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Press Release: EPA, April 20, 2004
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) today released its final engineering performance standards, which
were developed to ensure that the dredging of the Hudson River is done
safely and on schedule. The engineering performance standards regulate
three aspects of the dredging along a 40-mile stretch of the Upper Hudson:
dredging-related resuspension of sediments from the river bottom, residual
levels of PCBs after dredging occurs, and the productivity of the dredging
work. EPA also approved and today released the Preliminary
Design Report for the Hudson River PCBs Site. This report was prepared
by General Electric Company (GE). It presents the first stage of the design
for the Hudson River PCBs Superfund site cleanup.
"Substantial progress is being made on the design of the Hudson
River cleanup and on establishing rigorous cleanup standards to ensure
that the dredging is done in a way that protects the health of people
and the environment," said EPA Regional Administrator Jane M. Kenny.
"Public input on the engineering performance standards has been carefully
considered, and the standards have been reviewed by an independent panel
of experts."
The engineering performance standards are critical to planning and carrying
out EPA's cleanup of the Hudson River, which was selected in the February
2002 Record of Decision (ROD) for the site. Dredging will be conducted
in two phases. The experience and information gained during Phase 1 of
the dredging (the first year of the six-year dredging program) will be
made available to the public and will also be the subject of a peer review.
This peer review will evaluate how well the project met the engineering
performance standards during Phase 1, to assist EPA in deciding if adjustments
need to be made to the operations or standards prior to the second phase
of dredging.
The three performance standards will be used to measure the progress
of the dredging and its effect on the river system.
- Resuspension Standard: This standard protects water intakes
down river of the dredging operations and limits the down river transport
of PCBs due to resuspension of contaminated dredged material. It sets
a maximum resuspension level of 500 parts per trillion (for Total PCBs)
– the EPA drinking water standard under the Safe Drinking Water
Act – as well as lower action levels to identify problems and guide
preventive actions and engineering improvements if these levels are
exceeded.
- Productivity ("on-schedule") Standard: This standard
is set to maintain the pace of sediment removal to meet the six-year
schedule for completing the dredging project. This standard defines
the amount of sediment to be dredged (by the end of each dredging phase
and within each dredging season), and specifies both minimum and target
sediment removal volumes. It also calls for monthly monitoring of sediment
removal goals.
- Residuals Standard: This standard is set to detect and manage
small amounts of contaminated sediments that may remain on the river
bottom in dredged areas of the Upper Hudson. This standard evaluates
whether the dredging is achieving an anticipated PCB residual of 1 part
per million on an area-wide average. Sediment samples will be collected
and analyzed for PCBs after dredging is completed in a given area and
the results will be compared with cleanup goals and other criteria.
If residual PCB contamination is found at unacceptable levels, appropriate
action will be required.
On May 14, 2003, EPA released the draft engineering performance standards
to the public for a 60-day review and comment period, and in October 2003
submitted the draft engineering performance standards for peer review
by a panel of independent experts. Nine independent peer reviewers with
various affiliations and from relevant scientific disciplines thoroughly
discussed and evaluated the draft engineering performance standards in
January 2004. Peer reviewers answered 15 questions that addressed the
proposed resuspension, residuals, and productivity standards, as well
as issues that pertain to all three standards. The draft standards were
subsequently revised based on public and peer review comments.
For the resuspension standard, action levels and their associated monitoring
programs were simplified and streamlined. For the productivity standard,
the minimum required volume to be removed during the Phase 1 dredging
has been reduced from 240,000 to 200,000 cubic yards of sediments. For
the residuals standard, an attachment was added to identify the specific
data quality objectives for the residuals sampling program.
Concurrent with the final engineering performance standards, EPA is also
releasing its Response to Peer Review Comments. In this document, EPA
either describes how the peer reviewers' comments were incorporated or
provides the technical rationale for not incorporating a comment. The
Response to Peer Review Comments contains a summary of the changes made
to the October 2003 draft standards. The final
Engineering Performance Standards and the
Response to Peer
Review Comments (PDF File)are both available online and on CD-ROM, which can
be obtained by calling the Hudson River Field Office. They are also available
for review at the information repositories located in Glens Falls, Ft.
Edward (Hudson River Field Office), Saratoga Springs, Albany, Poughkeepsie,
and New York City.
Preliminary Design Report: The Preliminary
Design Report for the Hudson River PCBs Site includes a preliminary
description of options for Phase 1 and Phase 2 dredging operations, including
sediment removal and disposal. It evaluates the full spectrum of existing
dredging technologies, including dredging equipment, resuspension control
measures, material handling and processing, dewatering and water treatment
processes, transport to disposal locations, composition of backfill and
capping materials, and habitat replacement. The preliminary design also
reflects commitments made in the ROD including no transport of processed
sediment by truck and the disposal of dredged material outside the Hudson
River Valley. The Preliminary Design Report for the Hudson River PCBs
Superfund Site is also available online and on CD-ROM, which can be obtained
by calling the Hudson River Field Office. It is available for review at
the information repositories listed above. |
