EPA's Phase 1 Evaluation Report

On March 8, 2010, EPA and General Electric Company (GE) released the final version of their respective Phase 1 Evaluation Reports for the Hudson River dredging project. The Phase 1 Evaluation Reports replaced draft versions of the reports exchanged in mid-January, pursuant to the Consent Decree under which GE performed Phase 1 of the dredging.

GE's Phase 1 Evaluation Report is available at www.hudsondredging.com.

After completing the first phase of dredging PCB-contaminated sediment in the upper Hudson River, EPA released a detailed technical assessment of the work to a panel of independent scientific experts for their review. The EPA report details the effectiveness of the first phase of dredging, as well as the challenges encountered during the first dredging season. It also lays out the Agency's modifications to the engineering performance standards for dredging resuspension, residuals, and productivity proposed for the second phase of the project, set to begin in 2011.

The panel has been asked to consider certain questions relating to the engineering performance standards and the monitoring program for Phase 2 of the project. EPA’s report includes the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s observations and recommendations as an appendix.

The peer review panel publicly discussed its views on the EPA and GE reports in early May 2010. The panel members will then submit their individual views on the questions presented to them by EPA; these views will be compiled into a report. The Draft Peer Review Report is expected to be provided to EPA on August 6, 2010, followed by the Final Peer Review Report on September 3, 2010. The final report will be available on the www.hudsondredgingdata.com Web site.

During the independent peer review, EPA also sought public comments on the EPA and GE reports. EPA accepted public comment on the Phase 1 Evaluation Report until April 26, 2010. In response to requests from the public, EPA provided additional time for the public to submit comments on the addendum to EPA's Report. Public comments on the Addendum were accepted until May 17, 2010. These comments were provided to the panel members for consideration during their evaluation.

PEER REVIEW INTRODUCTORY SESSION

On Feb. 17 and 18, the Phase 1 Peer Review Panel for the Hudson River dredging project held an Introductory Session in Saratoga Springs, NY at the Gideon Putnam Hotel. The focus of this meeting was for the Peer Review Panel to hear presentations from U.S. EPA and General Electric Co. regarding information gained during Phase 1 of the dredging project. Evaluation reports prepared by U.S. EPA and GE were reviewed with respect to the Engineering Performance Standards (resuspension of PCBs, residual contamination, and production rate).

MAY PEER REVIEW PANEL MEETING

The second meeting of the Hudson River Peer Review Panel was held on May 4, 5 and 6 at the Queensbury Hotel in Glens Falls, NY. During this meeting, the Peer Review Panel members publicly discussed and considered their individual responses to the charge questions that were presented to the panel.

GE's peer review presentations are available at www.hudsondredging.com.

EPA Oversight Team Phase 1 Observations Report [PDF]

Final Phase 1 Evaluation Report [PDF]

  • To read the text of the report, click here (1.1 MB)
  • To read the executive summary of the report, click here (461 KB)
  • To download the entire report, including tables and figures, click here. Please Note: this is a large file that may take some time to download. (27.9 MB).
  • To download the report appendices, click here. Please see subsections below for Appendix II-D & E. Note: this is a large file that may take some time to download. (33.5 MB)
  • To download the Addendum to the Phase 1 Evaluation Report, click here. Please note: this is a large file that may take some time to download. (7.5 MB)
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