Injuries to Hudson River Surface Water Resources Resulting in the Loss of Navigational Services. Report Issued as Part of the Hudson River Natural Resource Damage Assessment.

摘要

The Champlain Canal was opened to boat traffic in 1916 and historically provided an effective means for recreational travel and commercial transport through the Upper Hudson River.1 To ensure that the Canal continued to perform this valuable role, the State of New York periodically removed sediment that naturally accumulated in the navigation channel. In approximately 1980, however, the State terminated its maintenance activities, with one exception,2 because polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contamination from the General Electric Company (GE) made the cost of disposing of the dredged sediment prohibitively expensive. Over time, sediment has continued to accumulate in the Canal, making navigation more difficult and dangerous. The State, as a natural resource trustee acting on behalf of the public, is responsible for assessing injuries to natural resources from the discharge of PCBs into the river and for determining how to restore lost services such as navigation of the Canal. This report describes how PCBs released by GE have adversely affected the public's ability to use the Upper Hudson River and the Champlain Canal for navigation and documents the legal basis for the State's claim for damages