The Colesville Municipal Landfill is a 35-acre site in the Town of Colesville, Broome County, New York. It accepted municipal waste from 1965 to 1984 and received industrial wastes, including organic solvents, dyes, and metals, from 1973 to 1975. That industrial dumping contaminated groundwater with volatile organic compounds. The site was added to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1986. About 1,900 people live within three miles of the site and rely on private wells for drinking water, with the nearest residence just 300 feet away.
EPA has identified 15 contaminants of concern, all found in groundwater beneath the landfill cap area. These include chlorinated compounds such as 1,1,1-trichloroethane, trichloroethene, and tetrachloroethene, as well as volatile organic compounds like benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene. Several dichloroethane and dichloroethene variants are also present. EPA determined these substances pose unacceptable risk to human health or the environment.
Cleanup has moved through several phases. Early on, Broome County provided bottled water and activated charcoal filters to affected residents and monitored wells. EPA selected a long-term remedy in 1991 that included capping the landfill, installing a leachate collection system, and treating contaminated groundwater. The landfill cap was completed in the mid-1990s. Because the aquifer has low permeability, traditional extraction wells proved impractical. EPA modified the approach in 2000 to use enhanced reductive dechlorination, which injects molasses into the groundwater to promote microbial breakdown of contaminants. This system became operational in 2002 with 17 injection wells and three recovery wells. Molasses injections continued until 2012, paused for a pilot study that ended in 2014, and resumed in 2019 as needed.
Human exposure is currently under control, and groundwater migration has been stabilized with no unacceptable discharge to surface water. The site has achieved Construction Complete status and is Sitewide Ready for Anticipated Use, meaning all cleanup goals for current and reasonably anticipated future land uses have been met and required land-use controls are in place. The site remains under ongoing operation and maintenance for both the landfill cap and groundwater systems. A five-year review was completed in March 2025, and the site has not yet been deleted from the NPL.
Community members with questions can contact the EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator or Remedial Project Manager. Site records are available for public review at the Town of Colesville Town Hall in Harpursville, New York, and at the EPA Region 2 Superfund Records Center in New York City.
