EXECUTIVE SUMMARY November 1995

The Phase 2 Database Report describes the organization of the data collected for the Hudson River PCBs Reassessment including both historical data, Phase 2 project data and recent data collected by others. This Database Report is Volume 2A and addresses only the Hudson River Reassessment database, its structure, and its use. There are five additional reports (Volumes 2B through 2F) which will be issued in Phase 2.

The report contains two main sections, specifically:

• Database Overview section which defines the database elements, explains the sources of data, describes the organization of the data within the database itself, and discusses the contents of each of the seven major database directories and their subdirectories.

• Database User's Guide section which explains in considerable detail what specific data are located in which directory, subdirectory or table and provides (using examples from the actual database) practical examples of common queries and applications.

Approximately 750,000 records reside in this reassessment database. The database is organized into over 100 database tables and spreadsheets. The entire data set is available from USEPA in DOS-compatible format on CD-ROM, a "read-only" (i.e., the data can only be viewed) compact disk which looks exactly like an ordinary audio CD but is formatted for use by computer according to standards for computer data organization. The database on CD-ROM will be in two database formats, ParadoxT4.0 and FoxProT/DBase IIIT.

The database is a combination of historical data collected prior to this Reassessment and field data gathered during Phase 2 of the Reassessment, from sampling programs conducted by USEPA and from complementary programs performed by other investigators (e.g., GE, NOAA, etc.) which are relevant to this project. There are seven major directories in the database: HISTORIC, LDEO, USGS, GE, NYSDOT, PHASE 2 and NOAA. Each of these main directories are described more fully in the Report. Figure ES-1 represents an overview schematic of the Reassessment database structure showing the major directories and subdirectories and a general description of the directory contents.

The database created for the Reassessment provides the foundation for all studies to be performed by the USEPA for the Reassessment RI/FS.

Fig 1 - Descriptive Diagram of the Hudson River PCB Reassessment Database

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