Community Gathering on Grasse River Cleanup

 

Darren Bonaparte giving a historical perspective of the close ties between the people of Akwesasne and the Grasse River.

The Akwesasne Task Force on the Environment and the St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Council’s Environment Division hosted a community gathering to share information on the Proposed Environmental Protection Agency’s Grasse River Remediation. This meeting was held on Sunday, October 28, 2012 at the St. Regis Mohawk School Multipurpose room as part of EPA’s public participation responsibilities under Section 117(a) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act of 1980. This regulation ensures EPA gives the public an opportunity to voice their concerns on record. The public comment period began on October 1, 2012 and ends on November 15, 2012. The public comment meeting scheduled for Monday, October 29, 2012 was cancelled due to Hurricane Sandy.

Jacob Terrance, Superfund Oversite Specialist, Barb Tarbell, Natural Resource Damage Assessment Coordinator, and Jessica Jock, all from the St Regis Mohawk Tribal Environment Division.

The Grasse River contamination site begins at the confluence of the Massena Power Canal (Power Canal) and ends at the mouth of the St. Lawrence River. It covers 7. 2 miles and is divided in “transects.” Each transect measures 0.1 miles, so 7.2 miles equals 72 transects. EPA also categorizes the Grasse River into the “near shore” and “main channel.” The depth of the near shore is less than 5.0 feet and the main channel is more than 5.0 feet. The original sources of the PCB contamination in the Grasse River were discharges from the Alcoa plant outfalls. The EPA has 10 options of remediation ranging from “No Further Action” costing zero dollars to Number 10, which would consist of all dredging and capping all residuals at a cost of billion dollars. The Alcoa Massena West Plant is located on the north shore of the lower Grasse River; as well, there are two other large manufacturing facilities within two miles of the Grasse River confluence; the Alcoa Massena East Plant and the former General Motors Central Foundry Division. The Grasse River has an interesting history that is intertwined with the Power Canal and Alcoa, which includes the deepening of the canal in the early 1990’s, dredging during the FDR Project in the 1950’s and the closing of the Canal altogether. Alcoa and the EPA agree on Number 6 of the 10 options of clean up. This would include the placement of a 25 inch armored cap over parts of the main channel, a 12 inch cap over other parts of the channel and dredging of near shore sediment, all depending on the level of PCB contaminants found in each transect. This alternative includes 59 acres of armored cap, approximately 225 acres of main channel cap, and sediment dredging in the near shore and 41 acres backfilled by grade.


This proposed plan would leave about 93% of the PCB sediments behind. This would include an unproven process of Armor Capping. Armor Capping consist of placement of a 25-inch layer of sand/top soil over the natural sand/silt riverbed. This entire process, Number 6, also leaves the contaminated site susceptible to ice scouring in the future.


The change made to the Grasse River altered the physical and ecological characteristics forever. Historically, the Grasse River was once a shallow river containing a wide variety of cool and warm water fish including smallmouth bass, northern pike, walleye, bullhead, yellow perch, the great muskellunge and lake sturgeon. At present, the Grasse River environment had been severely altered over the past 100 years. It has a depth of about 15 to 25 feet in the main channel with steep side slopes and was widened to 400 to 600 feet at various parts of the river. At present, the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) warns that no species of fish from the lower Grasse River (this is the mouth of the river to the Power Canal) should be eaten because of the PCB’s in the fish. Ever. In the Massena Power Canal the recommendation is no more than one meal per month of the smallmouth bass for men over 15 years and women over 50 years. For children under the age of 15 and for women up to the age of 50 the advice is to eat none. This advisory will remain in effect for the next 30 years.


Historically, the 1796 Treaty guarantees unlimited resource rights to the river and the land along the banks, hich includes fishing, hunting, harvesting, and spiritual ceremonies. A letter/memo was sent to EPA in regards to this in 2003, the answered letter in 2011 acknowledges the rights retained by the People of Akwesasne. The Grasse River is on Akwesasne land.


The EPA’s window for public comment to go on record is very short. It is the comments from Akwesasne people that can make the difference between an ineffective resolution to the PCB contamination and an effective one. For more information please contact the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe Environment Division at 518-358-5937. There are prewritten letters that can be picked up at the Akwesasne Library. Administrative Record, a non-circulating reference is available at the Akwesasne Library and the SRMT Environment Division. This Record is a comprehensive document detailing the site history, result of the remedial investigation and proposed actions by Alcoa and EPA. You can also contact Young S. Chang, Remedial Project Manager at U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 290 Broadway, 20th Floor, New York, NY 1007-1866. His fax is 212-637-3966 or contact him at Chang.Young@epa.gov


The digital copy of the PRAP is available at http://www.remtenv.org: click on Superfund, click on Alcoa West. Or at http://www.epa.gov/: click on New York State, click on “Superfund and RCRA Cleanups”, click on first listing for “Aluminum Company of America.”


 

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