by Bill Koebbeman
For 30 years, beginning in the 1940s, General Electric (GE) released more than one million pounds of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) into the Hudson River. During the next 30 years, while activists pushed for a cleanup, GE resisted.
In March of 2009, after years of study, analysis and controversy, GE and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began the Hudson River Dredging Project.
Based on a consent decree, the EPA would direct the dredging project while GE conducted and paid for its engineering, construction and operations.
During phase one of the dredging, nearly 300,000 cubic yards of PCB-contaminated sediment and debris were removed from the riverbed—enough to fill 891 train cars.
Following phase one, completed in November, 2009, GE had the choice to opt out of phase two; however, EPA could still require GE to pay for the phase two work.
During 2010, a peer review panel of dredging experts reviewed the results of phase one and made recommendation for phase two.
Negotiations with GE
Following the panel’s report, GE and the EPA went into a period of intense negotiations over the engineering performance standards (EPS) for phase two. EPA sought the cleanest river possible, with the absolute minimum release down river, all completed within six years. GE, while committed to the project, was looking for standards that were practical technically and economically. GE spent $1 billion dollars on phase one and will spend another billion to complete the project.
Each side had its leverage. GE would rather control the project and its cost but could opt out. EPA wanted the technical and financial muscle of GE on the job. In the end, there was a compromise that should serve the river’s environment well.
Capping in phase two
Capping was one area of compromise. When dredging is completed in a specific area, and the residual still exceeds the EPS, the area can be capped or “sealed” with clean material.
In phase one, about 37 percent of the dredged area was capped. Under the new standards, the total area capped will be 21 percent; this includes areas where capping is unavoidable such as bridge abutments and rocky ledges. Even with these capping standards, 95 percent of the identified PCBs will be removed from the river. The amount of PCBs to be dredged has been identified by an extensive program where thousands of drill cores were taken from the river bottom and analyzed for PCB concentrations.
Phase one of the project removed about 10 percent of the total PCBs to be dredged, leaving 90 percent for phase two, which has a footprint of approximately 440 acres.
Concerned groups and individuals generally agree that the new standards and the EPA/GE agreement to move on to phase two is a very positive development for the Hudson River ecosystem.
Bill Koebbeman is a member of the Hudson-Mohawk Group and a representative on the Community Advisory Group for the Hudson River PCB Dredging Project.