Is the Housatonic River clean?

The Housatonic River and its floodplain are heavily contaminated with PCBs originating from the GE Facility in Pittsfield, MA. Without cleanup, it would take decades if not hundreds of years, before PCB concentrations in fish would decrease to a level that would permit unlimited consumption.

Is the Housatonic River safe to swim in?

“The Housatonic has the largest set of advisories because of the PCB contamination,” said Brian Toal, an epidemiologist with the Connecticut Department of Public Health. “It has more than any other river or body of water.” Despite the warnings, swimming in the river and its lakes is not considered dangerous.

Who polluted the Housatonic River?

Between 1932 and 1977, the General Electric Company (GE) released PCBs and other chemical wastes into the Housatonic River. Contamination extends along the river from Pittsfield, Massachusetts through Connecticut, and into Long Island Sound.

How did PCBs get released into the Housatonic River?

People living near the former GE plant in Pittsfield can be exposed to PCBs when they come into direct contact with contaminated soil or river sediment, consume contaminated fish, or even eat crops grown in the Housatonic floodplain.

What was done to clean up the PCB pollution?

The PCB Cleanup and Disposal Program benefits communities by ensuring that sites contaminated with PCBs are cleaned up to reduce risks and by ensuring that materials contaminated with PCBs are safely managed and disposed of in landfills or destroyed in other types of waste management units.

Is GE still in Pittsfield MA?

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designated the Pittsfield plant and several miles of the Housatonic as a Superfund site in 1997, and ordered GE to remediate the site….General Electric Pittsfield Plant.

Can you eat fish from the Housatonic River?

Do not eat fish from the Housatonic River and its tributaries. When fishing, release fish unharmed back into the river. the Housatonic River area in Massachusetts. More specific consumption advice is available for certain bodies of water that have been tested at www.mass.gov/dph/fishadvisories.

How are PCBs created?

To produce a multi-layer PCB, alternating layers of epoxy-infused fiberglass sheet called prepreg and conductive core materials are laminated together under high temperature and pressure using a hydraulic press. The pressure and heat causes the prepreg to melt and join the layers together.

Why don’t they clean the Hudson River?

The Hudson River is not cleaning itself. But the decline is largely due to the ban on PCB discharges that went into effect that year. When direct discharges of the contaminant were stopped, PCB concentrations in river water and fish, logically, dropped as well.

What are PCBs and why are they bad for the environment?

Some PCBs are more harmful than others. Generally, PCBs are very stable which explains their persistence in the environment. At high temperatures, PCBs can burn and generate dangerous by-products such as dioxins. PCBs tend not to evaporate or to dissolve easily in water.

What did GE make in Pittsfield?

GE ran electrical transformer, plastics and ordnance operations in Pittsfield for nearly a century, employing 12,000 people there at its peak.

Why were PCBs used in the GE plant in Massachusetts?

For decades, GE used PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) to make its transformers. The U.S. government declared PCBs a probable human carcinogen and banned them in 1979. Land around the GE site and the Housatonic River was badly contaminated. That is the better-known part of GE’s legacy in western Massachusetts.

When did General Electric clean up the Housatonic River?

From 1932 through 1977, General Electric manufactured and serviced electrical transformers containing PCBs. Years of PCB and industrial chemical use, and improper disposal, led to extensive contamination around Pittsfield, MA as well as down the entire length of the Housatonic River.

How big was the cleanup of the Housatonic River?

Cleanup is complete for the 1.5 Mile Reach. 91,700 cy of contaminated material was removed from river sediment and bank soils.

What are the results of the Housatonic cleanup?

Post-remediation depositional sampling has shown a 98% reduction in average surficial sediment (top six inches) and macroinvertebrate PCB concentrations, with an average post-remediation surface concentration of 0.15 ppm PCBs. Approximately 296,000 cy of soil/sediment has been generated during the cleanups through 2017.