PROJECT OVERVIEW

The Dummer Yard Repurposing Project proposes to turn an environmental liability into a well-managed soil disposal facility that improves public health, generates revenue for the city of Berlin and creates good-paying jobs.

Dummer Yard Is an Environmental and Public Health Hazard:

  • Served as the paper mill’s waste dump for 100 years, well before environmental safeguards were established
  • Contains sludge, bark boiler ash, lime mud, wood wastes, other papermaking chemicals, and likely petroleum and asbestos containing materials
  • Solid waste was observed – drums, tires, automotive parts, white good construction debris, scrap metal, household refuse, etc.
  • Creates millions of gallons of toxic leachate annually, endangering people and wildlife
  • Functionality of the existing leachate management and groundwater monitoring systems are unknown

Dummer Yard leachate, l-r; a toxic stream at the base, a pool of water on the surface, seeping down a hill.

Dummer Yard is Costing Berlin

  • Wastewater plant treats 4 million gallons of leachate annually without compensation
  • Volume of leachate stresses system, creating need for capital improvements
  • Leachate “seeps” uncontrolled toward neighborhoods and the Androscoggin River
  • More than $100k in back property taxes are owed, and site is off the tax rolls

Berlin treats Dummer leachate without any fees to compensate for the cost.

It Will Cost $20-30 Million to Fix Dummer Yard

  • The landfill was abandoned in 2002, and no one is claiming ownership of the problems
  • A fund established to maintain the site is exhausted
  • There are no plans or funds at the local or state level to fix the problems.

A New Soil Disposal Facility

Photo Part 2
Shown above is an example soil disposal facility operated by W.L. French.
  • A new Soil Disposal Facility will accept non-hazardous, impacted soil from development sites
  • Expected to generate up to $10 million in tipping fees to Berlin over the facility’s lifetime, or about $1 million annually
  • The soil and contaminants do not produce any odors
  • Airborne dust will be mitigated by the use of soil stabilizer, air monitoring, a suspension of dumping during elevated winds, and trucks passing through tracking pads and wheel wash stations to prevent materials from leaving the property
  • Any asbestos impacted soils will be double-lined, wrapped and sealed before being placed on trucks for delivery
  • Each load will be tracked and monitored with material shipping records
  • Provides a cost-effective disposal option for regional builders and contractors
  • Supports housing affordability by lowering disposal costs for homebuilders
  • Facility will meet all NH DES and City of Berlin design, permitting, and operational standards

Once complete, the project is estimated to generate up to $10 million in tipping fees over the life of the facility and will contribute significantly to Berlin’s municipal tax base. The project will also support good-paying jobs in Berlin.

Non-hazardous, impacted soil is fill that contains low levels of contaminants. Our proposed soil disposal facility will be sited, designed, permitted and operated under NH Department of Environmental Services and city of Berlin rules and regulations.

City Council Presentation

To view the presentation shared with the Berlin City Council on July 7, 2025, click here.

Photo Credits:
Bridge/Falls photo attribution: Mark R. Ducharme, Attribution, via Wikimedia Commons
Downtown Attribution: Jon Platek, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons