Landfills produce toxic liquid called leachate that can contaminate groundwater. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says that no liner system is permanent. It will ultimately fail. It may be leaking now.

Contaminants may migrate into our drinking water. There are thousands of chemicals in the Southbridge Landfill; testing is only done for a fraction of the chemicals that may pose a threat to human health.

“The landfill will have to the potential to become a major source of volatile organic compounds  approximately three years after the project change is implemented.” (Supplemental Environmental Impact Report by Casella to the EOEA, p.23)

Moisture seeps through the trash, picking up a myriad of chemicals from the decomposing material; this leachate is collected under the plastic liner with pipes. Thousands of gallons of this stinky hazardous soup is currently trucked out of the landfill per day. With miles of seams in the liner, leachate outbreaks are inevitable. This liquid can then drain into a nearby aquifer.