PCBs are persistent in the environment, resistant to degradation, and accumulate quickly in the body. First synthesized in the late 19th century, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are pervasive chemicals once used in hundreds of industrial applications, from plasticizing paint to insulating electrical equipment. Housatonic River Initiative, Lenox Dale, Massachusetts. The “WARNING” signs dotting the river’s banks in Berkshire County hint at the less-than-tranquil reality teeming below the surface: “HOUSATONIC RIVER FISH & WATERFOWL CONTAMINATED WITH PCBs. Multiple studies have proved the chemicals cause cancer in animals, and the EPA classifies them as probable human carcinogens. And this was wasn’t GE’s only instance of PCB contamination in a northeastern river. Environmentalists, the recreation industry, and lovers of the state’s great outdoors push back against new mine developments threatening their waters. HW011,2 B0021 36.6 West Branch Housatonic River - ~300m downstream/south from Route 20 bridge, Pittsfield, MA 29-Aug-2007 KR071,2 B0012 38.5 Konkapot River - downstream/south from Mil River Southfield Road, adjacent to Clayton Mill River Road, (V illage of Mill River), New Marlborough, MA 28-Aug-2007 EB02A2 B0503 57.5 U.S. EPA - Housatonic River, Pittsfield, MA. Although the factory has long been closed, the PCBs still remain in the riverbed sediment for most of the river's downstream expanse within Massachusetts from the plant in Pittsfield to Woods Pond in Lenox. GE, one of the richest companies in the world, argues that doing so would be too expensive and recently took its complaints to the EPA’s Environmental Appeals Board, an independent panel of judges sometimes referred to as the agency’s “Supreme Court.” GE’s preferred solution is to create a local PCB dump in the towns of Lee and Lenox or Great Barrington, something the Housatonic Rest of River Municipal Committee—which represents the six most affected towns—is not happy about. Housatonic River and the Housatonic River in Massachusetts 8 7. He requested that the river be managed and administered through the local Housatonic River Commission. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health warns against eating fish, frogs, turtles, or ducks from the river, and though the Housatonic is a popular recreational fishing destination, it’s strictly catch and release. Unfortunately, this industrial heritage created pollution problems that limited it’s recreational value. Historically, the Housatonic River and its Naugatuck River tributary hosted the southernmost spawning runs of the Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). After about an hour or two on a bus packed with kids, we arrived at our destination. The latest point of contention is where the PCBs should go once removed from the river. The Housatonic River. When the company left, the departure devastated the area and left behind a legacy of toxic contamination in the Housatonic River, which flows into Long Island Sound. As a result, the Housatonic's fish, wildlife, and their habitats suffered from the effects of these highly toxic compounds. Proposed regulations would still allow wastewater to be disposed of in the watershed, with risks to both drinking water and the environment. Housatonic River Housatonic Watershed. its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends. Gustafson Farm in Watertown becomes part of Connecticut Farmland Trust. It meanders under covered bridges and through Connecticut, eventually emptying into the Long Island Sound. GE, a $260 billion company, has used its considerable resources to argue that it shouldn’t get them out. U.S. EPA - Housatonic River, Pittsfield, MA. A report by the state Sewage Commission dated 1899 stated that the Naugatuck River had reached the limit of permissible pollution due to the discharge of industrial wastes and municipal sewage. The P. Robinson Fur Cutting Company was one fur removal company sited on the Still River. 2K likes. Under the Trump administration, the decades-long battle to get the company to clean up its PCB mess looks more uncertain than ever. The carcinogen TCE has been lurking in the ground beneath Franklin, Indiana, for decades. Contact Us to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem. Skip to Article. The Housatonic River, which flows through Connecticut to Long Island Sound from the Massachusetts border, is seventh on a national conservation … . “Delay and fight, delay and fight—they’re just hoping to wear everybody down so they can get away with a lesser cleanup.”. By then, GE had already discharged an estimated 600,000 pounds of PCBs into the Housatonic. On November 11, 2016, Governor Malloy of Connecticut applied for designation of the Housatonic River under Section 2(a)(ii) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. “Looks like Massachusetts is about to become Exhibit A in the Trump administration’s efforts to go easy on polluters,” Matt Pawa, an environmental lawyer representing the Housatonic Rest of River Municipal Committee, told the Boston Globe at the time. And the company’s reasoning has shifted over the years. Many rivers feed into Long Island Sound; however, two of New England's longest -- the 150-mile-long Housatonic and the 410-mile-long Connecticut rivers -- bring large amounts of pollution. Decades of industrial pollution and neglect have taken their toll on the river, but things are starting to turn around thanks to clean water legislation, dedicated local partners and innovative programs. To add to the list of their nightmarish qualities, certain PCBs can volatilize, or evaporate into the air, where they can be inhaled or spread by weather systems and fall back down to the ground in rain or snow. PITTSFIELD — The Environmental Protection Agency now seeks to settle its long dispute with the General Electric Co. over Housatonic River pollution, just months after ordering GE to embark on a $613 million cleanup.. This page highlights information related to ongoing clean up issues for the Housatonic River in Western Mass. General Electric was a major user of PCBs, including at its riverside plant in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, from the 1930s until the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency banned the production of the chemicals in the late 1970s. The marsh is connected to the Housatonic River by a man-made tidal channel; this tidal creek is effectively the primary channel of a remnant grid pattern of mosquito ditches. Rest of River Draft Revised 2020 Permit/Proposed Remedial Action, Supporting Documentation, And Public Comment, Massachusetts Department of Public Health ROR Biota Consumption Advisories Exit. “It pretty much runs the gamut in terms of illness-causing,” Raichel says. Many species of fish can now be found, and kayak ramps have been installed downriver from Danbury. Local groups and government agencies are working together to remediate this Superfund site in the city’s midst, despite diminishing support from the EPA. Studies of this kind can aid regulatory and recreation resource administrators in devising and evaluating environmental programs. Complicating things further is Scott Pruitt, the EPA administrator under President Trump.