International Summit held by DUMP
On January 13th DUMP hosted a summit with legislators from the State of Vermont and from Quebec, Canada, to discuss concerns about the landfill in Coventry. View the data summary presentation Data Summary for Summit January 13, 2020
Read the Result of our Mediation with the management of the Landfill – we were able to put a moratorium on the receipt of landfill leachage by the Newport Wastewater Treatment facility.
Read the result of our recent Mediation with the landfill representatives in this joint press release.
While we are comforted that the processed toxic leachate will no longer flow into Lake Memphremagog (for now), we are concerned about other bodies of water that are affected. Help us convince the State of Vermont to find a better way to handle trash.
The landfill is adversely affecting our beautiful Northeast Kingdom, and both the Department of Environmental Conservation and the Agency of Natural Resources signed a permit to EXPAND the landfill.
Click to read DUMP’s ACT250 Testimony
Click to read DUMP’s Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law
This is a Statewide Issue for Vermont.
Currently there is only one landfill in the state of Vermont to handle the trash of every resident, and the state has no long term plan to deal with their waste. The landfill is located in the beautiful Northeast Kingdom, situated between wetlands and abutting the Black River, which flows into Lake Memphremagog. Monster trash-carrying trucks drive over the lovely roadways every day to deposit their loads on the ever growing mountain of trash in Coventry. The offensive odors from this landfill spread with the wind.To make matters worse, a leak in an unlined area of the landfill was recently discovered and the water in a testing well contains toxic chemicals (PFAS) that are way above the “safe” levels. This is not just a Northeast Kingdom problem; the landfill impact is statewide. The leachate from this landfill, containing almost six times the safety standard of PFAS toxins, is going to Montpelier, North Burlington, Barre, Essex, Concord, NH and Plattsburgh, NY. After being treated in wastewater treatment plants, which do NOT remove the PFAS, it is dumped into local waterways still containing the PFAS. Lake Champlain is being polluted by this landfill’s leachate.
It is inconceivable that the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources approved a permit to INCREASE the size of this landfill after releasing the data on PFAS toxins in the leachate, and knowing the issues that have developed in Bennington.
Please join us in the fight to close the landfill and find a better solution!