.1 GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY Fairfield, Connecticut CHAPTER 6 OF HOUSATONIC RIVER PCB SEDIMENT MANAGEMENT STUDY PROGRAM FOR MONITORING THE NATURAL RECOVERY OF THE RIVER April 1988 CO D (ft LMSE-88/0171&337/017 o o o LAWLER, MATUSKY & SKELLY ENGINEERS NJ Environmental Science & Engineering Consultants One Blue Hill Plaza Pearl River, New York 10965 PGE00047117 I I I TABLE OF CONTENTS Page No. I LIST OF FIGURES iv LIST OF TABLES vii I SUMMARY S-l 5.1 Introduction S-l 5.2 Perspective on PCB Concentrations in the S-l I Housatonic River 5.3 Temporal and Spatial Trends in the S-2 Housatonic River I 5.4 PCB Fate and Transport Model S-3 5.5 Projection of PCB Concentrations S-3 5.6 Socioeconomic Impact on the Recreational 5-4 Resource I 5.7 Future Development and the No Action Plan S-4 5.8 Monitoring Program S-5 I 6 PROGRAM FOR MONITORING THE NATURAL RECOVERY 6-1 OF THE RIVER I 6.1 Overview of No Intervening Action Plan 6-1 6.1.1 Background 6-1 I 6.1.2 Chapter Organization 6-4 6.2 PCBs in Water, Sediment, and Fish: Housatonic 6-6 I River in Perspective 6.2.1 Water 6-8 6.2.2 Sediment 6-10 I 6.2.3 Fish 6-15 6.2.3.1 PCB Trends in Housatonic River 6-22 I Fishes 6.3 PC BFate and Transport Model 6-36 6.3.1 Description of WASTOX Model 6-36 I 6.3.2 Parameter Evaluation 5-40 6.3.2.1 Segmentation and Hydrology 6-40 I 6.3.2.2 Bed Sediment Characteristics 6-41 6.3.2.3 Settling, Resuspension, and Burial 6-43 6.3.2.4 Sediment-Water Partitioning 6-48 I 6.3.2.5 Bed Sediment-Water Column 6-50 I Diffusion I Lawlor Mntusky PGE00047118 I I I TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) I Page No. 6.3.2.6 Volatilization 6-50 I 6.3.2.7 Biodegradation 6-50 6.3.2.8 Upstream and Tributary Suspended 6-51 Solids and PCBs 6.3.3 Model Calibration 6-53 6.3.3.1 Solids 6-54 I 6.3.3.2 PCBS 6-56 6.3.4 Model Projections of PCS 6-59 I 6.3.4.1 Long-Term Hydrological Period 6-59 6.3.4.2 Upstream and Tributary Inflows 6-60 I of PCBs ™ 6.3.4.3 Projections of PCBs in 6-61 Sediment and Water • 6.3.4.4 Extrapolation of PCS Concentra- 6-63 • tions in Fish 6.4 Environmental Impacts of No Action Plan 6-68 | 6.4.1 Socioeconomic Impacts 6-68 _ 6.4.1.1 Recreational Impacts 6-68 ™ 6.4.1.2 Angler Surveys 6-78 6.4.1.3 Resource Evaluation 6-90 • 6.4.2 Future Development 6-96 6.4.2.1 Regulatory Process 6-97 • 6.4.2.2 Evaluation of Potential PCB 6-100 Losses From Dredging and Filling Projects • 6.4.2.3 Future Development and the No 6-103 • Action Plan 6.5 Proposed Monitoring Program 6-106 | 6.5.1 Objectives and General Principles 6-106 _ 6.5.2 Sediments 6-108 • 6.5.3 Water 6-109 • 6.5.4 Fish 6-112 6.5.5 Data Review and Assessment 6-114 • I Luu-lor Matuskx SkrIU l'i PGE00047119 I I I TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) Page No. I REFERENCES CITED R-l APPENDICES I A - Scatter Plots of Fish PCB Concentration (ug/g) Versus Total Length (mm) B - PCB Analyses of One Inch Increments of Sediment From Core Samples of Housatonic River in 1986 C - Analytical Framework for the Evaluation of I PCB Release and its Application to a Hypothetical Dredging Project with Subaquatic Disposal in Lake I Lillinonah I I I I I I I I I iii I Lawlor, Malusky '^Skellv Engineers PGE00047120 I I I LIST OF FIGURES I Figure No. Title Page No. 6.1-1 Housatonic River and Watershed Area 6-1A 6.2-1 PCB Concentrations (ug/kg) in Connecticut 6-14B I Bottom Sediments (USGS Data Base) • 6.2-2 Housatonic River, American Eel 6-29B 6.2-3 Housatonic River, Black Crappie 6-29C | 6.2-4 Housatonic River, Brown Bullhead 6-29D _ 6.2-5 Housatonic River, Brown Trout 6-29E • 6.2-6 Housatonic River, Carp 6-29F • 6.2-7 Housatonic River, Chain Pickerel 6-29G 6.2-8 Housatonic River, Largemouth Bass 6-29H I 6.2-9 Housatonic River, Lepomis spp. 6-291 6.2-10 Housatonic River, Rock Bass 6-29J I 6.2-11 Housatonic River, Smallmouth Bass 6-29K • 6.2-12 Housatonic River, White Catfish 6-29L 6.2-13 Housatonic River, White Crappie 6-29M • 6.2-14 Housatonic River, White Perch 6-29N 6.2-15 Housatonic River, White Sucker 6-290 I 6.2-1 6 Housatonic River, Yellow Perch 6-29P 6.2-17 Total PCB in Insect Tissue, Housatonic 6-34A I River, Cornwall, CT 6.3-1 Fluxes of PCB Associated With the Bed 6-40A I 6.3-2 Schematic of Model Segments and River 6-40C Flows of Housatonic River 6.3-3 Sediment PCB vs Mile Point 6-42A 6.3-4 Sediment PCB and TOC vs Depth, Falls 6-43A I Village and Bulls Bridge I Lawlcr, Malusky •"'''Skolly Engineers PGE00047121 I I LIST OF FIGURES • (Continued) Figure No. Title Page No. 6.3-5 Sediment PCB and TOC vs Depth, Lake 6-43B I Lillinonah-Rt. 133 Bridge, Lake Lillinonah-Shepaug Dam 6.3-6 Sediment PCB and TOC vs Depth, Lake Zoar- 6-43C • Rt. 84 Bridge, Lake Zoar-Stevenson Dam 6.3-7 Procedure for Evaluating Sediment Burial 6-45B | Rate and Depth of Active Sediment Based on Cesium . 6.3-8 Sediment Cesium vs Depth Without Mixing 6-46A ™ 6.3-9 Flow Dependent Resuspension Relationship 6-48A • 6.3-10 Suspended Solids Calibration, Segments 1-4 6-55A 6.3-11 Suspended Solids Calibration, Segments 5-7 6-55B | 6.3-12 PCB Calibration Results in Water Column 6-57A and Sediment, Segments 1, 2 (Total), 1 & 8, • 2 & 9 (Particulate) • 6.3-13 PCB Calibration Results in Water Column 6-57B • and Sediment, Segments 3, 4 (Total), 3 & 10, | 4&11 (Particulate) 6.3-14 PCB Calibration Results in Water Column 6-57C I and Sediment, Segments 5, 6 (Total, 5 & 12, m 6 & 13 (Particulate) 6.3-15 PCB Calibration Results in Water Column 6-57D • and Sediment, Segment 7 (Total), 7 i 14 (Particulate) • 6.3-16 Housatonic River at Falls Village, CT 6-59A 6.3-17 Decaying PCB Boundary and Tributary Con- 6-60A I centrations • I I Mnlusky Skolly K I PGE00047122 I I • LIST OF FIGURES (Continued) I Figure No. Title Page No. I 6.3-18 PCB Projection Under No Action Plan 6-61A • Segments 2/9, 3/10 6.3-19 PCB Projection Under No Action Plan 6-613 1 Segments 4/10, 5/12 6.3-20 PCB Projection Under No Action Plan 6-61C 1 Segments 6/13, 7/14 6.3-21 PCB Projections Under No Action Plan 6-64A • 6.4-1 Recreational Areas on Housatonic River 6-77A and Its Adjacent Water Bodies | 6.4-2 Total PCB Release From Lake Llllinoah With 6-103A and Without Hypothetical Marina Dredging _ and Subaquatic Disposal I I I I I I I I vi I Lawler, Mntusky : ^Skelly E PGE00047123 I I I LIST OF TABLES Table No. Title Page No. 6.2-1 PCB Concentration Data for Whole Water 6-8A I Samples From Housatonic River 6.2-2 PCB Concentrations in Whole Water Samples 6-8B1 I From a Variety of Land Use Areas 6.2-3 PCB Concentrations in Whole Water Samples 6-8C I of the North Atlantic Slope 6.2-4 PCB Concentrations in Sediments of Remote 6-11A I Habitats Where PCBs Have Been Located 6.2-5 PCB Concentrations in Sediments of Lakes 6-12A I and Streams From a Variety of Land Use Areas 6.2-6 State PCB Concentration Data for Bottom 6-13A1 Sediments from a Variety of Land Use Areas I 6.2-7 PCB Concentrations in Bottom Sediments of 6-13B Connecticut Rivers and Lakes I 6.2-8 Sediment PCB Concentrations in the State 6-14A1 of Connecticut I 6.2-9 PCB Concentrations in Sediment of Four 6-15A Housatonic River Impoundments 6.2-10 Geometric Mean, Maximum Wet-Weight, and 6-16A I Lipid-Weight Concentrations, and Percentage of Stations Showing Detectable Concentrations I in at Least One Sample 6.2-11 Mean PCB Concentrations in Lake Trout 6-19A From Various Regions of Lake Superior and I Siskiwlt Lake, Isle Royale 6.2-12 Range in Mean PCB Concentrations in Species 6-19B of Fish From Big Cypress Swamp Collected I During Winter and Spring 1972 6.2-13 Range and Arithmetic Mean of PCB Concentrations 6-20A I in Whole Fish Composite Samples of Two Species of Fish From Upper and Lower Reaches of the I Apalachicola River, Florida, 1978 I I jjr, Matusky 'Skelly PGE00047124 I I LIST OF TABLES I (Continued) Table No. Title Pace No. 6,2-14 1975 PCS Concentrations in Edible Flesh 6-20B of Multiple Composite Samples for Species of Fish From Nonindustrialized orLightly • Industrialized Watersheds ofNew York State • 6.2-15 Within- and Among-Group Correlation forIn 6-26A • Total PCB Concentration, In Total Length, In | Total Weight, Age, and Percentage Lipid for Selected Fish • 6.2-16 Results From Analysis of Covariance for 6-29A ™ Housatonic River Fishes, 1979-1986 6.2-17 Estimated Rate of Change 1n PCBConcentra- 6-30A • tion Over Years and River Kilometer for Housatonic River, 1979-1986 • 6.2-18 Average Length, Percentage Lipid, and 6-33A Weight of Seven Species of Housatonic _ River Fishes Examined for PCBs During • 1979-1986 • 6.3-1 Drainage Areas andLong-Term Average Flows 6-408 • 6.3-2 Physical Characteristics of Model Segments 6-41A 6.3.3 Bed Sediment Characteristics of Model Segment 6-41B • 6.3-4 Cesium 137 Activity (pC1/gm dry) for Select 6-45A Increments of Housatonic River Cores I 6.3-5 Solids Settling, Resuspension, and Burial 6-47A Rates of Model Segments • 6.3-6 Model Input Flow Data for 18 Month Calibra- 6-54A tion Period 6.3-7 PCB Concentrations Measured in Water Column 6-56A * of Housatonic River in Connecticut 6.3-8 Partitioning-Based Bloconcentration Esti- 6-63A | mates of Direct PCB Uptake by Fish 6.3-9 Percentage of Fish Above FDA Action Level of 6-65A I 27 ug/nn/gn ™ vi ii • Lawlor Matuskv "8k«lly rs • PGE00047125 I I I LIST OF TABLES (Continued) I Table No.