Description:
The Salina Town Landfill was a municipally operated landfill located off of NYS Route 11, just south of the NYS Thruway(Figure 1). It is an un-lined landfill established in a flood-prone wetland next to Ley Creek. From the 1950s to the 1970s, it received domestic, commercial and industrial wastes. There is documented disposal of hazardous waste from the General Motors Fisher Guide Division. These wastes included 640 tons of paint sludge and 22 tons of waste paint thinner and reducer. PCB waste mixed with General Motor’s general plant refuse was also disposed of at the landfill, but the quantity is unknown. The Town of Salina officially stopped accepting refuse at the landfill in 1975, but some wastes were brought in after that time. Closure with a soil cover did not occur until late in 1982. Currently the property is mostly covered with tall grass, reeds, and small trees.
Ley Creek, a major tributary of Onondaga Lake, formerly flowed along the eastern and southern edges of the landfill. However, in the 1970s, the Army Corps of Engineers rerouted the creek through the southeast corner of the landfill, thereby creating an isolated waste deposit (south section of landfill) and backwater area (Old Ley Creek channel). Sediments in much of Ley Creek are contaminated with PCBs. The active channel downstream of Route 11 (“Lower Ley Creek”) is a newly designated Superfund sub-site.
Documents:
Responsive Summary
Salina Landfill Summary
Record of Decision