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The ferry's and steamboats polluting the water near New York City

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The ferry's and steamboats polluting the water near New York City

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Between 1947 and 1977, General Electric (GE) dumped an estimated 1.3 million pounds of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) into the Hudson River. The source of the PCB discharges was two GE capacitor manufacturing plants located in Fort Edward and Hudson Falls, New York, about 50 miles north of Albany. GE's PCBs are now found in sediment, water and wildlife throughout the Hudson River ecosystem as far south as the New York Harbor. They are also found in people.

On May 15, 2009, after decades of debate, advocacy and negotiations, GE began Phase 1 of the long-delayed clean-up of those PCBs. Phase 1 dredging was scheduled to run for approximately 6 months in the upper Hudson and remove approximately 10% of the PCBs slated to be removed. Phase 2 will remove most of remaining targeted contaminants and operate for several years.

At the conclusion of Phase 1, various reports, evaluations and negotiations occurred as to the scope of Phase 2, with public involvement, pursuant to the agreement between GE and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in a 2006 Consent Decree. In December of 2010 GE announced that it would perform Phase 2.

It is important to note that the Hudson River Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA), a process that evaluates environmental damage and injuries associated with the GE PCB contamination, is ongoing. The NRDA will assess the damages caused by the PCBs that may be compensated, whether monetarily or through restoration projects, by GE.

Riverkeeper will continue its work to see that the full clean-up occurs, that the NRDA process is thorough and that the Hudson River is restored.
THE LATEST NEWS ON HUDSON RIVER PCBS > End of Phase I Fact Sheet NYS Department of Health - Advice About Swimming in the Hudson River During Dredging
EPA's Hudson River PCB's Superfund Site Dredging Project Update Fall 2009 (5.2MB, PDF)

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Between 1947 and 1977, General Electric (GE) dumped an estimated 1.3 million pounds of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) into the Hudson River. The source of the PCB discharges was two GE capacitor manufacturing plants located in Fort Edward and Hudson Falls, New York, about 50 miles north of Albany.

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Yes, eventually. Right now the Hudson River looks clean but the real problem is PCBs contamination. With everyones help eventually the Hudson can be clean and chemical free and we may even be able to fish without having to throw the fishes back in the water.

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The Invasion: A Case Study on the Hudson River | AMNH

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The invasive zebra mussel loosens its grip on the Hudson River.

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There are many things that people can do to help protect the Hudson River Estuary, at the river and at home.
Some things you can do are...
-  Use non-toxic cleaning supplies. The substances that go down your drain will eventually reach a body of water, affecting all the fish and invertebrates in the vicinity.
- Carry out what you carry in. Leave areas by the river as clean than they were when you arrived.
- Prevent hazardous waste from reaching the river. Report chemical spills on roadways or bridges to hazardous waste teams.
- Don't pick up plant and animal hitchhikers. Reduce the spread of invasive species, such as zebra mussels, by inspecting and hosing down your boat.

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Changes that have occurred to the ecosystem

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Changes that have occurred to the ecosystem

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As we know PCBs are a group of highly toxic compounds that are known to cause cancer, birth defects, growth impairment, behavioral changes, hormonal imbalances, damage to the developing brain, and increased susceptibility to disease in animals. These chemicals make their way up the food chain and become stored in the tissues of wildlife and fish, posing a health threat if people and other animals consume them. New York State created an 'eat none' (meaning people must release fish if caught) advisory that has been in place for about 30 years.

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Food Web

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For 30 years ending in the late 1970s, the General Electric Company discharged as much as 1.3 million pounds of PCBs into the Hudson River from its manufacturing plants. The city would also often discharge untreated sewage into the river causing even more problems. Bodies have also been found floating in the East and Hudson Rivers in the past few years so the disposing of bodies in the river is also causing particulate matter, also called pollution, which is the introduction of contaminants into an enviroment. Human introductions of invasive species such as the zebra mussel, which are an important biotic factor because they are a living organism in the ecosystem, have caused incredible changes, which probably will not be reversed for decades, if ever.

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The Hudson has lots of long term problems including being known to cause illnesses and even a cancer risk due to how contaminated and polluted the water is. There are high levels of pcb in fish that are not decreasing. The dumping of PCB in the Hudson started in 1947 and ended in 1977 due to them getting caught. There are still high levels of PCB to this day.  The Hudson River is also not cleaning itself, so the  Pcb is staying in Hudson. The Zebra Mussels help with producing a toxin from algae that is very harmful to humans and animals. Places with Zebra Mussels have more algae and more toxins from that algae. Zebra Mussels are an invasive species to the Hudson because they are causing ecological damage in a place they are not supposed to be in.

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Feeding relationships have changed due to humans being advised to not eat fish, and the Zebra Mussels being in the Hudson. The Humans are at the top of food chain, the zebra mussels have changed the feeding relationships because they were helping with the reproduction of algae which produces harmful toxins for both the fish and humans. The harmful toxins are putting the larger predatory fish in harm. A predatory fish is a fish that is at the top of their food chain. The harmful toxins put the small fish though in large danger than it did the bigger fish but, that meant the big fish lost food.

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- The Hudson River became America's first superhighway after the Erie Canal was built.
- Sometimes Humpback Whales or Seahorses like to stray into the Hudson River from the Atlantic.