The Environmental Protection Agency finalized an interim cleanup plan to address mercury-contaminated sediment and soil in the upper Wappinger Creek in Dutchess County, New York, on Oct. 1.
The plan focuses on source removal of mercury contamination and will inform longer-term remediation decisions for the waterway, which flows through a fast-growing suburban region in the Hudson Valley, according to EPA.
Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that accumulates in the food chain through a process called bioaccumulation. In waterways, mercury in sediment is converted by bacteria into methylmercury, which builds up in fish tissue and can pose health risks to people who eat contaminated fish — particularly pregnant women, nursing mothers and young children.
The contamination has resulted in fish consumption advisories for Wappinger Creek, limiting the ability of residents to safely eat fish caught in the waterway. Recreational users of the creek, including anglers and kayakers, are also affected.
Dutchess County is a growing suburban and exurban area approximately 75 miles north of New York City. The creek flows through communities that value it as a recreational, aesthetic and ecological resource.
The interim cleanup plan was developed under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act — commonly known as Superfund — which gives EPA authority to investigate and clean up sites contaminated with hazardous substances.
By finalizing the interim plan, EPA moves the remediation process from study into action, with physical cleanup work to follow the remedial design phase. The interim approach allows EPA to address the most immediate contamination sources while continuing to assess the full scope of the problem.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and Dutchess County Department of Health have been involved in the site assessment and are expected to coordinate with EPA on cleanup activities.
Riverkeeper, a Hudson Valley environmental advocacy organization, has monitored water quality issues throughout the region, including mercury contamination in tributaries of the Hudson River.