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Ground-Breaking for Construction of Hudson River Cleanup Facility Set for the Spring; Dredging Schedule Extended

Release Date: 02/08/2007
Contact Information: Leo Rosales, (518) 747-4389, [email protected]

(New York, N.Y.) Construction of a multi-million dollar facility designed to process and treat contaminated sediments dredged from the Hudson River is on track to start this spring, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today. The facility, which will remove water from the dredged sediment before it is transported out of state, must be constructed before dredging can begin. The Agency expects the construction of the facility to take between 18 and 24 months.

Due to several obstacles beyond EPA’s control, including legal actions and the seasonal nature of dredging, it has become necessary to extend the start date for dredging until the spring of 2009. The adjustment to the schedule is, at least in large part, the result of the delay caused by the legal challenge to the Consent Decree.

“Now that the Consent Decree has been approved, we can move forward on this vast and complex project,” said Regional Administrator Alan J. Steinberg. “It’s time to put the shovels in the ground and begin the construction work needed to clean up and restore this river – one of the country’s most important cultural,ecological and economic resources.”

The 110-acre processing and treatment facility will contain a 1500-foot wharf area, over five miles of rail lines, 12 filter presses to squeeze the water out of the PCB-contaminated sediment, and an on-site facility that will treat the remaining water. It will employ more than 100 workers, many of whom are expected to be hired from the local area. GE recently awarded a contract to a local company to prepare the infrastructure for the facility.

Beginning in 2009, dredging of the Hudson River will be conducted in two phases. In the initial one-year phase, about 10 percent of the anticipated total volume of PCB-contaminated sediment will be dredged from the river. The remaining phase of the dredging is expected to take five years. The dredging will help restore the Hudson River using approaches designed to minimize impacts of local communities throughout the life of the project.

For more information about the Hudson River cleanup, go to https://www.epa.gov/hudson.

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