For Release: Thursday, May 13, 2004
GE Agrees to Construct Tunnel System at Hudson Falls Site
Remedial Measures Will Address PCB Contamination Entering Hudson River
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Erin M. Crotty today announced that General Electric has agreed to implement measures to address PCB contamination as part of the State's Record of Decision (ROD) for the General Electric Hudson Falls State Superfund site in the Village of Hudson Falls, Washington County.
"Restoration of the Hudson River to its full potential as an environmental, economic and cultural resource is one of Governor Pataki's highest priorities," Commissioner Crotty said. "The cleanup of the PCB contamination at the GE Hudson Falls site and eliminating a continuing source of PCBs to the Hudson River represent significant progress in our restoration efforts. We look forward to working with GE to ensure that this remedy is implemented in a timely manner."
Remedial Investigations and Feasibility Studies (RI/FS) conducted by GE under the State Superfund program showed soils containing high levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) at the site; PCB-contaminated groundwater; PCB oil in the overburden soils and in the bedrock beneath the site; seeps of PCB oil in the bottom of the Hudson River adjacent to the site; elevated levels of PCBs in water column samples immediately downstream of the site as compared to upstream; and impacts to the river immediately downstream of the site.
DEC's Record of Decision (ROD), issued in March, calls for the treatment and/or disposal of the PCB-contaminated soils, enhancement of the existing groundwater and PCB oil management system through the installation and operation of a tunnel and drain system constructed along the western portion of the site, along with long-term monitoring and controls on the future use of the site.
GE will design and construct the tunnel and drain system along the western portion of the site immediately beneath the river, expand the existing wastewater treatment plant at the site, develop the long-term monitoring plans, and implement the controls on future use of the site. This work will be done under an existing consent order. The project design phase is scheduled to take approximately one year to complete, with project construction expected to take approximately one to two years. The estimated cost to implement this remedy is approximately $30 million.
Chris Ballantyne, senior regional representative for Sierra Club, said, "This agreement represents another positive development in the cleanup of the upper Hudson River. The cleanup of the Hudson Falls plant site, with enhanced wastewater treatment and long-term monitoring, is vitally important to the future health of the River."
GE also agreed to develop the remedial design for the soil cleanup under a separate consent order. DEC expects the consent order for design of the soil cleanup work to be issued later this year.
The Hudson River has made dramatic improvements through Governor Pataki's commitment to restore the River to its full potential. The Hudson River Estuary Management Plan was first approved by Governor Pataki in 1996. In his 2004 State of the State Address, Governor Pataki committed to making the Hudson River swimmable from its headwaters in the Adirondacks to New York City by 2009 - the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's voyage up the river. The Governor also proposed that each riverfront community have a new or upgraded access point by 2009.
New York State has targeted approximately $190 million for implementation of priorities in the Hudson River Estuary Action Plan, including funds from the 1996 Clean Water/Clean Air Bond Act (Bond Act) and the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF). An additional $62 million has been committed to projects north of the estuary form the Bond Act and EPF for projects improving the health of the Hudson River.
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