While debate continues on whether to deepen the Delaware River by dredging up thousands of cubic yards of river muck, another quite similar debate has ensued 100 miles north of here. Observers are wondering whether dredging the Hudson River will do more harm than good.

Their concern is another reason why the Army Corps of Engineers' plan to deepen the Delaware ought to be scrutinized carefully by the General Accounting Office - the investigative arm of Congress.

Up in the Hudson, the EPA has endorsed a nearly $500 million plan to dredge toxic muck out of the northern parts of the river. The expense would be shouldered by General Electric, which is responsible for the polychlorinated biphenyls - infamously referred to as PCBs - that were dumped in the river.

One problem, though: Even the most delicate dredging process could do more harm, according to the National Academy of Sciences, as stirred-up PCBs could infect the fish that swim downstream.

This is a dredging project that is designed to clean up the river, and experts aren't sure that it won't just make things worse. What does that portend for the Delaware Valley?

Plans for dredging here have nothing to do with the the environment. The goal is to make the river deeper so that bigger boats could make it farther upstream. Aside from the fact that many local refineries haven't committed to taking advantage of the $311 million project, there are huge environmental concerns.

What will the Delaware dredging do to the waterway environment here? Will fish be poisoned by tainted river muck being disturbed on the river's bed? Does the Hudson project provide some clues?

When the GAO completes its probe into the wasteful Delaware dredging debacle, it ought to explain not only if this project makes economic sense, it also must be frank about whether our tax dollars will be used to contaminate the Delaware River. That, simply put, must not be an option.