Old Bethpage Landfill

Overview

The Old Bethpage Landfill is a 65-acre site in Oyster Bay, Nassau County, New York. The Town of Oyster Bay operated it from 1957 to 1986, disposing of municipal garbage and industrial waste. Contaminated waste was found in 1979, and the EPA added the site to the Superfund National Priorities List in September 1983. The site remains on that list today and has not been deleted.

The contamination is in groundwater. EPA identified 39 contaminants of concern in Operable Unit 1, including volatile organic compounds such as trichloroethene, tetrachloroethene, benzene, and toluene, as well as metals like lead, cadmium, mercury, and hexavalent chromium, and inorganic compounds including nitrate and sulfate. EPA determined these chemicals pose an unacceptable risk to human health or the environment.

Cleanup work began in the early 1980s and major construction finished in October 1993. Key actions included a methane gas collection system installed in 1982, a leachate collection system running since 1983, a clay cap covering the full landfill area completed in 1992, and a groundwater treatment system using recovery wells, air stripping, and carbon treatment that became operational in March 1992. A methane co-generation facility that burned gas to produce electricity operated until 2002, when methane production declined enough to close it. EPA has conducted five-year reviews at regular intervals, most recently in July 2022, and each review confirmed that the cleanup protects public health and the environment. The next five-year review is expected between July and September 2027.

Current conditions show human exposure to contamination is under control and groundwater migration is stabilized. Two of the five extraction wells show contaminant levels approaching cleanup goals, indicating partial aquifer restoration is underway. The site achieved sitewide ready for anticipated reuse status in March 2018. Today it hosts a municipal transfer station and recycling center. As of December 2024, three on-site businesses employed 40 people and generated about 6.5 million dollars in annual sales.

Community members can review site records at the Plainview-Old Bethpage Public Library at 999 Old Country Road in Plainview, New York, by calling (516) 938-0077. Questions can also be directed to EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager.