Vermont Lawmakers Aim to Protect Lake Memphremagog from Landfill Waste

Bill would prohibit discharge of leachate from state's only landfill into international watershed

Published on Mar. 5, 2026

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Advocates in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom are supporting a bill that would prohibit the discharge of waste from the state's only landfill in Coventry into Lake Memphremagog, an international waterbody that touches both Vermont and the Canadian province of Quebec. The bill seeks to protect the lake from potential contamination of forever chemicals like PFAS that have been found in the landfill's leachate.

Why it matters

The Northeast Kingdom produces less than a tenth of Vermont's total waste but bears the burden of the state's only landfill, which locals say is contaminating their waterways. The bill aims to safeguard the lake, which is vital to the region's tourism-dependent economy. It highlights broader concerns about PFAS pollution and the unequal distribution of waste management impacts across the state.

The details

The Coventry landfill receives about 14,000 tons of waste per week, and Casella Waste Systems, the company that runs the landfill, has invested over $6 million in a system to pre-treat the leachate for PFAS. However, advocates argue this experimental technology is insufficient to fully protect the lake from contamination. The bill would ban the disposal of any leachate into the Lake Memphremagog watershed.

  • In 2021, a state report measured one PFAS chemical in the middle of Lake Memphremagog at 2.8 parts per trillion, about 70% of Vermont's safe drinking water level.
  • A 2020 U.S. Geological Survey report found that 30% of brown bullhead, a fish in Lake Memphremagog, were diseased with malignant melanoma, a tumor not found on the species in any other Vermont lake.

The players

Peggy Stevens

A member of a grassroots organization trying to protect the local community from potential landfill pollution.

Rep. Woodman Page

The Republican state representative from Newport City who sponsored the bill to protect Lake Memphremagog.

Rep. Larry Labor

The Republican state representative from Morgan who co-sponsored the bill with Page.

Casella Waste Systems

The company that runs the Coventry landfill and has invested over $6 million in a system to pre-treat the leachate for PFAS.

Julie Moore

The secretary of the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, which produced the 2021 report on PFAS levels in Lake Memphremagog.

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What they’re saying

“We're not trying to elevate our watershed above any other area within the state, but we are the only landfill in the state of Vermont that's operating and therefore we want to protect our lake.”

— Rep. Woodman Page, State Representative

“The (House Environment) committee members do not understand how dangerous PFAS are and how insufficient the experimental leachate treatment technology is that's being used right now.”

— Peggy Stevens, Member of DUMP

“We're seeing PFAS in the lake for the same reason 98% of adults in this country have PFAS in their blood. We have it everywhere.”

— Samuel Nicolai, Vice President of Engineering and Compliance, Casella Waste Systems

What’s next

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The takeaway

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