cortese landfill

SOUTH OF ROUTE 97

The 5-acre Cortese Landfill site was operated from 1970 to 1981 by the John Cortese Construction Company, receiving primarily municipal wastes at a rate of 3,000 cubic yards each year. Industrial wastes, including waste solvents, paint thinners, paint sludges, and waste oils, were disposed of at the landfill in 1973. Records indicated that an estimated 5,000 to 8,000 drums were buried on the site at that time. In the early 1980s, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation found volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) and heavy metals in the ground and surface water. A municipal water supply well is located about 1,500 feet from the site. Although not contaminated, the well was taken out of service in the early 1990s as a precautionary measure. It was brought back in service in the late 1990s as a supplemental public supply well to augment a newly installed supply well. Ongoing routine water-quality sampling has continued to show that this well is unaffected by the landfill. The former operator of the landfill and the Town of Tusten each own part of the property. Approximately 550 people live within 1 mile of the site. Six homes are located about 400 feet away from the landfill. The Delaware River, classified by the National Park Service as a Wild and Scenic River, is located 450 feet from the landfill and is used for fishing and recreational activities.