With only six months to go until the commencement of the dredging of the Hudson River to rid it of PCBs discharged by General Electric decades ago, the project is still highly controversial and in danger of being delayed yet again.

According to an editorial in the Poughkeepsie Journal, small towns downriver of the area that will be dredged are concerned that it will release chemicals into their drinking water as it disturbs the river bottom.

The Environmental Protection Agency is planning to build a water line from Troy to supply these communities with clean water, and says it will halt dredging if water quality tests show PCB levels to exceed certain minimums. However, there has been no guarantee that the water line will be completed before the dredging begins, and there is disagreement over who will pay for the upkeep of the line and be held accountable for any potential problems.

This has led town officials affected by the project to threaten legal action to guarantee access to safe drinking water. While it is important that the project, which was supposed to commence in 2005, does in fact begin this spring, it is also important that the voices of these towns are heard and a guarantee is given that their drinking water will be safe.