Lee — In a late-afternoon email on Monday, April 1, the Environmental Protection Agency canceled a Wednesday, April 3 meeting that had been scheduled at the Lee Middle School/High School, in conjunction with the Housatonic Rest of River remediation plan.
The message cited “forecasted weather conditions” as the impetus for calling off the meeting slated to include General Electric Company and EPA officials in an update on the final design for the Upland Disposal Facility (UDF), as well as the monitoring and maintenance plan for the toxic waste site to be constructed in Lee.
However, the communication did not provide a new date for the meeting but stated representatives are working to reschedule the session.
According to the National Weather Service, the Wednesday evening forecast for Lee predicts rain before 5 p.m., followed by rain, possibly mixed with snow and wind gusts as high as 44 miles per hour, with snow accumulation of less than a half inch during the day and evening, new precipitation between a half and three-quarters of an inch. Sleet is possible before 2 a.m., the forecast stated.
The cancellation comes on the heels of a March 14 EPA announcement shutting down an agency-scheduled tour on April 4 of the UDF by the GE-Housatonic River Citizens Coordinating Council (CCC). According to the March 14 communication, the agency was concerned about the safety of attendees after it stated Lee residents were invited to tour the facility without the authorization or coordination of the EPA.
A 2020 permit provided for the remediation of the Rest of River, the area stretching from the east and west confluences of the Housatonic River in Pittsfield to Connecticut, with the most toxic materials to be carried out of the area while the less contaminated sediment would be deposited in a UDF to be constructed in Lee.
The recent announcement provided a link to the documents open for public input.
