Finger Lakes Times, David L. Shaw, 3.11.26
SENECA FALLS — Waterloo Container is almost directly across Route 414 from the Seneca Meadows Inc. landfill. For years, employees at the business that specializes in wine bottle distribution have complained about the odors in the area.
Company spokesman Mark C. Pitifer has spoken about landfill odors and other issues at almost every monthly Town Board meeting for several years.
In a letter written to the Town Board ahead of its March 3 meeting, Pitifer continued to criticize the odor and emissions.
“Any assertion that odor conditions have meaningfully improved is inconsistent with both documented monitoring data and established scientific evidence regarding landfill gas exposure,” Pitifer’s letter said. “Today alone, our readings put us above the odor monitoring and irritant-causing threshold as outlined by multiple government agencies on hydrogen sulfides.”
Pitifer said Waterloo Container has installed Acrulog hydrogen sulfide monitors, wind monitors, and PurpleAir particulate monitoring equipment. According to Pitifer, that equipment is comparable to what is used by the landfill and, in some cases, the same. The monitoring infrastructure was purchased for more than $30,000 in order to obtain objective environmental data.
Pitifer wrote that hydrogen sulfide is recognized as a toxic air contaminant by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. He said even low-level exposure can cause eye, nose and throat irritation, headaches, nausea, dizziness, fatigue, and acceleration of asthma and other respiratory conditions.
“The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment has established a chronic reference exposure level of 8 parts per billion specifically to protect against long term health effects,” Pitifer wrote. “Our documented indoor readings exceed that health protective threshold.”
He said the company has documented repeated employee complaints consistent with hydrogen sulfide exposure, including headaches, throat irritation, nausea and fatigue.
“Workplace productivity has been disrupted. Employees have become ill. Other businesses in Seneca Falls employing hundreds of individuals are similarly affected,” Pitifer said. “Persistent odor exposure is not simply a nuisance, it is a measurable environmental health issue.”
Pitifer claimed that although odor complaint frequency has declined in recent months, “ … this should not be misinterpreted as improvement. Residents and businesses have experienced complaint fatigue after repeated reporting produced no visible corrective action. When odor events are reported, landfill representatives frequent response documents ‘no odor detected’ and submit reports accordingly, without meaningful investigation, results or transparent corrective measures shared with the public.”
He said company officials have met with senior ranking members of state and federal governments, their agencies, health departments, EPA personnel, and the Bureau of Toxic Substance Administration. “Although they are aware of the issues and are reviewing the valley infill expansion request by SMI, it is still the town’s responsibility to enforce their own codes and protect their residents, no having an epiphany that odors are getting better. Approving continued or expanded operations without clear evidence of effective odor control puts public health, economic stability, tourism, workforce retention and long term regional visibility at risk. If current operations cannot consistently control emissions, expansion will predictably increase landfill gas generation and associated impacts.”
The company asked the Town Board to:
- Implement safety measures to protect residents.
- Establish clear, measurable odor control benchmarks on World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and New York State Health Department guidelines.
- Enforce consequences when violations occur.
“This is no longer a matter of inconvenience. It is a matter of public heath protection and municipal accountability,” Pitifer wrote.
Asked to respond to Pitifer’s letter, SMI District Manager Kyle Black issued the following statement: “Seneca Meadows continues to meet and exceed all NYSDEC and EPA regulatory parameters that guide our essential team’s diligent work protecting our community’s air and water resources. This data is delivered to the NYSDEC and Town of Seneca Falls monthly/quarterly.”