Riverkeeper Calls for Most Comprehensive Possible Cleanup of Hudson River Coal Tar at Poughkeepsie

Contamination from the manufactured gas plant covers several acres of river bottom to the north and south of the Walkway Over the Hudson state park. (Photo by Dan Shapley / Riverkeeper)
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Contamination from the manufactured gas plant covers several acres of river bottom to the north and south of the Walkway Over the Hudson state park. (Photo by Dan Shapley / Riverkeeper)

On Friday, November 20, Riverkeeper submitted its comments to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) regarding the proposed remedies for the Poughkeepsie Manufactured Gas Plant brownfields site just below the Walkway Over the Hudson.

For 100 years this site has been polluting the Hudson, with bubbles of coal tar rising to the surface of the Hudson and bursting into sheens and foul odors. After way too long, DEC is finally requiring the site to be cleaned up, and Riverkeeper is actively engaged to ensure the cleanup restores the Hudson and its shoreline to the greatest degree possible..

Agreeing with DEC’s statements that the coal tar “needs to come out” of the river, Riverkeeper’s comments supported dredging the greatest amount of the toxic and highly mobile contaminants to ensure a permanent cleanup of the site.

Importantly, Riverkeeper’s comments called for the following:

• DEC must ensure that any such dredging is done in a manner that avoids or minimizes resuspension of contaminated sediment and adverse impacts to fish and other wildlife, including endangered sturgeon.
• DEC must consider hybrid or modified remedial alternatives in order to most fully protect human health and the environment.
• DEC must include in any final selected remedy the likely future use of the site for recreational and general public access.
• DEC must include natural shoreline and habitat restoration requirements as a necessary part of any final selected remedy.
• Much more analysis needs to be done in order for DEC to make an informed and rational decision as to the final selected remedy for the Poughkeepsie MGP Site.

Riverkeeper’s full comments can be read here.

We made our comments on behalf of our 55,000 members — and hundreds of supporters joined our call by submitting their own comment letters. Your vocal support on this long-awaited cleanup is invaluable! Thank you.