Commissioner Crotty said, "The release of these plans for public comment continues the progress that has been made in putting an end to the legacy of contamination that has deterred productive use at this location, and will repair the damage that the site has caused to the river ecosystem."

The PRAPs were developed after Remedial Investigations and Feasibility Studies (RI/FSs) were conducted under the State Superfund program by the Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) for on-site contamination, and by DEC for off-site contamination.

ARCO's on-site studies found soils containing high levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) under the northwest corner and northern shoreline of the site, where PCB mixtures were historically formulated and used. DEC's studies found PCB-contaminated sediments offshore of these areas, which have resulted in impacts to local fish populations.

The State Department of Health has issued an advisory to eat no American eel caught near the site. DEC's and ARCO's studies also found soil and sediments contaminated with copper, lead and zinc in distinct areas on the site and offshore of the site.

The PRAPs announced set forth a comprehensive remedy for the entire site, and supersede the PRAP issued in September 1998. The new remedial plans will address both the source of contamination and its impacts on the river ecosystem.

The proposed on-site remedy combines the removal of contamination where it can safely be completed, and containment. The off-site PRAP targets portions of the riverbed where contaminants can be removed without affecting non-target areas.

The major elements of the proposed on-site remedy include:

• Excavation and off-site disposal of PCB-contaminated soil to a maximum depth of 12 feet in areas where this would remove the full depth of PCBs;
  
• Excavation and off-site disposal of PCB-contaminated soil to a maximum depth of nine feet in areas where PCBs are present deeper than 12 feet. PCBs that can be accessed will be removed and a long-term containment system will be installed to prevent human exposure and migration of contaminants that cannot be safely or feasibly removed;
  
• Long-term containment of PCBs deeper than nine feet with a slurry wall, watertight sheet piles and an impermeable cap in an area comprising approximately 1.3 acres;
  
• Excavation of lead "hot spots";
  *reconstruction of the shoreline bulkhead using a watertight sheet pile system;
  
• Installation of a soil cover over the remainder of the site not covered by an impermeable cap;
  *environmental easements to prevent disturbance of the soil cover and construction of any structures over the 1.3-acre containment area; and
  
• Long-term monitoring.

Several Interim Remedial Measures (IRMs) were performed at the site during the Remedial Investigation to address contamination and exposure pathways as they were discovered.

In addition to these IRMs, ARCO has also demolished and removed several buildings at the southern end of the site. Prior to demolition, asbestos was removed and the building structures were tested for lead and PCBs.

Between 1919 and 1977 the site was owned and operated by the Anaconda Wire and Cable Company for the manufacture of copper wire, lead covered cable, high voltage cable and insulated wire. Beginning in the late 1930's, PCB mixtures were used to saturate paper and asbestos-wrapped cable before the outer sheathing was applied. The PCB mixture used at the site, Aroclor 1260, has a different chemical "fingerprint" than the mixture released to the upper Hudson River. As a result, sediment impacts attributable to the site can be distinguished from impacts originating upstream. In 1977, Anaconda Wire and Cable was acquired by the Atlantic Richfield Corporation (ARCO).

Written comments on both proposed cleanup plans will be accepted through December 29, 2003. Comments should be sent to George Heitzman at 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-7013. After considering both verbal and written comments, DEC will select the remedies for the site and issue the Records of Decision. Copies of project-related documents are available for public review on DEC's website at Harbor at Hastings, and at the Hastings Public Library, 7 Maple Avenue, Hastings-on-Hudson.