EPA to talk Hudson River clean-up efforts in Newburgh
It’s the season of the Seven Fishes for some, but around here, seven is the number of fish species that is safe for the general population to eat in the entire state. And anyone who may become pregnant, and children under 15, should not eat any fish or crabs from the Hudson River, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
“The Hudson River offers excellent freshwater and saltwater fishing opportunities between the Adirondack headwaters and New York City's saltwater Upper Bay. The Hudson River is also known for it's world class striped bass fishery. Unfortunately, the river has been impacted by PCB contamination,” New York State Department of Health officials say.
For 30 years ending in the late 1970s, the General Electric Company discharged as much as 1.3 million pounds of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) into the Hudson River from its capacitor manufacturing plants in Hudson Falls and Fort Edward. The chemicals are known to cause cancer and “can trigger serious health problems, including low birth weight, and reproductive and immunological problems.”
Despite clean-up efforts of PCBs in the Hudson River, the EPA’s recent draft third five-year report noted that reclamation efforts to significantly remove the hazardous man-made chemicals from the river was inconclusive. “The EPA’s review concludes that PCB levels in water and fish are going down overall, but the EPA needs more years of fish data to determine if the cleanup is meeting the expectations of the original cleanup plan.”
Friends of a Clean Hudson (FOCH), a coalition of national, state, and regional organizations led by Riverkeeper, Scenic Hudson, and Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, submitted comments on the EPA’s draft third five-year review for the Hudson River PCBs Superfund Site calling on the agency to find the cleanup is “not protective of human health and the environment.” The EPA’s draft review, released in July 2024, claims yet again that more data is needed to determine if the cleanup of PCBs in the Hudson is meeting the expectations of the original cleanup plan. However, the data available shows clearly that neither fish nor sediment are recovering at the rates needed to protect human health and the environment.
The advice on consuming fish from the Hudson River depends on who you are, where you're fishing, and what you're catching, the state advises. “The sensitive population should avoid eating all fish from the Hudson from the South Glens Falls Dam all the way to The Battery. NYS DOH has a “do not eat” advisory on recreationally caught striped bass between Troy and Catskill and other restrictions south of Catskill. The advisory has been in effect for more than 20 years.
This graphic represents the percentage of striped bass that exceed 1 ppm (part per million) of PCBs sampled in the Hudson River at Troy and Catskill in any given year between 2007 and 2015.
South of the Federal Dam at Troy, the general population is advised to limit their consumption of fish and crabs, and it is strongly recommended that women under 50 and children under 15, do not eat any fish or crab from the Hudson.
On Thursday, December 12, 2024 from 6:30-8:30pm at Orange County Community College in Newburgh, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will be holding a public meeting and community feedback session to talk about ongoing efforts to study and address polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, in the Hudson River. The meeting will also provide important information about New York State’s health advice for people who eat fish from the Hudson River. Federal and state experts will be on hand to answer questions, and to provide input on how to continue to spread awareness about the fishing advisories.
The EPA informational meeting will cover:
Which types of fish and crab from the Hudson River are safe to eat, and in what amounts.
Best practices for cleaning and cooking fish to reduce chemical exposure.
How the state is working to inform communities, including newcomers, about eating fish safely.
The EPA will also provide updates on its ongoing activities in the Hudson River as part of the federal Superfund program. More info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hudson-river-informational-meeting-and-community-conversation-on-dec-12-tickets-1087168433049
