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EPA Releases List of Candidate Sites for Sediment Processing/ Transfer Facilities

Release Date: 09/17/2003
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(#03104) New York, N.Y. - The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today presented to the public a list of seven candidate sites that will be further evaluated and considered for use as sediment processing/transfer facilities needed for the Hudson River PCBs cleanup project. Two or three of these specialized facilities, which will be used to transfer and remove water from the dredged sediment, will ultimately be selected from the list of seven after input from the public is received and considered. Three main operations will occur at these facilities: transferring of dredged sediment from barges or pipelines to the facility, processing and dewatering of the sediment, and transferring the processed sediment to barge or rail for off-site disposal. The facilities will be constructed using proven technology to ensure that dredged material is handled safely. In considering locations for the sediment processing/transfer facilities, EPA is focusing on industrial and/or commercial properties within a half-mile of the river between the Hudson Falls Dam and the area just below the Port of Albany. Locations within this area are being evaluated using three groups of criteria provided to the public in December 2002. In June 2003, EPA provided a public update on the facility siting process that identified 24 preliminary candidate sites. Since that time, each of the 24 sites has been assessed using the engineering criteria (sufficient space for facility construction and operations; river, road and rail access; availability of utilities; and proximity to the areas that will be dredged) and additional criteria (sensitive or cultural resources, existing and historic land uses, rare or unique ecological communities, threatened and endangered species, ease of purchasing/land ownership, wetlands, geology or surface features, and mapped 100-year flood plain or floodway data). Additional site-specific information was also obtained by conducting site visual evaluations of 23 of the preliminary candidate sites between June and August 2003. EPA has removed 15 sites from the original 24 sites announced previously. To accommodate the need for additional space for rail, four of the 24 preliminary candidate sites have been combined to form two sites. For the purposes of accommodating river and or rail access, EPA has included for consideration six properties that are adjacent to five of the sites announced today. Three of these properties are owned by New York State Canal Corporation, and the others are known as the Alonzo, Allco and Leyerle properties. The newly considered NYSCC and Alonzo properties are being evaluated because of their proximity to river access. The Allco and Leyerle properties are being evaluated because of their proximity to rail. The facility siting process will continue with full involvement of the public. EPA has made information available that explains the facility siting process and the criteria being used to evaluate sites; several public listening sessions have been held to provide information and answer questions and others are planned. EPA will host two public forums to discuss the identification of candidate sites. The forums will be held on: Tuesday, September 23 Fort Edward Firehouse 116 Broadway Fort Edward, New York 5:30 pm - 8 pm presentation at 6 pm Wednesday, September 24 Russell Sage College Bush Memorial Conference Room 1st & Congress Street Troy, New York 5:30 pm - 8 pm; presentation at 6 pm Candidate Sites Recommended for Further Consideration Sites By River Section Location (Town and County) Approximate River Mile River Section 1     Energy Park/Longe/NYS Canal Corporation Ft. Edward, Washington County 195.1 Old Moreau Dredge Spoils Area/NYS Canal Corporation Moreau, Saratoga County 193.8 River Section 2     Georgia Pacific/NYS Canal Corporation Greenwich, Washington County 183.2 River Section 3     Bruno/Brickyard Associates/Alonzo Schaghticoke, Rensselaer County 166.5 NYS Canal Corporation/Allco/Leyerle Halfmoon, Saratoga County 162.4 Below River Section 3     State of New York/First Rensselaer/Marine Management City of Rensselaer, Rensselaer County 146.7 OG Real Estate Bethlehem, Albany County 142.8