State Secures $9.4 Million In Westchester Toxic Cleanup

Attorney General Spitzer and Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Erin Crotty today announced that the state has obtained $9.4 million from 31 companies that disposed of waste in the Croton Point Landfill - a toxic state Superfund site in Westchester County.

"This toxic waste site, located directly on the Hudson River, could never have been cleaned up promptly by the state without a funded state Superfund program," said Attorney General Spitzer. "The state must have the ability to move ahead with toxic cleanups. If not, the Croton landfill would have been leaching contaminants into the Hudson River for years. Cases like this underscore the need for the Legislature to refinance Superfund immediately."

DEC Commissioner Crotty said: "This settlement is a victory for New Yorkers and for the environment. Governor Pataki has called on lawmakers to institute Superfund legislation for the past five years, and the citizens of the Empire State deserve action. Cleaning up New York's contaminated properties holds enormous benefits for local economies, public health and the environment. DEC's work with the Attorney General's Office in this matter demonstrates the importance and value of the state's remedial programs."

The Croton Point Landfill covers 115 acres on a peninsula that juts a mile into the Hudson River, adjacent to the Croton train station. A county park was established on part of the landfill. The landfill was operated by Westchester County from 1928 until 1986 and accepted waste from scores of industries up and down the Hudson Valley.

Westchester County, with partial funding from the Superfund and working cooperatively with the DEC, cleaned up the landfill in the mid-1990's by capping the site, collecting the landfill gas and water pollution that were being discharged by the landfill, and imposing restrictions to prevent future uses of the site that would interfere with the effectiveness of the cleanup. Westchester County continues to monitor the site for pollution impacts.

The Attorney General's Office and DEC tracked down information on many of the industries that generated the waste and the private waste haulers who then dumped the waste at the landfill. That process led to negotiations with many of the companies that are now reimbursing the state Superfund for the costs associated with the cleanup.

Attorney General Spitzer said that the recovery of $9.4 million was accomplished by the state working closely with the companies that generated and disposed of waste at the landfill without the need for a lawsuit.

Money recovered in the Croton Point Landfill case is deposited in the state Superfund where it will be used to help clean up other toxic sites.

The case was handled in the Attorney General's Office by Assistant Attorneys General Robert Hernan and Eugene Leff of the Environmental Protection Bureau. DEC was represented by Dale Desnoyers, Director of the Division of Environmental Remediation.