KINGSBURY, N.Y. (NEWS10) – On Wednesday, the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced “No further action needed” on a state superfund site in Kingsbury. The Kingsbury Landfill was declared all clear, decades after its involvement in a cleanup effort targeting pollution left behind by the General Electric Co. in 1985.

Last month, the DEC held a public comment period, as well as a public meeting to present a proposed plan for the site, located near the intersection of Burgoyne Avenue and Pine Street in the town of Kingsbury. All of those factors came together to form the Record of Decision released on Wednesday.

“No Further Action with Site Management based on the results of the investigation at the site and actions that have already been implemented,” the DEC wrote in a decision summary. The measures referenced include the capping of the landfill in 1989; the implementation of a leachate collection and treatment system to protect the cap’s integrity; and most recently, the installation of an 8-inch drain to decrease water volume entering the landfill in 2022.

By the time it was closed in 1985, the Kingsbury Landfill contained an estimated 1,900 tons of hazardous waste disposed of by the General Electric Company. Contaminants of concern included polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and metals found in groundwater and soil around the site.

Those contaminants were first found during sampling in the 1970s, after an adjacent landowner made a complaint and took legal action when leaching contaminants were found in a water body on their property. In 1980, General Electric agreed to participate in a cleanup agreement with the state that included the Kingsbury Landfill among seven other similarly-afflicted landfills in Rensselaer, Washington and Saratoga counties.

Although no further action is considered a requirement on the site itself, some measures will be taken to ensure continued safety into the future. The DEC plans to use green remediation techniques to keep greenhouse gas emissions and waste output low. A new site management plan will be implemented to monitor and report any remaining contamination, and an environmental easement will be sought in order to control what happens to the 9.8-acre site in the future.