In 1976, American animator Bob Boyle helped launch a campaign against Hudson River pollution. 39 years later, EPA's cleanup had removed more than 3 million cubic yards of PCB-contaminated sediment

In 1976, American animator Bob Boyle helped launch a campaign against Hudson River pollution. However, historical records show that Robert H. “Bob” Boyle was not an animator. He was a journalist, outdoor writer, fly fisherman and environmental activist who worked for Sports Illustrated. His involvement in the Hudson River campaign began earlier, in 1966, when he helped fishermen organize against industrial pollution. The campaign later became part of the Riverkeeper movement. The Hudson River also became the site of a major federal cleanup after years of PCB contamination. Between 2009 and 2015, about 2.75 million cubic yards of contaminated sediment were removed from the Upper Hudson River.

In 1976, American animator Bob Boyle helped launch a campaign against Hudson River pollution

The statement about Bob Boyle contains an important error about his profession and the amount of sediment removed during the later cleanup. Robert H. “Bob” Boyle was a writer for Sports Illustrated and an angler who became involved in environmental campaigns. Historical accounts from the Hudson River Fishermen’s Association and other organizations identify him as one of the people who helped organize the fight against pollution in the Hudson River.


Boyle’s work on the Hudson River began before 1976. In 1966, he met with commercial and recreational fishermen who were concerned about pollution and the decline of fish in the river.

At a meeting in Crotonville, New York, Boyle told the fishermen about two laws that could be used against companies and other polluters. They were the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1888 and the Refuse Act of 1899. The laws prohibited certain forms of pollution in American waters. They also contained provisions that allowed people who reported violations to receive financial rewards.

The fishermen formed the Hudson River Fishermen’s Association, or HRFA. The group began collecting evidence against polluters and using the legal system to seek action. The organization later became part of the Riverkeeper movement.

Boyle’s reporting brought pollution into public view

Boyle also used his work as a journalist to report on the condition of the Hudson River. His reporting examined fish kills, industrial pollution and other threats to the river. His work included reporting on contamination and the effects of industrial activity on fish populations. The Hudson River had several pollution problems during the 1960s. Industrial facilities discharged waste into the water, while other activities affected fish and river habitats.

Historical accounts also describe Boyle’s role in opposing a proposed Con Edison power plant at Storm King Mountain. His reporting connected the debate over the power plant with the health of fish and the river ecosystem. These campaigns helped establish a model in which fishermen and local residents could use environmental laws to challenge pollution.

How PCBs became a major Hudson River problem?

Polychlorinated biphenyls, known as PCBs, later became one of the main environmental problems connected with the Hudson River. General Electric used PCBs at capacitor manufacturing facilities in Hudson Falls and Fort Edward, New York. According to the EPA, an estimated 1.3 million pounds of PCBs entered the Hudson River during a period of about 30 years that ended in 1977.

PCBs were used in electrical equipment because they could withstand high temperatures. However, they could remain in the environment and accumulate in organisms. Much of the PCB contamination became concentrated in river sediment. The problem expanded after the Fort Edward Dam was removed in 1973, allowing contaminated sediment to move farther downstream.

By the 1970s, concerns about PCBs in Hudson River fish had increased. New York State closed fisheries in affected areas and issued warnings about eating fish caught from the river. EPA records state that high PCB levels in fish led to fishery closures and consumption advisories beginning in 1976. The federal government later took further action. In 1977, the EPA banned the production of PCBs in the United States.

The Hudson River became a Superfund site

The pollution problem did not end with the restrictions on PCBs. In 1980, Congress created the Superfund program to address hazardous waste sites. In 1984, the EPA placed a 200-mile stretch of the Hudson River on the National Priorities List.

The area extended from Hudson Falls in the upper Hudson Valley to the Battery at the southern end of Manhattan. The EPA later divided the cleanup into different areas. The main dredging operation focused on a 40-mile section of the Upper Hudson River between Fort Edward and Troy.

In February 2002, the EPA issued a Record of Decision calling for targeted dredging of about 2.65 million cubic yards of PCB-contaminated sediment. The plan also included monitored natural recovery after the dredging. A 2006 legal agreement required General Electric to carry out the dredging under EPA oversight.

The 2009 to 2015 Hudson River cleanup

The physical dredging operation began in 2009. The first phase ran from May to November 2009. During that period, about 283,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment were removed from a six-mile section near Fort Edward. The EPA then paused the dredging during 2010 while an independent group of scientists reviewed the results of the first phase.

Following the review, changes were made to the project design. The changes were intended to improve the dredging operation and reduce the amount of contaminated sediment that could be resuspended in the river. The second phase began in June 2011. It continued through six dredging seasons and ended in fall 2015.

By the completion of the operation, about 2.75 million cubic yards of PCB-contaminated sediment had been removed from the river bottom. The figure was about 100,000 cubic yards more than the amount originally projected in the 2002 plan.

EPA later reported that the work removed about 310,000 pounds of PCBs. That represented an estimated 72 percent reduction in the overall mass of PCBs in the Upper Hudson River. The contaminated sediment was processed and transported to permitted landfills. Habitat reconstruction also followed the dredging.

Why the cleanup did not end the Hudson River pollution story?

The end of dredging in 2015 did not mean that all environmental monitoring stopped. The EPA’s cleanup plan included a second stage based on natural recovery. This process involves monitoring the river while natural processes reduce contamination in sediment and the ecosystem continues to recover.

EPA's more recent review says that long-term monitoring remains part of the cleanup. Water, fish and sediment are sampled, while reconstructed habitats and areas where caps were placed on the river bottom are also monitored. Fish consumption advisories have also remained an important part of the public health response because PCB contamination can remain in the river system.

The EPA continues to study the Hudson River and has also carried out work concerning PCB contamination in the lower Hudson River. In 2022, the agency announced an agreement with General Electric for additional sampling in the lower river.

What Bob Boyle's campaign changed?

The history of the Hudson River cleanup stretches across several decades. Boyle and the fishermen who formed the Hudson River Fishermen’s Association worked during a period when industrial pollution was a major problem in the river.

Their approach included documenting pollution, using existing laws and challenging polluters through legal action. The organization later developed the Riverkeeper program, which became a model for water protection groups.

The Hudson River Fishermen’s Association officially became Riverkeeper in 1986 after the organization and its Riverkeeper program were combined. The later federal cleanup was much larger in scale. It involved the EPA, General Electric, New York State agencies, scientists and local communities.

The 2009–2015 dredging removed about 2.75 million cubic yards of contaminated sediment. The EPA described the project as one of the largest environmental dredging operations in the United States. The history therefore connects two different periods: the grassroots campaign that began in the 1960s and the federal Superfund cleanup that followed decades later.