Conklin Dumps is a 37-acre former landfill in the Town of Conklin, Broome County, New York, about 10 miles southeast of Binghamton. Two landfills on the property accepted municipal and industrial waste between 1964 and 1975. Testing found groundwater contaminated with heavy metals, volatile organic compounds (chemicals that easily evaporate into the air), and chloroethane. Before cleanup, leachate from the site drained into Carlin Creek, a tributary of the Susquehanna River.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) on March 31, 1989. The NPL is EPA's list of sites that need formal cleanup attention. EPA selected a cleanup plan in 1991 and modified it in 1992. The work involved excavating the Lower Landfill, moving its contents onto the Upper Landfill, capping the combined landfill, and installing a leachate collection and treatment system. Excavation finished in 1993, capping was done by 1994, and the collection system was in place by January 1996. Since then, about 70,000 gallons of leachate has been collected and treated at the Binghamton-Johnson City sewage treatment plant. Construction of the full cleanup was completed on September 13, 1996.
EPA deleted the site from the NPL on April 25, 1997, confirming that cleanup goals had been met. The site was also designated as ready for anticipated reuse on February 10, 2014, meaning all cleanup goals for current and expected future land uses have been achieved. Human exposure is under control, and contaminated groundwater migration is stabilized with no unacceptable discharge to surface water.
Institutional controls remain in place to protect the cleanup long-term. These include zoning restrictions that prevent residential development, rules to protect the integrity of the site cap, and a prohibition on drilling groundwater wells for drinking or irrigation until groundwater meets safety standards. The controls were put in place in 2013. EPA conducts five-year reviews to confirm the remedy stays protective. The most recent review, completed in April 2023, confirmed the cleanup continues to protect human health and the environment. The next review is expected between April and June 2028.
Community members with questions can contact EPA staff directly. Larisa Romanowski serves as the Community Involvement Coordinator and Patricia Pierre is the Remedial Project Manager. Public documents are available at Conklin Town Hall, 1271 Conklin Road, Conklin, New York, and at EPA Region 2's Records Center at 290 Broadway, 18th Floor, New York City.
