Introduction
This fact sheet provides an overview of the
results and recommendations of the Engineering
Evaluation/Cost Analysis (EE/CA). The EE/CA
was performed to evaluate the potential removal
actions for the Upper Reach of the Housatonic
River from Lyman Street in Pittsfield, MA, to the
confluence of the East and West Branches of the
Housatonic River. This 1.5-mile stretch of river,
referred to as the EE/CA Reach, is immediately
downstream of the General Electric (GE)
manufacturing facility in Pittsfield. EPA seeks
public comment on this EE/CA and its
supporting Administrative Record File.
Current Engineering Evaluation
and Cost Analysis
Upper Reach of the Housatonic River
Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis
Fact Sheet
General Electric Housatonic River Project
Pittsfield, Massachusetts
July 2000
alternatives using the criteria of effectiveness,
implementability, and cost. Through the EE/CA
process, EPA evaluates alternatives for mitigating
the human health and environmental threats
posed by the presence of polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs) and other hazardous
substances in river sediments and banks of the
EE/CA Reach.
The EE/CA presents the following information:
¦ A site description including summaries of
previous studies.
¦ Identification of the removal action and habitat
restoration objectives for the EE/CA Reach.
¦ Identification of removal action costs.
¦ Comparative analysis of alternatives.
An EE/CA is an evaluation involving a
comparison of potential removal action
EPA Invites Public Comment
EPA invites public comment upon EPA's recommendations and upon the alternatives evaluated in the
EE/CA. EPA will select a final removal action after considering public comments in a document called
an Action Memorandum. EPA will hold a 31-day public comment period, from July 17, 2000,
through August 16, 2000, to provide an opportunity for the public to participate in the selection of
the 1.5-Mile Reach cleanup plan. During the comment period, the public is invited to review the
EE/CA and its supporting Administrative Record File, which are available at the Information
Repositories listed below, and to offer written or verbal comments. Pursuant to 40 CFR
§300.415(n)(4)(iii), upon timely receipt of a request sent to EPA, within 2 weeks of the initiation of the
comment period, the comment period will be extended by a minimum of 15 additional days.
EPA and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection will conduct a public
informational meeting at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, July 25, 2000, to summarize the results of the
EE/CA, to update the community on the investigation progress, and to answer questions about the
investigations and findings. EPA will conduct a public hearing at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 15,
2000, to accept formal verbal comments on the preferred alternative as presented in the EPA fact
sheet. Both events will be held at the Berkshire Athenaeum Public Library Auditorium, 1 Wendell
Avenue, in Pittsfield. A public informational meeting will be held in Connecticut at the Kent Town Hall
in Kent on Tuesday, August 8, 2000, at 7:00 p.m.
The hearing will be transcribed and a copy of the transcript will be available at the Information
Repositories. Interested citizens may submit written comments or offer verbal comments on the
EE/CA at the hearing on August 15. While EPA uses public comments throughout site cleanup, EPA
will only respond in writing to written comments submitted during the comment period or verbal
comments submitted at the formal public hearing.
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EE/CA Fact Sheet
If you would like to comment in writing on the EE/CA, please mail your written comments
(postmarked no later than August 16, 2000) to: Chet Janowski, Remedial Project Manager, One
Congress Street, Suite 1100 (HBO), Boston, Massachusetts 02114; 617-918-1324; fax 617-918-1291;
or by e-mail to ianowski. chet@,epa.gov.
Any general questions concerning the GE Pittsfield/Housatonic River Site should be directed to Angela
Bonarrigo, EPA's Community Involvement Coordinator, at 617-918-1034.
The EE/CA and its supporting Administrative Record File will be available for public review and
comment at the following locations:
EPA Records Center
1 Congress St., Suite 1100
Boston MA 02114
617-918-1440
MA DEP
436 Dwight St., Suite 500
Springfield MA 01103
413-784-1100
Lenox Public Library
18 Main St.
Lenox MA 01240
413-637-0197
Simon's Rock College of Bard
84 Alford Rd.
Great Barrington MA 01230
413-528-7370
Berkshire Athenaeum Public Library
Reference Department
1 Wendell Ave.
Pittsfield MA 01201
413-499-9488
Berkshire County Regional Planning Commission
33 Dunham Mall
Pittsfield MA 01201
413-442-1521
CT DEP (Communications)
79 Elm St.
Hartford CT 06106
860-424-4100
Kent Library
32 North Main St.
Kent CT 06757
860-927-3761
Removal Objectives
The following removal action objectives were
established by EPA:
¦ Remove, treat, and/or manage PCB-
contaminated river sediments and riverbank
soils to prevent human and ecological
exposures exceeding risk-based levels.
¦ Eliminate or mitigate existing riverbank soil
and sediment sources of contamination to the
EE/CA Reach, prevent recontamination of
previously remediated areas, and prevent
downstream migration of contaminated
sediments and bank soils.
¦ Minimize long- and short-term impacts on
wetland and floodplain areas and enhance
habitat in a manner consistent with the above
objectives.
Cleanup Criteria—To achieve these objectives,
EPA has established cleanup criteria for total
PCBs in the EE/CA Reach. These criteria are
based on human and ecological exposures
exceeding risk-based levels as presented in the
EE/CA.
Habitat Restoration—Habitat restoration is
necessary to meet applicable and relevant
regulations as part of the response action and to
meet the natural resource damage (NRD)
objectives in accordance with the Consent Decree
for the GE Pittsfield/Housatonic River Site,
which was lodged in Federal District Court on
October 7, 1999. Habitat restoration is also
necessary to protect the regraded riverbed and
riverbank from erosion.
Habitat restoration objectives will be met through
a combination of regrading, revegetation,
bioengineering, and potential installation of
habitat improvements (e.g., low-stage dams,
current deflectors, and boulders). The placement
of habitat improvements and regrading will be
conducted such that the flood elevations in the
river are not significantly affected and flood
storage is not reduced.
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SEPA
Removal Alternatives
Three base alternatives for the removal of
contaminated soil and sediment were developed
for detailed analysis:
¦ Base Alternative 1, Wet Excavation—This
alternative involves the removal of
contaminated material from the river without
river diversion.
¦ Base Alternative 2, Dry Excavation:
Sheetpiling (except in cobble reaches where
Pumping Bypass will be used)—This
alternative involves removal of contaminated
material from dewatered (dry) portions of the
river using river diversion.
¦ Base Alternative 3, Dry Excavation:
Pumping Bypass for the Entire EE/CA
Reach—This alternative is the same as Base
Alternative 2, except that diversion of the river
would occur by pumping river flow around
removal areas.
Disposal Alternatives
Four disposal alternatives for excavated soil and
sediment (Disposal Options A through D) were
developed and evaluated.
¦ Disposal Option A (Consolidation at GE with
Disposal of Excess at Off-Site Facilities)—
Excavated material will be staged, based on
pre-construction sampling data, as either non-
RCRA-regulated, TSCA-regulated, or RCRA-
regulated waste. TSCA- and RCRA-regulated
waste (approximately 14,900 yd3) and
approximately 35,100 yd3 of non-RCRA/non-
TSCA regulated waste will be disposed of at the
GE On-Plant Consolidation Areas. The
remaining waste soils, estimated at 43,400 yd3,
will be sent to an off-site disposal facility. The
estimated cost of Disposal Option A is $13.1
million.
¦ Disposal Option B (Off-Site Disposal of All
Excavated Material)—This alternative is
effective and implementable. The estimated
cost of Disposal Option B is $29.0 million.
¦ Disposal Options C (Thermal Desorption
Treatment with Off-Site Disposal) and D
(Solvent Extraction Treatment with Off-Site
Disposal)—These disposal options would be
conducted on GE's plant site. Both treatment
processes are effective and implementable for
EE/CA Fact Sheet 4
the removal of organic constituents from soil.
Potential hazards associated with these
treatment processes (e.g., chemical exposure or
air emissions) can be minimized by managerial
and engineered controls. The estimated costs of
Options C and D are respectively $55.3 million
and $44.4 million.
Recommended Alternative
The recommended alternative consists of a
modified Base Alternative 2, Sheetpiling and
Pumping Bypass, along with Disposal Option A.
The recommended alternative was chosen based
on what EPA believes to be the most effective and
efficient approach to remediation in the EE/CA
Reach.
In addition to the recommended alternative, it is
proposed to allow the removal Contractor or EPA
the flexibility to adjust field operations to take
advantage of the Contractor's capabilities and
experience as well as experience gained in
observing the removal action in the Upper Reach
0.5-Mile Removal currently being performed by
GE. One of the other excavation alternatives
approved in the EE/CA could be implemented in
instances where the Contractor can show, after
EPA approval, that this alternative is a more
effective and efficient approach to remediation.
The following subsections provide details on
implementing the recommended alternative in
specific subreaches of the EE/CA Reach.
Lyman Street to North of Elm Street (Transect
64 to Transect 96): Sheetpiling
Beginning at the Lyman Street Bridge,
sheetpiling would be installed from Transect 64
downstream to Transect 96 (Figure 2). Because
sheetpiling cannot be installed under the Lyman
Street Bridge, wet excavation, with in-stream
diversion, is proposed for under the bridge.
Sheetpiling is proposed for this section primarily
because the river abuts Oxbows A, B, and C.
These oxbows were filled in with material from
the GE plant site and are contaminated with
PCBs. GE is required under the Consent Decree
to further characterize the extent of
contamination in these oxbows. Based on
conditions encountered during the removal
activities in the Upper Reach 0.5-Mile Removal,
an unexpected source of nonaqueous phase
liquid (NAPL) could be encountered.
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FIGURE 2 - RECOMMENDED REMOVAL ALTERNATIVE
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