Housatonic River,Massachusetts

 Site Location

A twelve-mile stretch of the Housatonic River, downstream from the General Electric (GE) Pittsfield plant.

 Site Description
River sediments are contaminated by PCBs between the GE facility and the Wood Pond Dam.
 Community Partner Organization
Housatonic River Initiative is a group.
 University Partners
Tufts University leads the project.
 CONTACT INFORMATION
New Jersey Institute of Technology

Tufts University

  • Anne Marie Desmarais, 617.627.3763
 Summary of TOSC Assistance
The first phase of TOSC involvement with HRI was completed in 1995. In this earlier project Tufts assisted HRI in the review of technical documents, including the Draft Preliminary Corrective Action Measures (PICM) Report for the GE facility and 12 mile reach of the Housatonic River. Tufts also commented on workplans for additional studies including ecological and human health risk assessment. As part of the previous effort, Tufts graduate students evaluated cleanup options for PCBs in sediment under guidance of Tufts faculty.

During the second phase of assistance, TOSC will review and comment on technical documents including the cleanup plan for the first .5 mile of the River, the results of investigation on the remaining portion of the12 mile reach, risk assessment documents and any other addition remedial recommendations. TOSC will also conduct public information session on the health and ecological effects of PCBs, techniques for sediment removal and current remedial techniques for PCBs. Finally, TOSC will work with HRI to determine local citizen concerns regarding the investigation and cleanup of the River.