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Feb. 9, 2001 For further information, contact Chris Roberts, Delaware River Basin Commission, 609-883-9500; or John Kennel, Delaware Division of Water Resources, 302-739-5726; or Melinda Carl, DNREC Information and Education, 302-739-4506 Remedies to PCBs in Delaware River and Bay to be Explored at Meeting Feb. 21 in WilmingtonThe first of three meetings on polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the Delaware Estuary led by the primary sponsor, Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC), will be held Feb. 21 in Wilmington from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the Carvel Building, 820 N. French St. PCBs are synthetic chemicals that contaminate air, water, salinities and soils. The risk associated with these compounds is difficult to assess because of the changes in their composition over time. These compounds have not been manufactured since 1977. Fish consumption advisories have been published to protect the public. The meetings will include a presentation on PCBs in the river and estuary, a panel discussion of the human health risks, impacts on fish and wildlife, regulatory steps and reduction strategies. One strategy is establishment of total maximum daily loads (TMDLs), which set the quantity of a pollutant or compound that a water body can receive and still meet water quality standards. The DRBC has been working with Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on PCBs in the estuary. The commission's Toxics Advisory Committee is assisting the scientific development of the TMDL. Additional meetings will be held March 14 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the Academy of Natural Sciences, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Park, Philadelphia; and March 26 from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Burlington County Human Services Building, Lecture Hall B, Route 541 and Woodlane Road, Mount Holly, N.J. Additional information, including directions to the meetings and postponements due to inclement weather, are available via the DRBC's web site: , or by calling Chris Roberts, 609-883-9500, extension 205. -30- |
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