The Hudson River PCBs Superfund Site stretches 200 miles through New York and ranks among the largest hazardous waste sites in the country. Two General Electric capacitor plants in Fort Edward and Hudson Falls discharged roughly 1.3 million pounds of polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, into the river over about 30 years, ending in 1977. PCBs build up in living organisms and move up the food chain. They are considered probable human carcinogens and are linked to low birth weight, thyroid disease, and learning, memory, and immune system disorders. New York State has restricted or closed various Hudson River fisheries and issued fish consumption advisories since 1976.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a cleanup decision in February 2002, calling for targeted dredging of roughly 2.65 million cubic yards of contaminated sediment from a 40-mile stretch of the Upper Hudson River between Fort Edward and Troy. Dredging ran from May 2009 through fall 2015 across six seasons. Phase 1 removed about 283,000 cubic yards in 2009. Phase 2 ran from 2011 through 2015 and removed roughly 2.5 million cubic yards. In total, about 2.75 million cubic yards of sediment came out of the river. Habitat reconstruction followed dredging activity, continuing into 2016, and GE's processing facility in Fort Edward was decontaminated and dismantled that same year.
The project is now in a long-term monitoring phase. EPA and its partners are tracking sediment, fish, water quality, rebuilt habitats, and caps placed over areas where PCBs remain. Sediment sampling happens every five years. Fish monitoring continues indefinitely at sites throughout the Upper and Lower Hudson River, with the New York State Department of Health and Department of Environmental Conservation setting and adjusting consumption advisories. Caps are evaluated at one, five, and ten years after placement, then every ten years after that. Water column monitoring will continue into the foreseeable future to measure PCB concentrations and movement.
EPA conducts five-year reviews to confirm the remedy protects human health and the environment. The most recent review was completed in January 2025. General Electric is also investigating PCB contamination in the Upper Hudson River floodplain as part of the broader cleanup. Community members who want to stay current on the site can follow updates through EPA's five-year review process and track fish consumption advisories issued by New York State health and environmental agencies.
