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Floodplain Properties
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The cleanup agreement requires General Electric to investigate and cleanup PCBs and non-PCB contaminants in the soils of specific properties that lie within the Housatonic River floodplain downstream of the Lyman Street Bridge. These floodplain areas have been identified using historic information concerning flood conditions along the river and hydraulic models of the river floodplain showing where PCB concentrations in soil are predicted to equal 1 ppm. The floodplain properties identified in the cleanup agreement are presented on the following Figure: Housatonic River Floodplain Properties Under Investigation. (PDF) (1 pp., 875 KB, about PDF)
The cleanup agreement identifies three different categories of floodplain properties:
- Floodplain Current Residential Properties Adjacent to 1½-Mile Reach- Actual/Potential Lawns;
- Floodplain Non-Residential Properties Adjacent to 1½-Mile Reach (Excluding Banks);
- Floodplain Residential Properties Downstream of Confluence - Actual/Potential Lawns.
Actual/Potential Lawns are defined in the Consent Decree as all areas of the Housatonic River floodplain current residential properties except the riverbanks and those areas at which the wet nature or steep slope of the ground surface are inconsistent with residential use.
The specific removal (cleanup) actions conducted at each individual property will vary depending upon the floodplain category it falls under. The Statement of Work for Removal Actions Outside the River (SOW, Appendix E to the Consent Decree) describes the Removal Actions that GE shall conduct for each category:
Floodplain Current Residential Properties Adjacent to 1½-Mile Reach- Actual/Potential Lawns -The 1½-Mile Reach is defined by the Lyman Street bridge (upstream) and the confluence with the West Branch (downstream) (Figure 1-2 of the SOW). This Removal Action Area (RAA) includes the Actual/Potential Lawns (as defined in the Consent Decree) of approximately 35 residential properties along this reach, where such areas are located within the floodplain.
Floodplain Non-Residential Properties Adjacent to 1½-Mile Reach (Excluding Banks) - As noted above, the 1½-Mile Reach is defined by the Lyman Street Bridge (upstream) and the confluence with the West Branch (downstream), including Fred Garner Park. This RAA includes non-bank portions of approximately 11 non-residential properties along this reach where such portions are located within the floodplain. Excluded from this RAA are those properties associated with the Former Oxbow Areas RAAs, as well as the portions of non-residential properties that are situated on the riverbank (which will be addressed as part of the separate Removal Action for the 1½-Mile Reach, as described in the Consent Decree).
Floodplain Residential Properties Downstream of Confluence - Actual/Potential Lawns - This RAA begins at the confluence with the West Branch and extends in a downriver direction. This RAA includes the Actual/Potential Lawns of the following residential properties where such areas are located within the floodplain: approximately 12 residential properties between the confluence and Woods Pond Dam and any other residential properties downstream of Woods Pond Dam with Actual/Potential Lawns present in the floodplain that are found to contain PCBs at concentrations greater than 2 ppm.
The Floodplain Properties do not include river sediments and riverbank soils, as well as other floodplain soils downstream of the confluence (i.e., non-residential areas and residential areas that are not Actual/Potential Lawns).
As specified in the cleanup agreement, GE shall investigate each property, determine the spatial average PCB and non-PCB contaminant concentrations in the property soils at various depth intervals (down to a maximum of 15 feet), and either remove the soils or install an engineered barrier over the soils if the soil spatial average concentration exceeds the standards presented in the Consent Decree. For a more detailed description of the Housatonic River Floodplain property removal actions and cleanup performance standards see pages 60 through 70 of the Statement of Work (Appendix E to the Consent Decree).