Hertel Landfill

Overview

Hertel Landfill is an 80-acre inactive municipal waste landfill in Plattekill, Ulster County, New York. It operated from 1963 to 1977, with about 15 acres used for waste disposal. The EPA placed it on the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) in June 1986. The site has also been known as Dutchess Sanitation and Environmental Landfills Inc. One on-site business operates there as of December 2024, and the site achieved sitewide ready for anticipated reuse status in September 2012.

The landfill contaminated soil, groundwater, and surface water with more than 130 hazardous chemicals. These include volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as benzene, toluene, trichloroethene, and chloroform; metals including arsenic, lead, cadmium, chromium, and mercury; polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) like benzo[a]pyrene and naphthalene; phthalates; and pesticides including DDT and DDE. Many contaminants appear in both soil and groundwater.

Major cleanup work ran from 1991 through 1998. Workers removed waste drums and contaminated material from nearby wetlands, installed a landfill cap, built a leachate (wastewater from decomposing waste) collection system, and added a gas venting system. Groundwater was initially pumped and treated to remove metals and organic compounds. A 2005 update to the cleanup plan dropped the groundwater treatment system after monitoring showed water quality had improved. Current restrictions prohibit damaging the cap or leachate system, drilling wells in or around the landfill, and any use that would compromise site containment. Construction was formally completed in February 2005. The landfill cap, leachate collection system, gas venting system, and long-term groundwater monitoring all remain active. Operation and maintenance work is estimated to continue through late 2028.

Human exposure is under control, with no unacceptable exposure pathways currently identified across the site. Contaminated groundwater migration is stabilized, and monitoring will continue to keep it within the original contamination area. The EPA conducts five-year reviews to confirm protectiveness. The most recent review was completed in March 2025, and all reviews to date have confirmed that cleanup actions remain protective of public health and the environment. The site remains on the NPL.

Community members can review the administrative record at Plattekill Town Hall (P.O. Box 45, Modena, NY 12548) or the Plattekill Public Library (2047 State Route 32, Modena, NY 12548). Copies of site documents are also available at the U.S. EPA Region 2 Records Center, 290 Broadway, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10007. The Community Involvement Coordinator and Remedial Project Manager assigned to the site handle public questions.