 Pittsfield, in western Massachusetts, was home to the General Electric (GE) transformer, capacitor, and electrical generating equipment divisions.The electrical generating division built and repaired equipment that was used to power the electrical utility grid throughout the nation.PCB-contaminated oil routinely migrated from GE's industrial plant located in the very center of the city to the surrounding groundwater, nearby Silver Lake, and to the Housatonic River, which flows through Massachusetts, Connecticut, and down to Long Island Sound.