Ludlow Sand & Gravel is an 18-acre landfill and gravel pit in Clayville, New York. Disposal of domestic waste, industrial waste including dyes and oils, and animal processing materials began there in the early 1960s. PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) were found in leachate pools in 1982, and the site was added to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) in September 1983. A District Court order stopped dumping by 1988.
The site was divided into two cleanup areas. The first covers the landfill, where workers consolidated and capped more than 40,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil and sediment, installed drainage systems, collected leachate from seepage areas, and treated water on-site. That work ran from 1990 to 1996. The second area covers the gravel pit, where grouting was used to treat soils with elevated concentrations of Aroclor 1254, a specific PCB mixture. That remedial action ran from March 2007 to September 2008. Institutional controls put in place in August 2013 prohibit groundwater use and limit land use to nonresidential purposes.
PCBs were found in solid waste, leachate, groundwater, and soil in the landfill area. Aroclor 1254 was detected in soil at the gravel pit. EPA determined that these contaminants posed an unacceptable risk and required cleanup action.
Human exposures are under control across the entire site. Groundwater migration is stabilized with no unacceptable discharge to surface water, and monitoring continues to confirm contaminated groundwater stays within the original area. All cleanup goals for current and anticipated future land uses have been met, and all required land-use restrictions are in place. The site was deleted from the NPL on December 2, 2013. The most recent five-year review was completed in March 2024, and these reviews will continue on a five-year cycle to confirm the remedy remains protective of human health and the environment.
Community members who want more information can contact EPA directly. Site documents are available at the EPA Superfund Records Center in New York City, the Utica Public Library, or the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Region 7 Office in Utica. The EPA's Superfund Redevelopment Program is also available to help return the property to productive community use.
