Major changes urged in Hudson River dredging project

A panel of independent scientists evaluating the Hudson River dredging project in New York State is calling for major changes. As the Associated Press reported: “After reviewing the initial dredging of the Hudson River that released PCBs back into the water and took longer than expected, an independent panel called for substantial changes in the Superfund project before crews embark on the major phase of cleanup.”

The panel unanimously agreed with GE’s conclusion that the performance standards established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency could not be met in the first, or pilot phase of the project, and cannot be met in the second phase.

GE called for a limit to be imposed on the quantity of PCBs that the dredging process itself is permitted to send downstream in order to protect the Hudson River and to ensure that the project meets EPA’s clean-up goals. GE also recommended the use of quantitative modeling to guide future decisions about the project. The peer review panel agreed on both counts, and said a model developed by GE could be a platform for the development of a joint model.

The New York Times reported: “One recommendation meant to reduce the amount of PCBs released in the dredging calls for better data about how deep the contaminants are in any given area so that they can be removed in the first dredge pass, rather than requiring repeated passes.”

Under EPA’s supervision. GE began dredging the Upper Hudson River near Fort Edward, N.Y., in May 2009. Dredging was conducted 24 hours a day, 6 days a week, for six months.

* View the peer review panel’s draft report and GE’s statement
* View EPA’s statement
* Read an editorial in The Daily Gazette of Schenectady