All News Releases By Date

EPA to Hold Informal Public Input Period on Corrective Measures Study Proposal for GE/Housatonic River Project

Release Date: 02/20/2007
Contact Information: Angela Bonarrigo - 617-918-1034

(Boston, MA - February 21, 2007) - EPA will hold an informal public input period on the “Corrective Measures Study Proposal for the GE Pittsfield / Housatonic River Site, Rest of River.” An overview of the proposal will also be presented at two upcoming Citizens Coordinating Council meetings, which are scheduled for Tuesday, Mar. 6 and Wednesday, Mar. 7 in Great Barrington, MA and Kent, CT respectively.

Under the terms of the Consent Decree between EPA, GE and other parties, GE is required to prepare and submit the Corrective Measures Study (CMS) Proposal. This proposal screens possible alternatives for cleanup of the portions of the Rest of River that present an unacceptable risk to either human health or the environment. The Rest of River refers to the Housatonic River from the confluence of the East and West Branches in Pittsfield to the Derby Dam in Connecticut. The proposal considers alternatives ranging from no action to removal of contaminated soil and sediment and treatment, and lists those alternatives that will be retained for in-depth review.

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, EPA will propose a preferred alternative for formal public comment. After public comment, EPA will finalize the Corrective Measure(s) to be implemented for the Rest of River.

GE will present an overview of the Corrective Measures Study Proposal at two upcoming CCC meetings. The first meeting will be at the Berkshire South Community Center in Great Barrington on Tuesday, Mar. 6 at 5:30 p.m. A second meeting will be at the Kent Town Hall, Kent, CT on Wednesday, Mar. 7 at 6:00 p.m. The thirty-day public input period will run from March 1st to March 30th. During this time, interested members of the public are invited to submit comments to EPA on the draft document.

GE will submit the Corrective Measures Study Proposal to EPA in late February. The document will become available for public review at the start of the public input period at which time it can be viewed on EPA’s Web site, https://www.epa.gov/ne/ge, by clicking on the red button “Current Public Comment Periods.”

Copies of the Corrective Measures Study Proposal will also be made available for review during the public input period at the following locations:

- Berkshire Athenaeum Public Library Reference Depart., 1 Wendell Ave., Pittsfield MA

- Cornwall Public Library, Pine St., Cornwall CT

- Kent Memorial Library (Kent Library Association), 32 North Main St., Kent CT

- Housatonic Valley Association, Cornwall Bridge CT

- EPA Records Center, One Congress St., Suite 1100, Boston MA

- Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, 436 Dwight St., Suite 500, Springfield MA

- Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, 79 Elm St., Hartford CT

Comments should be postmarked no later than March 30th and sent to:

Susan Svirsky

EPA Rest of River Project Manager

c/o Weston Solutions

10 Lyman Street

Pittsfield MA 01201

re: CMS Comments

Comments can also be sent via email to: svirsky.susan@epa.gov

or via fax to: 413-442-4447.