Cortese Landfill sits in the Village of Narrowsburg, Sullivan County, New York, about 450 feet from the Delaware River. It operated from 1970 to 1981 and accepted municipal waste as well as industrial materials including solvents, paint thinners, and paint sludges. An estimated 5,000 to 8,000 drums were buried on the property. The site was placed on the National Priorities List on June 10, 1986, which triggered formal EPA-led cleanup planning.
Seven contaminants of concern have been identified in groundwater at the site: 1,4-dichlorobenzene, arsenic, benzene, chloroethene (vinyl chloride), manganese, tetrachloroethene, and trichloroethene. These chemicals were detected in groundwater in the early 1980s, and a municipal water supply well located 1,500 feet away was taken out of service as a precaution in the early 1990s. It was returned to service in the late 1990s, and routine sampling has confirmed it remains unaffected.
Cleanup has been organized into four operable units covering drums, landfill capping, groundwater, and source control. Work began under a 1985 agreement and expanded under EPA oversight from 1990 onward. Potentially responsible parties removed more than 5,000 drums, hazardous sludge, and contaminated soil between 1996 and 1998 and completed landfill capping. An air sparging and soil vapor extraction system ran from 2012 to 2013 and was taken offline in 2017 after cleanup levels were met. Construction across all operable units was completed on September 25, 2013.
The site is currently in operation and maintenance for the groundwater and source control operable units. EPA's February 2021 five-year review concluded that cleanup actions protect public health and the environment. Human exposure is under control, and contaminated groundwater migration has been stabilized with no unacceptable discharge to surface water. The site achieved sitewide ready for anticipated reuse status on April 26, 2018. The next five-year review is scheduled for on or before February 2026, and EPA has notified the public that this upcoming sixth review will confirm whether protectiveness continues. The site remains on the National Priorities List.
Community members can review site records at the Tusten-Cochecton Library at 200 Bridge Street in Narrowsburg, New York, or at the EPA Region 2 Superfund Records Center in New York City. For questions, contact the EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager.
