Review of GE’s Housatonic River cleanup proposal begins

A “Corrective Measures Study Proposal” developed by General Electric Corporation regarding cleanup options for the Housatonic River in southern Massachusetts and Connecticut is now available for informal public review and input.

The GE study is a preliminary outline of which cleanup options the company should further investigate regarding the portion of the Housatonic River cleanup referred to as “Rest of River.” Following public input for the next 30 days, and review by the Environmental Protection Agency, GE will further develop the corrective measures study, leading to the identification of a preferred cleanup plan later this year.

Further, an overview of the proposal will also be presented at two upcoming Citizens Coordinating Council meetings, which are scheduled for March 6 and March 7 in Great Barrington, Mass., and Kent, Conn., respectively.

The Corrective Measures Study Proposal presents GE's proposal for a study of potential corrective measures (remedial actions) to address PCBs and certain other contaminants within the portion of the Housatonic River and its floodplain located downstream of the confluence of the east and west branches of the Housatonic River in Pittsfield to the Derby Dam in Connecticut.

The proposal identifies the corrective measures that GE proposes to study, provides a justification for selecting these corrective measures for study, and presents GE's proposed methodology for evaluating these measures. The proposal considers alternatives ranging from taking no action, to removal of contaminated soil and sediment and treatment. The proposal also lists those alternatives that will be retained for in-depth review.

EPA is ensuring additional public involvement by making the GE Corrective Measures Study Proposal available for a 30-day public review and input opportunity. EPA will accept comments and suggestions on the proposed study until March 30, and will evaluate public input as the agency formulates its formal comments to GE on the document.

Following EPA’s approval or modification of this proposal, GE will have 180 days to evaluate these cleanup alternatives (corrective measures) for the Rest of River, and propose its recommended alternative(s). The alternatives will be evaluated against the criteria specified in the Reissued RCRA Permit including: long-term reliability and effectiveness; short-term effectiveness; attainment of the interim media protection goals (IMPGs); reduction of toxicity, mobility or volume of waste; implementability; and cost.

Once the Corrective Measures Study is completed, the EPA will propose a preferred alternative, which will be made available for a formal public comment. After public comment, the EPA will finalize the corrective measure(s) to be implemented for the Rest of River.

More information is available through the following links:

Corrective Measures Study Proposal (See Section 4 for alternatives) (epa.gov/ne/ge/thesite/restofriver/reports/260320.pdf)

Instructions on how to submit comments (epa.gov/ne/ge/publiccomment.html)