Ortt Secures State Funding for Wheatfield Landfill Fence

TOWN OF WHEATFIELD – Senator Rob Ortt (R,C,I – North Tonawanda) today announced he has secured $75,000 in state funds that will go toward constructing a fence around the site of an inactive landfill in the Town of Wheatfield. This comes two months after the state Department of Environmental Conservation decided to add the landfill to the federal Superfund List of contaminated sites, which means it poses a significant threat to residents. The site, located on Nash Road, is considered to still contain toxic waste even after the removal of Love Canal’s toxic chemicals. 

“Decades ago, the State DEC recommended restricting access to this site - and that was before they recently reclassified it as posing more of a danger to the public,” said Senator Ortt. “The bottom line is that this is a no brainer, and I'm pleased that Supervisor Cliffe is stepping up to protect the public. Fencing this area off will help seal off any potential danger to our community while health and environmental officials conduct an investigation.”

Wheatfield Town Supervisor Bob Cliffe said, “The grant will help offset the cost of this vital project, and will provide greater safety to community members. When the condition of this landfill came to Senator Ortt’s attention, he didn’t wait to discuss the problem; he immediately went out and found a major part of the solution. It’s now up to the Town of Wheatfield to get the fencing completed.”

The $75,000 in capital funding will go toward a portion of the estimated cost to fence off the landfill. Once completed, the fence will make the area safer by restricting public access, and protect the community from contaminants in the soil.