Work at Flint Park remains paused as Larchmont seeks state direction on how to address buried landfill material and protect the site. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has referred the matter to its Office of General Counsel for formal enforcement, according to Talk of the Sound. The Village could face penalties of up to $37,500 per day for each construction stormwater permit violation; the outlet reported that no fines had been assessed.
Investigation and site protections remain ahead
DEC has directed the Village to submit a landfill reclamation registration application and a feasibility-study work plan. The work is intended to determine the extent of the buried material and what measures are needed to protect health and the environment, the outlet reported. As of October 16, the project remained on hold. Before approving a new use of the affected area, DEC also required safeguards against exposure to waste, dust, odors and runoff, further investigation, and plans to restore protective cover.
The pause has not resolved DEC’s concerns about conditions at the site. After crews stopped work on August 19, the agency found that required soil-stabilization measures had not been installed under the construction stormwater permit. DEC directed Larchmont to apply mulch or another temporary measure to limit dust and contaminated runoff, then issued a Notice of Violation the following day. The agency later required a professionally certified plan to replace landfill cover removed without approval, according to Talk of the Sound.
DEC’s review also identified concerns with the proposed design and the information available to guide future work. In September, the agency questioned a drainage plan that appeared to direct stormwater into buried landfill material and said it could not approve that approach. Regulators also found the preconstruction investigation too limited to inform decisions about future use; it included only three deeper test pits, the outlet reported.
Earlier soil testing recorded contaminants
A Tim Miller Associates investigation collected soil samples at Flint Park on January 13, before construction began. The consultant’s March 2 report covered 18 samples and three deeper test pits. One sample contained lead at 898 parts per million, above New York’s restricted-residential cleanup objective of 400 parts per million. Semi-volatile organic compounds were detected in all 18 samples, and 13 exceeded state unrestricted-use objectives for at least two such compounds. The consultant recommended sending excavated soil to facilities licensed to receive it, according to Talk of the Sound.
The Village has characterized the discovery as limited to an area exposed during stormwater manhole work. It said preconstruction testing indicated ordinary urban fill and did not identify signs of waste. The Village also said the affected issues had been contained and that it intended to resume construction after receiving state direction, as reported by Talk of the Sound.
In an October 25 update, the Village said it had retained specialized legal counsel, was seeking an environmental engineering firm and was working with DEC on mitigation, remediation and monitoring. It said the affected area had been marked to keep the public out. The newsletter did not provide an expected remediation cost or an update on the enforcement referral, the outlet reported.
Enforcement policy allows several responses
DEC’s solid-waste enforcement policy lists penalties and measures such as permit suspension, permit revocation and construction bans among possible enforcement tools. It also says that, in many cases, the agency need not demonstrate environmental harm to pursue enforcement. The policy is available from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
A separate landfill park offers a monitoring example
New York City opened the North Park section of Freshkills Park in Staten Island on October 15, 2023—the first public section of the former Fresh Kills Landfill site, according to the NYC Mayor’s Office. A master-plan document from the New York City Department of City Planning describes continued water and air monitoring during the required post-closure maintenance period after public access begins. Freshkills is a separate project; the documents describe New York City’s approach there, not a plan for Flint Park.
