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Facility Siting Process Update
Selected Sites
December 2004

Highlights

The Energy Park site in the Town of Fort Edward and the OG Real Estate site in the Town of Bethlehem have been selected as the dewatering and/or transfer sites for the Hudson River cleanup. The specific operations to be performed at each of the sites will be determined after the transportation methods and routes and the disposal site or sites have been selected.

The Bruno/Brickyard Associates/Alonzo (Bruno) site in the Town of Schaghticoke, the Old Moreau Dredge Spoil (Old Moreau) site in the Town of Moreau and the NYS Canal Corp/Allco/Leyerle (Canal Corp.) site in the Town of Halfmoon will no longer be considered for use as sites for a dewatering/transfer facility for the project.

EPA will continue its outreach and involvement efforts by hosting public forums in the two selected site communities in early 2005 to further explain the site selection process, answer questions and listen to the communities' concerns. EPA will work with these communities to schedule the meetings and will announce the date, time and locations as soon as the information is available

Selected Sites

EPA has selected two sites for use as sediment dewatering and/or transfer facilities. Both sites meet the engineering criteria and environmental characteristics needed for a dewatering/transfer facility. EPA's project team made the selection, in consultation with General Electric Company's (GE) design team, after thorough review and consideration of public comments on the Draft Facility Siting Report.

Although Energy Park and OG Real Estate have been selected, the specific operations to be performed at each of the sites (dewatering, rail transfer or a combination of both) will be determined after the transportation method and routes and the disposal site(s) have been selected. Both sites were selected because they offer substantial benefits and meet the facility siting criteria that allow for easier design of a dewatering facility.

The Energy Park site, located in Fort Edward, Washington County, New York:

The OG Real Estate site, located in Bethlehem, Albany County, New York:

Eliminated Sites

The Bruno site, located in the Town of Schaghticoke, was not selected by EPA due to a number of design considerations and limitations associated with its use as a dewatering/transfer facility. Primary among these are rail transport logistics, the notable presence of cultural and archaeological resources, and the need to cross a local road, resulting in local traffic and safety concerns.

Two previously identified back-up sites, the Old Moreau site in the Town of Moreau, and the Canal Corp. site in the Town of Halfmoon, will no longer be considered for use as dewatering/ transfer facility sites for the project, and have also been eliminated from further consideration.

Background

EPA's cleanup plan for the Hudson River PCBs Superfund site was selected in the Agency's February 1, 2002 Record of Decision (ROD) for the site. The ROD calls for targeted environmental dredging and removal of approximately 2.65 million cubic yards of PCB-contaminated sediments from the Upper Hudson River, between Fort Edward and the Federal Dam in Troy. The primary goal of the Hudson River PCBs cleanup is to protect people and the environment from unacceptable risks due to PCB-contaminated sediments in the Upper Hudson River.

In the ROD, EPA committed to disposing of the dredged sediments in a licensed PCB landfill outside the Hudson Valley. Prior to disposal, the dredged sediments need to be dewatered and stabilized at facilities with access to the river. EPA needed to identify Upper Hudson River locations to construct facilities to safely handle the dredged material.

As PCB-contaminated sediments are dredged, the sediments will be transported to the dewatering/transfer facilities by barge or pipeline. The sediments will then be processed to remove water and stabilized using cement or fly ash to harden the material, as necessary, for shipment. The water will be sent to an on-site plant for treatment before it is released back into the river. The facility may also include an operations field office, a laboratory, and equipment storage areas. Additional staging areas may also be used to temporarily stage dewatered sediments prior to shipment or clean materials for backfilling dredged areas.

EPA has committed to working with those communities in which facilities will be located to help identify opportunities for site reuse. This includes encouraging communities to develop reuse and revitalization plans for areas along the river; identifying and facilitating contact with agencies that may be able to provide technical assistance through grants, programs or loans; and working with groups such as the Hudson River PCBs site Community Advisory Group (CAG) to identify other appropriate opportunities. EPA has also committed to restoring the dewatering/transfer sites in a manner that takes into account their anticipated future land use.

Summary of Community Involvement Activities

In its cleanup plan for the site, EPA committed to conducting the dewatering facility selection process in an open and transparent manner. Beginning in December 2002, EPA began a two-year site selection process that included hosting more than 20 community sessions throughout the Upper Hudson River area. These sessions resulted in approximately 2,000 comments on the selection of the dewatering/transfer facilities. EPA also released for review and comment three major technical documents and twelve fact sheets summarizing the facility selection process.

In early 2003, EPA began evaluating and screening hundreds of sites and narrowed the number to 24 in June and then to 7 in September of the same year. In June 2004, EPA further narrowed the sites under consideration to three recommended and two back-up sites.

Next Steps

In January 2005, EPA will host public forums in each of the selected site communities to explain the site selection process and answer questions. EPA will listen carefully to community concerns and make every effort to minimize facility-related impacts throughout the design, construction, and operation of the facilities.

For More Information
Visit, call toll-free (1-866-615-6490), or write to the Hudson River Field Office at the address below or log on to www.epa.gov/hudson.

EPA Contacts

Dave King Leo Rosales David Kluesner
Director Public Affairs Specialist Public Affairs Specialist
Hudson River Field Office Hudson River Field Office EPA Region 2 Office
421 Lower Main Street 421 Lower Main Street 290 Broadway
Hudson Falls, NY 12839 Hudson Falls, NY 12839 New York, NY 10007
(518) 747-4389 (518) 747-4389 (212) 637-3653
king.david@epa.gov rosales.leo@epa.gov kluesner.dave@epa.gov

The Field Office hours are Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm, with evening hours by appointment. Email at hrfo@capital.net

EPA Regional Public Liaison
EPA Region 2 has designated a public liaison as a point-of-contact for community concerns and questions about the federal Superfund program in New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. To support this effort, the Agency has established a 24-hour, toll-free number that the public can call to request information, express concerns, or register complaints about Superfund. The public liaison for EPA's Region 2 office is: George H. Zachos, U.S. EPA, Region 2, 2890 Woodbridge Avenue MS-211, Edison, New Jersey 08837, (732) 321-6621, Toll-free (888) 283-7626.

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