[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 176 (Friday, September 11, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48728-48729]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-24478]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-6159-6]
Peer Review Meeting on the Hudson River PCBs Reassessment RI/FS
Phase 2 Report Entitled ``Preliminary Model Calibration Report (PMCR)''
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of a Scientific Peer Review meeting to review EPA's
Preliminary Model Calibration Report (PMCR).
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SUMMARY: Eastern Research Group, Inc. (ERG), a U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) contractor, has scheduled a scientific peer
review meeting to review the ``Preliminary Model Calibration Report
(PMCR).'' This report is one of several reports that comprise the basis
for EPA's reassessment of the PCB-contaminated portions of the upper
Hudson River. This report includes data and information used to make
projections of future concentrations of PCBs in water, sediment, and
fish tissue as well as the rationale for selection of calibration data
sets and projections for the Thompson Island Pool.
DATES: The scientific peer review meeting will be held on September 9
and 10, 1998, from 9:00 a.m. to approximately 5:00 p.m. each day. The
public is invited to attend the scientific peer review meeting. There
is no charge for attending the meeting; however, seating is limited so
advance registration is suggested.
ADDRESSES: The scientific peer review meeting will be held at the
Sheraton Saratoga Springs Hotel and Conference Center, 534 Broadway,
Saratoga Springs, NY, 12866. To make hotel reservations, please call
the hotel directly at (518) 584-4000. Reference the ``PCBs Peer Review
Meeting'' to receive the group rate. The Sheraton Saratoga Springs
Hotel and Conference Center is located off Exit 15 of I-87 (Adirondack
Northway). If traveling North on I-87, turn left off Exit 15. At the
fifth traffic light, turn left onto Rock Street. At the stop sign, turn
right onto Maple Avenue. The Sheraton parking lot is on the right. If
traveling South on I-87, turn right off Exit 15. At the fourth traffic
light, turn left onto Rock Street. At the stop sign turn right onto
Maple Avenue. The Sheraton parking lot is on the right. Members of the
public wishing to attend the meeting may contact EPA's contractor,
Eastern Research Group, Inc. (ERG), by calling the ERG meeting
registration line at (781) 674-7374.
The document to be peer reviewed, entitled ``Preliminary Model
Calibration Report (PMCR),'' may be obtained by contacting Damien
Hughes, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region II, Emergency and
Remedial Response Division, 290 Broadway, 20th Floor, New York, NY,
10007-1866; telephone (212) 637-3957; fax (212) 637-4284. When
ordering, please provide your name, mailing address, and the document
title.
The PMCR also will be available for public inspection at the EPA
Region II Library, 290 Broadway, 16th Floor, New York, NY, 10007-1866,
between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday,
except for federal holidays.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) has contracted with Eastern
[[Page 48729]]
Research Group, Inc. (ERG) to manage and conduct the peer review. To
attend the meeting contact ERG's registration line at (781) 674-7374,
and reference the ``PCBs Peer Review Meeting.'' A limited amount of
time will be set aside for members of the public to present brief oral
comments regarding the Preliminary Model Calibration Report (PMCR) to
the peer review panel or for public record on each day of the meeting.
Oral presentations will be limited to a maximum of 5 minutes, and the
number of people giving oral comment may be limited by the time
available. Opportunity for making oral comment will be provided on a
first-come, first-served basis; therefore, the public is encouraged to
register in advance to present oral comments by contacting ERG's
registration line at (781) 674-7374.
For general questions about the overall Hudson River PCBs
Reassessment, contact Ann Rychlenski, U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, Region II, Communications Division, 290 Broadway, New York, NY,
10007-1866, (212) 637-3672.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: From about 1947 to 1977, approximately 1.1
million pounds of PCBs were discharged into the Hudson River from two
General Electric (GE) Company capacitor manufacturing plants located in
Fort Edward and Hudson Falls, New York. The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) has classified PCBs as probable human
carcinogens. In 1983, a 197-mile stretch of the Hudson River from
Hudson Falls to the Battery in New York City was classified as a
Superfund site. In 1984, EPA made an interim no-action decision for the
contaminated upper Hudson River sediments.
In 1990, EPA began the reassessment of its no-action decision of
PCB-contaminated sediments in the upper Hudson River. Because of the
size and complexity of the site and the high degree of public interest
associated with this project, EPA decided to conduct the reassessment
in three phases, issuing reports to the public as work progressed.
Phase 2, the largest in scope, was further broken down into six
segments. EPA's eventual remedial decision for this site will depend on
the information contained in all three phases of the project and in all
associated reports, and how that information fits together as a whole.
The reports consist of the following:
Phase 1 Report--This report compiled and analyzed existing data
relevant to PCB contamination in the Hudson River. The report also
included a preliminary ecological risk assessment and a preliminary
human health risk assessment. The Phase 1 Report was released in August
1991.
Phase 2 Report--The Phase 2 Report consists of seven separately
issued reports:
Database Report--The report is a guide to understanding
the information contained in the database and where to find it. The
database includes EPA's Phase 2 data from the New York State Department
of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), General Electric (GE), the U.S.
Geological Survey (USGS), and other sources. EPA's database is
available to the public on CD-ROM. An explanation of the database is
contained in the Database Report, but the report did not include any
analyses or findings. The report was released in November 1995; the CD-
ROM was released in March 1996. An update to the database is expected
in July 1998.
Preliminary Model Calibration Report--This report includes
groundwork for projections of future concentrations of PCBs in water,
sediment, and fish tissue; rationale for selection of calibration data
sets; and projections for the Thompson Island Pool. The report provides
interested parties with an opportunity to review and comment on the
assumptions used in the models developed for the reassessment. The
report was released in October 1996.
Data Evaluation and Interpretation Report--This report
contains geochemical analysis of data from water columns and high-
resolution sediment coring investigations; evaluation of these data to
determine relationships between parameters; and evaluation of PCB
sources. This report, which complements the computer modeling, was
released in February 1997.
Low Resolution Coring Report--This report contains
information that describes the technical approach for the Low
Resolution Coring Program, field sampling procedures, and sample
analysis. The report also interprets the results of the program,
presents evidence on how the low-resolution coring results build on
previously collected Phase 2 data, and examines PCB inventories in the
area of study.
Baseline Modeling Report--This report will provide
projections of future concentrations of PCBs in water, sediment, and
fish tissue without remediation; will include the interpretation of the
low-resolution sediment coring data; and will provide interested
parties an opportunity to review the baseline model projections prior
to their incorporation into the risk assessments.
Ecological Risk Assessment--This report will include the
evaluation and interpretation of the ecological field data, further the
Phase I ecological risk assessment, and present the ecological risk to
certain organisms associated with the site.
Human Health Risk Assessment--This report will present the
human health risks associated with the site. It includes cancer and
non-cancer risks from consumption of fish and other exposure pathways
from the upper Hudson River, will include the most current PCB toxicity
values adopted by EPA in the risk calculation, and will qualitatively
address endocrine disruption effects.
Phase 3 Report--The Phase 3 Report will consist of the Feasibility
Study, a detailed analysis of remedial alternatives, the running of
models for each remedial scenario, and a calculation of risk reduction
for each scenario.
The above reassessment reports taken together, along with the
public comment received on them, will assist EPA in formulating a
Proposed Plan for the Site, in which the Agency will propose its
preferred remedy for the Site.
Only the Preliminary Model Calibration Report (PMCR) and related
supplemental documents will be the subject of the scientific peer
review meeting to be held on September 9 and 10, 1998; the Phase 1
Report, the other Phase 2 Reports, and the Phase 3 Report will not be
addressed.
Dated: September 1, 1998.
William J. Muszynski,
Deputy Regional Administrator, Region 2.
[FR Doc. 98-24478 Filed 9-10-98; 8:45 am]
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