Marge may be right. Politics certainly plays a part in the decision to dredge PCBs from the upper Hudson River. But consider the circumstances. GE's dumping of surplus transformer oil from their Schenectady plant into the Hudson was perfectly legal at the time they did it. The decision to dredge the Hudson was forced on them although their legal obligation to do so was uncertain. While Marge may be concerned about the EPA's tactics, the NYS decisions are largely responsible for turning the Hudson from the open sewer that it was in the early 1900s to the beautiful river it is today. It is easy to be politically doctrinaire when you live 2000 miles from the problem area. The article itself, published in the left leaning New York Times, failed to mention one of the most polluted Superfund sites on the river, the lovely bay just south of Cold Spring, opposite West Point. This was the site of the Marathon Battery plant which dumped so much cadmium and heavy metals into the river during WW2 that the bottom is almost terminally polluted. If you scoop a tablespoon of mud from the bottom of the river the Federal EPA and the NYS DEC deem it illegal to put it back?in.
All that being said there is no reason to abort a trip up the Hudson. The river is as beautiful as it ever was. The scenery is arguably the best in the US. The minor silting of the adjacent canals is of no import to most trawler owners. The Erie Canal is listed as 12 feet, the Champlain Canal at 9 feet. Both should be perfectly safe for trawlers drawing 6 feet or less. Locks have been repaired and the canals are currently being dredged. As far as the PCBs go, the NYS DEC advises eating no more than three fish a week taken from the river. Blue crabs again carpet portions of the river from shore to shore and the sturgeons and striped bass are making a comeback. Whatever your political bias it is obvious that NYS is doing the right thing.

Larry Z

I agree with Larry that a trip up the Hudson is not to be missed.
Larry said " Whatever your political bias it is obvious that NYS is doing
the right thing."

Alternatively, perhaps Gods creation of the earth is more resilient than us
humans give it credit.
R.

-----Original Message-----
From: lrzeitlin@aol.com [mailto:lrzeitlin@aol.com]

All that being said there is no reason to abort a trip up the

Hudson. The river is as beautiful as it ever was. The scenery is arguably
the best in the US. The minor silting of the adjacent canals is of no import
to most trawler owners. The Erie Canal is listed as 12 feet, the Champlain
Canal at 9 feet. Both should be perfectly safe for trawlers drawing 6 feet
or less. Locks have been repaired and the canals are currently being
dredged. As far as the PCBs go, the NYS DEC advises eating no more than
three fish a week taken from the river. Blue crabs again carpet portions of
the river from shore to shore and the sturgeons and striped bass are making
a comeback. Whatever your political bias it is obvious that NYS is doing the
right thing.
Larry Z