The Hudson River is a body of water that stretches for 315 miles from the Adirondack Mountains to the Battery in Manhattan, reaching its deepest point of 216 feet in the Highlands near Constitution Island and West Point and reaches its widest point of 3 miles across at Havestraw. This river is one of the most beautiful and scenic of the Tri-State area. Unfortunately, it happens to be New York's most polluted river. The river has been influenced upon since the early 1600's, when Englishman Henry Hudson commanded the Dutch ship Half Moon on an exploration of the river, certain that he had discovered a trade route to China. It soon dawned that this was no Atlantic-to-Pacific passage but an Edenlike place of awesome potential-a river valley teeming with prospect and spirit that was worth fighting for. In the centuries that followed, the fight for the river and its commerce never stopped, and still continues to the present. Then during the Industrial Revolution, with the advent of hulking manufacturing plants on the riverbanks, everything changed. The river became a sewer, cut off from the people around it by the electrification of the railr

Polychlorinated biphenyl's (PCBs) are a group of synthetic oil-like chemicals (therefore insoluble in water) of the organochlorine family. Until their toxic nature was recognized and their use was banned in the 1970s, they were widely used as insulation in electrical equipment, particularly transformers. Reputable chemists have since concluded, "it was probably a mistake ever to make or use PCBs." These are serious poisons, which have been shown to cause damage to the reproductive, neurological and immune systems of wildlife and humans and are known to cause cancer. Exposure has also been linked to behavioral damage. Specifically, because PCBs in the body mimic estrogen, women of childbearing age and their infants are particularly susceptible to a variety of development and reproductive disorders. Once in the body, these compounds do one of two things: they block the normal passage of hormones into their receptors, or, mimic the hormone itself and enter the receptor in lieu of the hormone. By doing so can irrevocably alter and damage the development of the organism.

As long as PCBs remain in the river, the danger of exposure will remain as well. Removing contaminated sediments from the river is the surest way to reduce PCB levels in fish, and in the people who eat Hudson River fish. The NYS DEC is investigating a long-term solution to PCB-contamination at GE's facilities in Hudson Falls and Fort Edward. This will include stopping ongoing migration of PCBs to the Hudson River and remediating both upland sites. At the same time, EPA continues to conduct a Superfund Reassessment of PCB-contaminated sediments. The culmination of this process will result in a Record of Decision, which may recommend dredging contaminated sediments for treatment and destruction. Advanced dredging techniques exist which could remove the contaminated material with minimal dispersal of material into the surrounding water. This has been successfully demonstrated in cleanups around the country. Deposited onshore in a prepared location, the material could then be concentrated and treated biochemically of preferably thermochemically under controlled conditions to break down the PCB molecules into hazardous residues. These are established, proven technologies. Another technique of removal would be the usage of a cutterhead suction dredge. This will limit the resuspent

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1597
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)