A coal-ash landfill in Tompkins County is contaminating Cayuga Lake, according to a new report [1] by three national environmental organizations.

Cayuga Lake is one of the Finger Lakes.Environmental Integrity Project [2], Earthjustice [3] and Sierra Club [4] concluded that toxic chemicals such as arsenic, cadmium and selenium are leaching into the lake from the AES [5] Cayuga plant. The facility burns coal to make energy.

The Syracuse Post-Standard [6] reports that the groups based their conclusions largely on state Department of Environmental Conservation [7] data, although DEC raised some concerns about the report's data quality. 

The report says the chemicals present a danger to public health. It notes the presence of homes and farms near the AES Ash Disposal Facility many within a half-mile of the landfill site. Many of those homes draw water from wells, and nearby homes have drinking water wells drilled 60 to 125 feet deep.