Floodplains Investigation
As part of the cleanup, the floodplains of the
Hudson River are also being evaluated for
the presence of PCBs. Since 2002, EPA and
GE have collected more than 2,000 soil
samples from the floodplain areas of the
Hudson. The results of the sampling will  be
used to supplement a comprehensive study
to determine if interim cleanup measures
are needed.
  Aerial photo of the Hudson River and its floodplain
                                              For More Information:
                                              Visit, call, or write to the Hudson River Field
                                              Office at the address below or log on to
                                              www.epa.gov/hudson
EPA Contact:
 Kris Skopeck, Public Affairs Specialist
 Hudson River Field Office
 421 Lower Main Street
 Hudson Falls, NY 12839
 (518) 747-4389 or (866) 615-6490 Toll-Free
 hrfo@roadrunner.com


The Field Office hours are Monday through
Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with evening
hours by appointment.
                                                   Cleaning  Up
                                                   Hudson  River
                                                   PCBs
                                               To ask a question or register a complaint
                                               during dredging, call General Electric's
                                               toll-free hotline: (888) 596-3655
                                                   002260.HR07.02.03-Cleaning up Hudson.cdr-8/5/09-GRA
                                                                                                                                    m
                                                                US Army Corps
                                                                of Engineersฎ

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Background
For 30 years, ending in the late 1970s, the
General Electric Company (GE) discharged as
much as 1.3 million pounds of polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs) into the Hudson River from its
capacitor manufacturing plants in Hudson Falls
and Fort Edward, New York.
    General Electric Hudson Falls Plant and Bakers Falls
In February 2002, the federal government
ordered GE to conduct targeted environmental
dredging of PCB-contaminated sediment in a
40-mile stretch of the Upper Hudson.
After many years of study, dredging has begun.
The ecological and economic benefits of
cleaning up the river will be enjoyed for
generations to come.

What are PCBs?
  •  PCBs were
    widely used as
    a fire preventive
    and insulator in
    the manufacture
    of transformers
    and capacitors.
  •  The chemical stability of PCBs, which made
    them valuable for industrial uses, also
    makes them hazardous to the environment.
Structure of Polychlorinated
Biphenyl (PCS) Molecule
                            The Decision to Dredge:
                            PCBs in the sediment are not safely buried.
                            River sediment is continually redistributed across
                            the bottom by erosion and river flows. This
                            movement exposes PCB-contaminated sediment,
                            making it available to fish.
                            PCBs degrade naturally over time, but the
                            process, called natural dechlorination, does not
                            make them harmless. EPA considers all PCBs,
                            regardless of their level of chlorination, to be
                            hazardous.

                            PCBs are harmful to people's health.
                            PCBs cause cancer in laboratory animals, are
                            considered a probable cause of cancer in
                            people, and can trigger reproductive and
                            immunological health affects and low birth
                            weight.

                            PCBs in the river sediment also affect fish
                            and wildlife.
Removal of PCB-contaminated sediments will
reduce PCB levels in fish, and result in a
reduction in the risk to people's health, wildlife,
and the environment.
                                                                   • must be returned lo the water
                                                               mmedtately, without unnecessary Injury
                                                               No baitfish or fish for bait are permittee
                                                                                                                        DO NOT POSSESS
                                                                                                                        REMOVE OR EAT FISH
                                                                                                                        FROM THIS WATER
                                                                                                        Eating fish from the Hudson can
                                                                                                        be dangerous.
                                                                                                        For more than 30 years, concerns about PCBs
                                                                                                        in Hudson River fish have prompted New York
                                                                                                        State to issue  health advisories that recommend
                                                                                                        limits on eating fish from the river.
                                                            Women of childbearing age and
                                                            children under 1 5 should not eat any
                                                            fish from the Hudson River.
                                                            Between Bakers Falls (in Hudson Falls)
                                                            and the Federal Dam in Troy,
                                                            catch and release fishing only.
                                                                                 To reduce your exposure to PCBs, follow state
                                                                                 fish  consumption advisories available at
                                                                                 www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/environ/
                                                                                 fish.htm
                                                                                 For  more information, call the NYS Dept. of
                                                                                 Health at 1-800-458-1158x27815.
                                                                                                              Dredging Project Information
                                                                                                                     y

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  reaging
tha   Kuidson
 Hudson   River
                                                                          River
                                                                                                Dredging Project Area Map
Dredging will occur in two phases in the Upper Hudson section of the river. Phase I (the first
year of dredging) began in  May 2009. Information and experience gained during the first
phase will be  used to determine if adjustments are  needed during  Phase II. Extensive
monitoring will be done during both phases to ensure that the dredging operations are safe
and that public health is protected at all times.

Dredging the entire 40-mile section of the river is estimated to take sixyears.
Sediment Removal,
Processing, and  Disposal
Mechanical dredges are being used to remove
PCB-contaminated sediment from the river
bottom. Dredges mounted on deck barges use
clamshell buckets to place dredged sediment
into barges. Tugboats then push the filled
barges to a dewatering and sediment-
processing facility located on the Champlain
Canal in Fort Edward, NY. Once there, the
sediment is off-loaded and debris is removed.
The sediment is then processed and the water is
extracted. The water is treated  on-site before
being returned to the Champlain Canal. The
remaining sediment, called "filter cake," is
loaded onto railcars for transport to a secure,
PCB-approved landfill in Andrews, Texas.
                           This is what dredge
                           operators see and what
                           allows them to identify
                           where to dig. The depth
                           and locations are
                           determined by satellites.
                           The computer software
                           being used is specific to
                           the Hudson River
                           dredging project.
                                           Fast Facts
                                            • Dredge areas were identified
                                              using the results of a multi-
                                              year sediment sampling
                                              program conducted by GE
                                              that began in 2002 and
                                              generated more than 50,000
                                              sediment samples taken from
                                              the bottom of the Upper
                                              Hudson River.

                                            • Dredging occurs 24 hours a
                                              day, six days a week, when
                                              the Champlain Canal is open
                                              (May to November).

                                            • Up to 11  dredges can operate
                                              in the river at one time.

                                            • In total, about 490 acres of
                                              the Upper Hudson River will
                                              be dredged, removing
                                              1,795,000 cubic yards of
                                              sediments that contain
                                              approximately 113,000 kg
                                              of PCBs.
                                                                         Hudson River PCBs
                                                                         Superfund Site Map
                                               The Hudson River PCBs Site
                                               encompasses a nearly 200-mile stretch
                                               of the Hudson River in eastern NY from
                                               Hudson Falls, NY to the Battery in NYC.
                                                                          Glint Fi

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                                                                 COUNTY
                                                                                                        Forjner Fort
                                                                                                        Edward Dam

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                                                                                                                         I Canal

                                                                                                                      Dewaterlng Facility
                                                                                                                            Upper
                                                                                                                            Hudson River
                                                                                                                         Moses Kill
   Thorn p son I si ai

     Fort Miller Dam
                                                                    Northumberland Dam
                                                                       Schuylerville (far-field station) I
                                                                                Fish Creek .
                                                                 Saratoga Springs
                                                                     SARATOGA
                                                                      COUNTY
                                                                                        -Thompson Island (far-field station)
                                                                                        — Look 6
                                                                            • Waterford
                                                                             (far-field station)
                                                                 Tc
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                                                                (far-fi
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                          Phase 1 Dredging Area
                          Phase 2 Dredging Area
                          Water Monitoring
                          Location
D Miles
                                                                                                Dredging will occur in the upper 40-mile section of the Superfund
                                                                                                Site, from Fort Edward, NY, south to the Federal Dam in Troy.
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erormance
Engineering  Performance Standards
                             Strict Engineering
                             Performance
                             Standards have
                             been developed
                             to minimize
                             resuspension  of
                             PCBs during
                             dredging. The
                             resuspension
                             standard created
for the project was specifically designed to:

  • Protect drinking water intakes downriver of
   the dredging operations, and
  • Limit the downriver transport of
   PCB-contaminated dredged material.

The Resuspension Standard
The performance standard for dredging sets a
resuspension level  of 500 parts per trillion (ppt) total
PCBs- the EPA drinking water standard under the
Safe Drinking Water Act.
                                               In-River Water Monitoring
                                               An extensive water quality
                                               monitoring program is in
                                               place at upstream, near-
                                               field, and far-field stations.
                                               Near-field monitoring:
                                               100 meters downstream               ^_^_
                                               of dredging.
                                               Far-field monitoring: Permanent stations placed
                                               greater than 1 mile downstream of the dredging.
                                               (See map for far-field monitoring locations)

                                               Water Quality Protection
                                               EPA  is committed to making sure that the project is
                                               completed in a way that is protective of human
                                               health and the environment.

                                                • EPA is  providing  an alternate water supply to
                                                  the towns who draw their water from the river

                                                • Automated water sampling collects
                                                  continuous information
                                                • If the water quality standard for PCBs is
                                                  exceeded, dredging will be stopped and
                                                  monitoring will continue
                                                                   Project Safety
                                                                   The Phase 1 Remedial Action Community Health
                                                                   and Safety Plan (CHASP) addresses potential
                                                                   health and safety issues for the public associated
                                                                   with the dredging project.

                                                                   Components of the  Plan:
                                                                     • Identifies potential hazards to the community
                                                                      during work in-river, on-shore, and at the
                                                                      processing facility
                                                                     • Discusses the control of potential hazards
                                                                     • Outlines the measures that are being taken
                                                                      to protect drinking water supplies
                                                                     • Includes emergency response plans for
                                                                      spills/releases/accidents
                                                                     • Discusses the community notification process
                                                                     • Identifies project safety personnel &
                                                                      emergency contacts
                                                                     • Outlines the complaint-resolution process

                                                                   For the CHASP and other project-related
                                                                   documents go to: www.epa.gov/hudson
 Quality of Life
 Performance Standards
 EPA wants to minimize the impacts of the Hudson
 River cleanup on local communities. In response to
 public concerns, Quality of Life Performance
 Standards have been developed for:
    Air quality
    Noise
    Odor
               Lighting
               Navigation
 For more information about the performance
 standards and to view monitoring data during
 dredging go to www.hudsondredgingdata.com

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