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EPA Announces Change in Dredging Schedule for Hudson River PCBs Site - Selects Energy Park for Site of Dewatering Facility

Release Date: 06/23/2005
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For Release: Thursday, June 23, 2005

(#05072) NEW YORK – At a meeting today with the Hudson River PCBs Site Community Advisory Group, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) discussed a change in the start date for dredging operations and announced that Energy Park is the only property needed for the project dewatering facility at this time. While substantial progress has been made on the design of the Hudson River cleanup, EPA has determined that dredging will start during the 2007 construction season. The Agency expects that the construction of the Ft. Edward dewatering facility will start in 2006, and will be completed in time for dredging operations to begin during the 2007 dredging season.

The change in the schedule is due to complexities in completing the Dredge Area Delineation (DAD) report for Phase 1 of the project, which was originally projected to be completed by Spring 2004. EPA and GE had to first resolve issues related to the criteria that would be used to determine the river areas to be dredged. The Phase 1 report was completed in February 2005, once that process was completed. The delay in finalizing the DAD report pushed back several key design documents that were contingent on its completion.

Continuing its progress toward the dredging of the Hudson, EPA has also decided that the Energy Park property in Ft. Edward is the only dewatering and transfer facility needed for the cleanup at this time. EPA is not moving ahead with plans to use the OG Realty property in Bethlehem for this project; it was once considered a possible dewatering site.

EPA has reached many milestones on this project including the collection and analysis of more than 40,000 samples from the river bottom, the completion of strict Engineering and Quality of Life Performance Standards to protect public health and minimize impacts from the project, and the selection of a site for the sediment processing facility. The Agency has also conducted a preliminary investigation of PCB contamination in the flood plains that could result in future cleanups.

Further accomplishments include two agreements with GE under which the company agreed to conduct the extensive sediment sampling needed to identify the areas to be dredged, and to design the project. Under those agreements, GE paid a total of $20 million in partial reimbursement of EPA's outstanding past costs, and over $15.5 million toward the costs incurred by EPA in performing activities for which it has lead responsibility, and in overseeing GE's performance of the work under those agreements.

This August, GE is scheduled to submit a draft intermediate design report for Phase 1 of the project that will include the types of dredges to be employed during Phase 1 and a layout for the dewatering and transfer facility. Discussions with GE relating to an agreement on the cleanup of the Hudson River are ongoing.

For more information on the Hudson River PCBs Site, visit our Web site at www.epa.gov/hudson.

Related News Releases:
December 2004 EPA Selects Final Dewatering Sites for Use in Hudson River PCBs Cleanup
July 2004 EPA Issues Decision on General Electric's Dispute over Hudson River Areas Delineated and Targeted for Dredging
April 2004 EPA Finalizes Dredging Performance Standards and Approves Preliminary Design for Hudson River Cleanup
August 2003 EPA & General Electric Reach Agreement on Design of Hudson River Cleanup
May 2003 EPA Proposes Performance Standards to Protect People's Health and the Environment During the Hudson River Cleanup