Hudson River is contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs),
primarily from General Electric’s Hudson Falls and Fort Edward,
New York, manufacturing plants. Two hundred miles of the river
have been designated a Federal
Superfund Site by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Fish and wildlife resources of the Hudson River valley, including
fish, birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, invertebrates, and their
habitats are contaminated with PCBs. PCBs are a major concern
because they persist in the environment for many decades, can be harmful
at low concentrations, and accumulate in living creatures, posing
a health hazard to fish, birds, mammals, and other wildlife.
determine the need to restore those resources that have been adversely
impacted by the contamination of the Hudson River, a natural resource
damage assessment (NRDA) is being conducted by the Federal and State
Natural Resource Trustees -- the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, the U.S. Department of the Interior (the Fish and
Wildlife Service and the National Park Service), and New York State.
The NRDA was initiated in October 1997 with the Trustees' release
of the Hudson
River Preassessment Screen. The Trustees have completed several preliminary investigations designed to improve
our understanding of exposure of Hudson River resources to PCBs.
These preliminary investigations include an avian
egg exposure investigation, floodplain
soil and biota screening, an assessment
of mink, muskrat, and otter for PCB exposure, a snapping
turtle egg exposure investigation, and an assessment
of contaminant levels in bullfrog and snapping turtle tissue,
preliminary investigations of Eastern
screech owl eggs and peregrine
falcon eggs, and a preliminary investigation of frogs
and sediments. On September 16, 2002, the Trustees issued an Assessment Plan for the Hudson River. That Plan identifies the procedures the Trustees will use to evaluate injuries to natural resources from PCBs. The focus of the NRDA is the restoration of those injured natural resources. The Trustees are in the process of implementing the Assessment Plan. Work in progress by the Trustees includes studies on biological resources (such as fish, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals), and other natural resources (such as surface water).
information, including the Analytical
Quality Assurance Plan, and other documents, is available at the Hudson River NRDA Website. That Website also provides details
regarding how to join a listserv the Trustees have established to
provide updates on the ongoing NRDA and restoration efforts for the
Hudson River. You are invited to join the listserv.
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