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Science Matters! This excellent panel discussion was held June 10th. If you missed it, or want to hear it again, here is a link to the recording!  Watch the Recording Here In response to concerns about Lake Memphremagog's water quality, elected officials for the municipalities surrounding the lake in Quebec and Vermont have signed on to a Joint Statement calling for the prohibition of the discharge of landfill leachate, treated or not, anywhere in the Lake Memphremagog watershed. Vermont bill H. 652 calls for the same prohibition to be passed by the Vermont legislature. To have a full understanding of the health of the lake and how best to protect it, a panel of environmental scientists, experts in chemistry and toxicology, discussed the evidence and shared their assessment of how to ensure a safer future for all who depend on our lake for clean water.

NEWSVT, Owners and Operators of the Landfill in Coventry, are appealing the Judge's Decision to the Vermont Supreme Court! We are fighting the battle in court, again. Read Judge Walsh's Decision on Motions and Judgment Order . Judge Thomas Walsh, of Vermont’s Environmental Court, handed down a decision on Tuesday January 27th, affirming a Jurisdictional Opinion (JO) issued by the Act 250 District #7 Environmental Commission Coordinator on January 25, 2025 (Case No. 25-ENV-00012). Vermont’s Land Use Review Board defended the Jurisdictional Opinion. Don’t Undermine Memphremagog’s Purity, Inc. (DUMP) the grassroots environmental organization dedicated to protecting water quality in Lake Memphremagog, had requested a Jurisdictional Opinion, and the Act 250 District #7 Commission Coordinator agreed, that the NEWSVT leachate pretreatment system, in place on the Coventry landfill, would require an amended permit “ in the event that NEWSVT sought to convert the current experimental leachate pretreatment system from a pilot program to permanent installation at NEWSVT's facility.” New England Waste Systems, Inc. (NEWSVT) then appealed the Jurisdictional Opinion to the Environmental Court. NEWSVT is a subsidiary of Casella Waste Systems, Inc. DUMP stood by its claim that amended permit would be required for a leachate pretreatment facility, since it is a major change in operations onsite. In his decision, Judge Walsh stated, “the Court concludes NEWSVT requires an Act 250 permit amendment to convert the pilot pretreatment system to a permanent installation.” The leachate pretreatment system, SAFF, which partially removes hazardous and toxic PFAS chemicals from landfill leachate, has actually been fully operational since September 2023, but the “pilot” is not scheduled to begin until Quarter 2 of 2026, according to a NEWSVT spokesperson at a recent landfill oversight meeting. Currently, the leachate pretreatment system is required to be staffed 24/7, and no leachate is permitted to be imported for pretreatment. Once the pilot concludes, after 180 days, there is no certainty those requirements would remain in place. DUMP asserts that the current SAFF technology does not meet the highest standards for PFAS removal, and poses continued threat to the environment. Effluent discharged from the system still contains significant amounts of “forever” PFAS, proven to cause significant negative health effects in people and animals exposed to contaminated water and food. In response to Judge Walsh’s decision, DUMP co-founder and Board Chair, Chris Jacobs, said "DUMP welcomes the decision of the Environmental Court affirming that the leachate pretreatment system will be subject to review under Act 250. That will force NEWSVT to make its case before the District 7 Environmental Commission. The people of the Northeast Kingdom will finally have an opportunity for real public participation, to identify the long-range negative impacts on the Lake Memphremagog watershed. The operation of the SAFF system- even as a pilot- is a threat to the health and safety of the environment, people and wildlife. The conversion of a pilot to a permanent leachate pretreatment system will increase the environmental burden that the operation of the state's only landfill currently represents to the quality of life of residents and the affected ecosystems."

New Bill Introduced to Protect Lake Memphremagog is Supported by Quebec and Vermont Municipalities Representatives Woodman Page and Larry Labor have submitted this bill , H.652 , for consideration by the Vermont legislature. The purpose of the bill is to prohibit landfill leachate, treated or not, from being discharged anywhere in the Lake Memphremagog watershed. This is DUMP's number one goal, shared with our Canadian partners, Memphremagog Conservation (MCI). Protecting the lake from further chemical contamination, including PFAS, is essential for the environment, people, and economies of the surrounding communities. Most importantly, the Lake is a drinking water reservoir for 175,000 Quebec neighbors. The Quebec municipalities of Austin, Magog, Ogden, Orford, Potton, Sherbrooke and Stanstead have all signed resolutions in support of the ban on leachate disposal in Lake Memphremagog. The Standstead Resolution is planned for discussion at the next Newport City Council meeting on April 20th. Remember that approximately one million gallons of leachate are collected from the landfill every month! Prior to the moratorium in 2019, 15,000 gallons a day was permitted for discharge at the Newport Wastewater Treatment facility. Let's do all we can to prevent further discharge of any leachate, treated or untreated, into the Memphremagog Watershed.

Everything Except Transparent

Henry Coe and DUMP honored with prestigious Gordon-Kohl award.

Enough of kicking the (trash) can down the road

NEWSVT requests Solid Waste Certification Amendment for Leachate Treatment System

Protecting the health and safety of our environment, public, wildlife and economy must be our legislative priority.

A SAFF Violation Press Release