, lime sulfur filtration residues, building debris, and pesticide production residues. Those materials left metals and pesticides in the soil, groundwater, surface water, and sediment. About 100 people live within a half-mile of the fenced and posted property. The EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) on June 10, 1986. The NPL is the federal government's list of the most serious hazardous waste sites in the country.
EPA identified 14 contaminants of concern at the site. These include arsenic, copper, lead, mercury, and zinc, along with several pesticide-related chemicals. Those pesticides include DDT and its breakdown products DDD and DDE, as well as hexachlorocyclohexane compounds in alpha, beta, and gamma forms. Arsenic, copper, lead, and zinc show up in groundwater, surface water, sediment, and soil. Mercury and the pesticide compounds are found mainly in soil and sediment.
FMC Corporation is the responsible party for cleanup costs and ongoing obligations. EPA and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation selected a cleanup remedy in March 1993. Work included excavating and stabilizing contaminated soils, placing roughly 80,000 cubic yards of material in an on-site containment cell, constructing an engineered cap, pumping and treating groundwater, and reconstructing wetlands. During construction, about 1.8 million gallons of runoff, leachate, and surface water were treated. Construction finished in August 1996, and the groundwater pump-and-treat system started operating in November 1996. Operation of the groundwater extraction and treatment systems has since been completed.
Human exposure is currently under control, and groundwater migration is stabilized with no unacceptable discharge to surface water. The site was deleted from the NPL on September 21, 2020, confirming that cleanup goals had been met. It is also designated as sitewide ready for anticipated use, meaning all land-use restrictions and controls are in place and no unacceptable risks remain. EPA requires FMC to conduct five-year reviews to verify the cleanup continues to protect health and the environment. The most recent review was completed on March 20, 2025.
Community members with questions can contact the EPA staff assigned to the site. Site records are available for public review at EPA Region 2's office at 290 Broadway, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10007-1866. The site is also part of EPA's Superfund Redevelopment Program, which supports returning former Superfund sites to productive community use.
