FORT EDWARD, NY — A project to dredge polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from the upper Hudson River on August 3 was temporarily stopped due to high levels of PCBs found in river water samples and to strong river currents, according to local media reports.

Dredging resumed when the flow of the river quieted and levels of the PCBs dropped, according to an August 4 Albany Times Union report.

An August 4 early-morning edition of The Record newspaper reported that the intense current, a result of recent torrential rainfall, “may have had an influence on PCB testing” conducted August 1-2, which found levels around 514 parts per trillion (ppt). That level exceeds the federal Environmental Protection Agency’s maximum limit of 500 ppt.

Several upstate New York communities draw their drinking water from the Hudson or from wells that receive river infiltration into groundwater. The river was contaminated decades ago with PCBs a General Electric Co. electrical insulator factory dumped into the river upstream from the communities.

The Record reported that while no communities are drawing their drinking water from the river without at least a filtration system in place, some area officials said they were annoyed that it took more than 24 hours to get the PCB data and then be contacted.

Stillwater Supervisor Shawn Connelly, whose community is using carbon filtration units to reduce PCB levels in their potable water, is quoted as saying, “Even though we’re on the filter, it still does matter. It’s very alarming that we are only a few months into this and there are already issues.”

The dredging is expected to last at least six years.

To read the full TU report, click here.

To read The Record story, click here.

For related information, click here.