EPA conditionally approves GE's plans for the Upland Disposal Facility, an important part of the Housatonic River Cleanup
BOSTON (Mar. 20, 2025) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has conditionally approved the General Electric Company's Revised Upland Disposal Facility (UDF) Final Design Plan and GE's UDF Revised Operation, Monitoring, and Maintenance Plan (OMM). These documents provide GE's Final Design and the Operation, Monitoring, and Maintenance plan for the UDF that GE will be constructing in the Town of Lee. The UDF will accept lower-level PCB contaminated materials that GE will remove from the Housatonic River during cleanup.
EPA's conditional approval is a significant step in the construction of the UDF and the needed cleanup of the Housatonic River. EPA anticipates that GE will begin UDF construction preparation activities, including bringing equipment on site, by the end of 2025. Later this year, GE will be submitting to EPA for approval an initial Supplemental Information Package (SIP) that contains further construction details.
EPA is providing technical support and coordination with the Town of Lee to aid in identifying reuse options for the UDF, which is owned by GE. The UDF will be safe for recreational uses such as walking trails and hiking. One option that has been discussed with the Town of Lee includes its development as a pollinator garden.
The UDF Revised OMM Plan describes the operation, monitoring, and maintenance activities GE will implement during its construction of and consolidation operations at the UDF. GE will be updating their plans at certain milestones, including to address OMM during and after the capping of the UDF.
EPA held a public input period regarding GE's documents from December 23, 2024 to February 10, 2025. Before that, EPA also held a public input period and a public meeting on GE's conceptual design for the UDF.
For links to EPA's Approval Letters, see:
EPA's Conditional Approval Letter for GE's Revised Upland Disposal Facility Final Design Plan (pdf) :
https://semspub.epa.gov/src/document/01/688442.
EPA's Conditional Approval Letter for GE's UDF Revised Operations, Monitoring and Maintenance Plan (pdf) :
https://semspub.epa.gov/src/document/01/688443.
For links to GE's documents, see:
UDF Revised Final Design Plan (pdf) :
https://semspub.epa.gov/src/document/01/686818.
UDF Revised Operations, Monitoring, and Maintenance Plan (pdf) :
https://semspub.epa.gov/src/document/01/686819.