Petersburgh board reviews soil testing after contaminated material found

The Petersburgh Town Board discussed testing and possible reuse of material recently received by the town, saying samples will determine whether contaminant levels fall below the threshold that would allow the soil to be used as fill. Chair said some material had previously been placed in the landfill and that testing of that material has already been completed.

A resident and officials acknowledged contamination was discovered. “We just found out that it's contaminated,” a resident said, and town officials subsequently described steps to address the problem. An agency official said there is a proposed response to "cap it off and deal with the problem," and board members discussed using an escrow agent to ensure remediation funds are preserved for the work. The chair said the town is not ignoring the issue and emphasized the need for testing to guide whether material can be reused.