Contamination Concerns at the Former General Electric (GE) Hudson Falls Capacitor Plant

Widespread polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) and semi-volatile
organic chemicals (SVOCs) were documented at the former GE Hudson Falls Capacitor Plant by a
report entitled: Recommendations for a Comprehensive Site_Wide Remedy and Feasibility Study for
Bedrock Groundwater (OU-2C and OU-2D) Hudson Falls Plant Site, GeoTrans, Inc., March 2, 2001.

PCB-containing dense non-aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) was identified over a large area. The report
notes: "GE, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), and the U. S.
EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] have recognized that the Site [Hudson Falls] has been the
principal upstream source of PCBs to the Hudson River."

According to the report:

* "Site investigations completed between 1975 and December 2000 have characterized the
contamination at the Site. These studies have shown that the groundwater in the overburden soils and
the bedrock beneath the Site is contaminated with PCBs, volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) and semi-
volatile organic compounds (SVOCs), and that the primary direction of contaminant migration is west
and south away from the plant Site toward the Hudson River, although some easterly migration has also
occurred. The overburden soils are also contaminated with PCBs, VOCs, and SVOCs. The RIs
[Remedial Investigations] have determined that the source of the Site contamination is from historical
chemical releases, including releases of DNAPL, in the vicinity of the former manufacturing buildings at
the Site where those substances were used, stored, or received in capacitor manufacturing operations."

* "The DNAPLs migrated into the bedrock beneath the Site. Once in the bedrock, DNAPL migration
has been controlled by the fractures in the underlying bedrock. These include the three steeply dipping
fracture sets, as well as the bedding parallel fractures associated with the two fault planes in the Snake
Hill Shale. The steeply dipping fractures would have allowed downward DNAPL migration, and the
bedding parallel fractures and fault planes would have allowed lateral DNAPL migration."

* "The number, the areal and the vertical extent, the volume, and the interconnectedness of the DNAPL
reservoirs in the bedrock beneath the Site and surrounding areas are not known. In addition to the
localized regions of recoverable DNAPL accumulations within the bedrock, the migrating DNAPL left
trails of residual DNAPL accumulations in the form of disconnected immobile droplets, blobs, and
ganglia in pore spaces of the overburden soil and fractures within the bedrock."

* "The spatial distribution of dissolved contamination is similar to the distribution of DNAPL

contamination, but more areally extensive. For the purpose of this report, the term dissolved-phase
contamination refers to contamination which is transported with the groundwater and includes emulsions
and colloids as well as contaminants actually dissolved in the groundwater."

The report proposed an unprecedented Bedrock Drain Collection System to capture the Site's
contamination in order to safeguard the Hudson River. That system has been built, but has not yet been
operated.
Former General Electric Hudson Falls Capacitor Plant
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Hudson Falls / Fort Edward Regional Groundwater Flow

GE Hudson Falls Plant

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GE Fort Edward Plant

Approximate Location of Groundwater Divide

Generalized Groundwater Flow
Streets - Washington County N
GE Hudson Falls Plant
GE Fort Edward Plant
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Dense Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid (DNAPL) Contamination,
Recovery Wells and Bedrock Tunnel Collection System
at GE Hudson Falls

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Model-Calculated Capture Zone
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Structures - GE Hudson Falls W E
Streets - Washington County
Hudson River S
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Dissolved Product Contamination in Groundwater
at GE Hudson Falls
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Extent of Dissolved-Phase Contamination in Groundwater

Structures - GE Hudson Falls N
Streets - Washington County
Hudson River W E
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 Contamination Concerns
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 Regional Overview
of GE Hudson Falls Contamination Concerns
r and Bedrock Collection System
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Approximate Extent of DNAPL

Approximate Location of Groundwater Divide
Generalized Groundwater Flow
Model-Calculated Capture Zone
Tunnel N
Extent of Dissolved-Phase Contamination in Groundwater
Structures - GE Hudson Falls
Streets - Washington County W E
Hudson River
Towns S
Copyright 2009 Toxics Targeting, Inc.