Intense flooding hit Rensselaer County two weeks ago and flow gauges for bodies of water like the Valatie Kill went off the charts.

“There hadn’t actually been flow rates at that level even during Tropical Storm Irene," said Nassau Supervisor David Fleming. "So what we had here was a tremendous amount of water flow in a very short period of time."

Because of the flooding, sediments from the toxic Dewey Loeffel Landfill Superfund site flowed into Little Thunder Brook and the Valatie Kill, two bodies of water located near the landfill, officials said. 

They are concerned that the sediment brought with it toxins such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) collected samples of surface water and the sediment from residential properties.


What You Need To Know

  • Because of flooding two weeks ago, sediments from the toxic Dewey Loeffel Landfill Superfund site have entered Little Thunder Brook and the Valatie Kill 

  • There are concerns that this sediment brought toxins like PCB’s

  • The EPA is testing surface water samples and sediment deposits on residential properties

“We’re obviously interested to see what the test results are on the surface water," Fleming said. "But right now, our main focus is on sediment because a lot of those PCB’s cling to sediment. So folks from the landfill down through the village of Nassau are having their properties tested."

The Dewey Loeffel Landfill served as a dump site in the 1950s and 1960s, and was declared a Superfund site decades later due to the presence of PCBs, in addition to 1,4-dioxane, a potential cancer-causing contaminant.

Fleming says the EPA will be collecting samples through July 30, so anyone who wants testing done on sediment deposits on their property should contact them.

“If you have a yard where there are sediment deposits and things, I strongly urge you to keep your pets away, keep your kids away until those test results are back from the EPA and we have a better understanding of any possible contamination downstream from the site,” Fleming said.

The EPA says they expect to begin receiving results this week.​