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Residents urge board to reject Seneca Meadows permit expansion, cite air and water concerns
Summary
Multiple residents during public comment urged the town not to approve a 2025 permit or host agreement for Seneca Meadows, citing alleged emissions, PFAS/PFOA detections, large leachate volumes, and health concerns; one resident offered supporting studies to the board.
Several residents used the public‑comment period at the Feb. 4 meeting to press the town to oppose a 2025 permit and host‑agreement steps for Seneca Meadows (SMI).
Jean Gilroy (Gravel Road) presented detailed allegations about the landfill’s emissions and leachate. She read permit application figures she said show nearly 1,000,000 lbs of carbon monoxide, 11,903 lbs of hydrogen chloride, more than 127 lbs of volatile organic compounds and 29,000 lbs of PM2.5, and said SMI records list many additional chemicals. She also cited PFOA testing for Black Brook at 9.6 parts per trillion and described 2024 leachate volumes that she said were only partially treated and widely distributed. “I urge this board not to issue the 2025 permit and to postpone voting of the host agreement,” Gilroy said, and offered to make the studies she referenced available to the board.
Board members thanked speakers and did not record a formal vote on the permit or host agreement at the meeting. Several residents emphasized that previous public meetings drew strong turnout opposing expansion and asked the town to withhold signals that it supports the host agreement while state permitting is pending. The record at this meeting documents strong community opposition and requests for the board to consider environmental and public‑health concerns when communicating with state agencies.
