New Water Quality Efforts to Address Contamination from Landfills Outlined in Governor Hochul’s 2026 State of the State  

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is hosting a virtual meeting series about ongoing actions and efforts to protect, educate, and assist New York communities in addressing the ubiquitous threat of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The webinars will focus on the PFAS Rural Background Study, treatment of landfill leachate, wastewater treatment guidance, sampling of PFAS in biosolids, and drinking water policy.  

“Governor Kathy Hochul’s State of the State outlined a number of key priorities for protecting New York’s environment, including the development of new regulations to address PFAS contamination and protect New York communities,” DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton said. “Public input is critical to the success of the State’s ongoing progress, and we encourage New Yorkers to participate in upcoming opportunities to help guide these important efforts forward.”  

Governor Kathy Hochul’s 2026 State of the State directed DEC to develop draft regulations to instruct landfills to treat leachate for harmful contaminants at the source before discharge and provide funding for local governments to comply (more information is available on page 65 here). Development of regulations to treat landfill leachate at the source will better protect the environment, drinking water sources, and save taxpayers millions in future cleanup costs. DEC is drafting regulations that will instruct landfills to treat leachate for harmful contaminants at the source before discharge to wastewater treatment plants and will provide funding for local governments to comply. Information sessions specifically about the leachate initiative are scheduled for January 27 and February 11, 2026.  

In December, DEC issued a suite of significant new actions and helpful resources to protect, educate, and assist New York communities in addressing the ubiquitous threat of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination. This includes a new progress report detailing New York State’s leadership in addressing PFAS; released a new study detailing the widespread presence of PFAS on the landscape; finalized important wastewater treatment plant guidance that protects drinking water and other surface waters; proposed new policies directing DEC’s actions in PFAS investigations and sampling of biosolids products; and launched a new webpage – dec.ny.gov/pfas – that provides a one-stop resource about these and other initiatives and information about DEC’s multifaceted efforts to address PFAS. These topics and the leachate initiative will be addressed at the January 29 information session being held in cooperation with the State Department of Health.   

DEC is also hosting a virtual webinar on February 4 outlining the rulemaking process to draft a proposal regulating PFAS in recycled biosolids to determine the long-term management processes and standards related to biosolids-derived soil amendments.  

Details and registration for each meeting are below. 

Webinars on the Proposed Rulemaking for Regulating Treatment of Landfill Leachate  

• Meeting 1: Tuesday, January 27, 2026, 2:30 p.m. 

Register link: https://meetny-gov.webex.com/weblink/register/r75ed2c65eaa3f98037aefded9882e277 

• Meeting 2: Wednesday, February 11, 2026, 2 p.m. 

Register link: https://meetny-gov.webex.com/weblink/register/r738c493493f7d3679839ab0ba19c00da  

Additional details are available on DEC’s website: https://dec.ny.gov/regulatory/regulations/proposed-emergency-recently-adopted-regulations/materials-management-revisions/solid-waste-management

Virtual Public Information Session: A Decade of Progress on PFAS and Beyond 

• Thursday, January 29, 2026, 2 p.m. 

Register link: https://meetny-gov.webex.com/weblink/register/r20355ef90ac66aa2a2d2b2b275ee2e6a 

Additional information on the proposals to be discussed is available at www.dec.ny.gov/PFAS.

Webinar on PFAS in Biosolids: PFAS in Biosolids - NYS Regulatory Update Stakeholder Meeting 

• Wednesday, February 4, 2026, 1 p.m. 

Register link: https://meetny-gov.webex.com/weblink/register/rbc264c83f1a67d9016bec97d84821560 

Additional details are available on DEC’s website: https://dec.ny.gov/environmental-protection/recycling-composting/organic-materials-management/technologies/biosolids-management 

Accessibility for Virtual Meetings 

Language interpretation services shall be made available to persons with limited English proficiency, including American Sign Language, at no cost. Requests must be received 10 calendar days before the meeting, but DEC will make every effort to fulfill requests received closer to the hearing date. Requests can be directed to DEC’s Division of Communication, Education, and Engagement by mail (address: NYSDEC, 625 Broadway, Albany, New York 12233-4500), e-mail (language@dec.ny.gov), or phone (518) 402-8028.