Volney Municipal Landfill

Overview

The Volney Municipal Landfill is an 85-acre site in the Town of Volney, New York. It operated from 1969 to 1983 as an unlined disposal facility accepting household, business, and light industrial waste. Between 1974 and 1975, it received roughly 8,000 barrels of chemical residues from a local hazardous waste treatment facility. From 1976 to 1978, it also took in industrial sludge later identified as hazardous waste. The EPA added the site to the Superfund National Priorities List in June 1986. The site is also known as the Oswego County Landfill, Oswego Valley Landfill, and Silk Road Landfill.

Fifteen contaminants of concern have been found in groundwater at the site. They include arsenic, benzene, beryllium, vinyl chloride, chloroform, lead, manganese, mercury, nickel, phenol, selenium, tetrachloroethene, thallium, toluene, trichloroethene, and zinc. The EPA determined that exposure to these substances poses an unacceptable risk to human health or the environment.

After the landfill closed in 1985, Oswego County installed a synthetic liner cap, compacted soil on the slopes, and built gas and leachate collection systems. The EPA selected a cleanup remedy in 1987 calling for a supplemental cap, expanded leachate collection with slurry walls, and leachate treatment. A 1997 modification added groundwater extraction on an as-needed basis, which began operating in 2001. Extracted groundwater and collected leachate are sent to an off-site treatment facility. More than three million gallons of leachate have been collected. In 2003, Oswego County granted easements to New York State restricting groundwater well installation and activities that could damage the cap.

Physical construction of the cleanup is complete. Human exposure is under control, meaning there are no unacceptable pathways for people to contact contamination at the site. Groundwater migration is also under control, with no unacceptable discharge to surface water. The site achieved Sitewide Ready for Anticipated Use status in 2015. Long-term operation and maintenance are ongoing. A new remedial investigation for the Contamination Pathways operable unit is estimated to begin between March and May 2026. The EPA conducted its fifth Five-Year Review in June 2025 to confirm the remedy continues to protect human health and the environment.

Community members can review the 17 documents compiled for this site in person at the EPA Superfund Records Center at 290 Broadway, 18th floor in New York City, or at the Fulton Public Library at 160 South First Street in Fulton, New York. For questions, residents can contact the Community Involvement Coordinator or the Remedial Project Manager.