Region 2 of the U.S. EPA will evaluate, in close coordination with the State of New York, approximately 1,800 sediment samples taken in 2017 by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) from the Upper Hudson River.
EPA also will continue efforts to complete the study of the Upper Hudson River and conduct supplemental studies of the Lower Hudson River, they said in its latest release.
“ While EPA, its partners, and the public continue to give serious attention to post-dredging recovery of the Upper Hudson, it’s imperative that we also expand the scope of the agency’s efforts to ensure the Hudson River is fully remediated ,” said EPA Regional Administrator Pete Lopez.
On January 11, 2018, EPA Regional Administrator Lopez reached out to NYSDEC Commissioner Basil Seggos asking for the final data from NYSDEC’s sampling effort and offering federal resources to help analyze that data, which NYSDEC has now provided to EPA.
The EPA has begun its analysis, will have its scientists closely analyze data from NYSDEC’s 2017 sediment samples, and expects to collaborate with the state in order to make joint findings and conclusions about the data.
EPA is also advancing a study of the floodplain in the Upper Hudson River where work on the floodplain first began in October, 2014 when General Electric (GE) agreed to conduct a Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (comprehensive study) of PCB contamination.
Under this agreement, this study is investigating the PCB contamination in the 43-mile stretch of the Hudson River floodplain from Hudson Falls to Troy, New York. This study includes an evaluation of human and ecological risks, as well as potential long-term clean up solutions.
To date, this study has collected approximately 8,000 soil samples on more than 500 properties in the floodplain.
Soil and stone covers have also been installed prevent exposure to PCBs and/or installed warning signs on several properties. These measures are temporary, pending completion of the comprehensive study and the selection of a final cleanup plan for the floodplain.
EPA will decide on the final cleanup plan with input from the public.