Superfund Site's Playbook: Study, Delay, Repeat

The Coakley Landfill, situated on the border of Greenland and North Hampton, continues to be a source of significant environmental concern due to PFAS, or 'forever chemicals,' detected in monitoring wells, private water wells, and surface water. This site operated from 1972 to 1985, accepting various waste types, including incinerator residue.

Despite a 1991 consent decree mandating a pump-and-treat system, it was never installed. By 2018, the Coakley Landfill Group (CLG) reported spending approximately $27 million without proper recordkeeping, a figure contradicted by an independent audit. In 2018, a court mandated CLG to comply with public records laws and hold open meetings, a significant victory for community transparency.

Recent EPA evaluations in December 2024 identified unacceptable risks from surface water exposure along Berry's Brook, a concern previously highlighted by resident-posted warning signs. Further USGS investigations reveal contamination migrating toward rivers, yet deep plume characterization toward private wells remains incomplete. Air emissions have also not been investigated.

Residents are encouraged to actively participate in oversight by tracking CLG meetings and spending, and by submitting comments to the EPA's Five-Year Review. Public scrutiny is considered crucial to ensure that recent grant funds translate into actual remediation, rather than further legal fees or studies. Past actions suggest a pattern of delay, study, and repeated spending without resolution.

Concerns over pediatric cancer rates on the Seacoast, first reported in 2014 and confirmed by DHHS in 2016, remain a critical driver for heightened vigilance at the Coakley site. The article emphasizes that every dollar spent and every public comment period are vital to prevent increased community disease downstream from inadequate cleanup efforts.