FAQs

The proposed settlement includes targeted removal of contaminated sediment to remove mercury from the estuary in locations where it will provide the most remediation benefit, while minimizing potential risks. The Trustee will hire qualified personnel and ensure appropriate safety and mitigation controls are in place to minimize disruption. Moreover, all remediation work, including dredging, will be subject to local, state, and federal permitting requirements, and will provide opportunities for public participation and comment, as required by statutes and regulations.

Our goal is to beneficially reuse as much dredged material as possible. This means that the material would be recycled and reused in upland infrastructure and construction projects. Any material that does not qualify for beneficial reuse will be safely transported to appropriate landfills, which are designed to protect the environment from contaminants.

The Consent Decree calls for several remedies: removal of contaminated sediments, capping of contaminated sediments with clean material, and environmentally beneficial projects. Fish, birds, surface water, sediment, and organisms that live in sediment will be monitored for 30 to 45 years to evaluate the effectiveness of the remedies and their impact on recovery of the Penobscot River Estuary over time. The remedies focus on targeted areas of the Estuary, including: Orrington Reach, Orland River, and the East Channel.

The Remediation Trust will oversee monitoring of sediments, surface water, fish, organisms that live in sediment, and birds at three-year intervals for 30 to 45 years. The goal of the monitoring program is to gather consistent, representative data over time to demonstrate recovery of the ecosystem over time.