The GE Hudson River dredging project is part of an overall plan to remediate the Hudson River from PCB contamination resulting from 30 years of PCB discharge into the river from two capacitor manufacturing plants operated by GE.
The remediation plan involves source control, capping in–place and dredging of sediment, dewatering and off-site disposal, the overall goal of which is to reduce PCB levels in the river water column, fish and subsequently humans. Recently, dredging had to be halted because PCB concentrations exceeded safe drinking water levels. Regulators say the higher PCB concentrations are the result of increased rain and river flows.
Could the higher PCB levels be the result of redistribution of disturbed sediment from dredging– possibly from a hot spot?
