The US Environmental Protection Agency is asking for public input on GE’s Revised Pre-Design Investigation Work Plan for Reach 5A Non-Residential Floodplain Exposure. A media release from the Berkshire Environmental Action Team says that the public input opportunity is not required by law, but something its EPA site team does routinely to give people more input on how the remediation happens. 

Reach 5A is approximately the first five miles of the Rest of River, including the floodplain, but not residential properties, from the Confluence to the Pittsfield Wastewater Treatment Plant. GE is required to conduct additional sampling of floodplain soil, as needed, to determine the total PCB exposure point concentration for each exposure area. This Revised Non-Residential Floodplain Pre-Design Investigation Work Plan includes a proposal for sampling in the 59+ vernal pools as well. 

Different areas within 5A are classified based on how often people go to that area - how much they might be exposed. 

The document lays out exactly how GE plans to decide on how many samples should be taken in each exposure area. 

Here is the information from the EPA on how to find the document and how to comment: 

On June 25, 2021, GE submitted the following Rest of River document to EPA:  Revised Pre-Design Investigation Work Plan for Reach 5A Non-Residential Floodplain Exposure Areas. The document is available at:  https://semspub.epa.gov/src/document/01/655296 

If you plan to comment on this Revised Pre-Design Investigation Work Plan for Reach 5A Non-Residential Floodplain Exposure Areas, you should send it to R1Housatonic@epa.gov  by July 30th.

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