At Coakley Landfill Site, Government Assurances Meet Public Fear
A sign next to this section of Berry’s Brook, at the edge of the Coakley Landfill Superfund site, warns the water is contaminated with high levels of PFAS. Photo by Annie Ropeik for NHPR
The Coakley Landfill on New Hampshire’s Seacoast is back in the headlines, more than 30 years after it became a Superfund site.
Neighbors are again worried the site could be poisoning their drinking water, after a rash of childhood cancer cases nearby and the discovery of dangerously high levels of PFAS chemicals at the landfill.
That’s despite local officials’ promises that the landfill is safe, under control and not a threat to nearby residents. In fact, they say the landfill is mostly just misunderstood.