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New Bedford Today
Setting the scene The Acushnet River watershed, located in southeastern Massachusetts ( Fig. 1), is the most urbanized area in the Buzzards Bay drainage basin; New Bedford Harbor, the estuarine section of the Achushnet River, is the most contaminated area in the drainage basin. The harbor is contaminated with metals and organic compounds, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Because of the high concentrations of PCBs in the sediment, New Bedford Harbor was listed as a Superfund site in 1982. Dredging of the most contaminated sediments (the hot spot) in the upper harbor was completed in 1995 by the Army Corps of Engineers. A second phase of the project, during which an additional 170 acres of less contaminated sediment in the upper and lower harbor will be dredged, was started in 2004 and will continue annually until completed (see http://www.epa.gov/ne/nbh/ for current status). The harbor sediments are also contaminated with high concentrations of metals: copper, chromium, cadmium, nickel, lead, and zinc.
The city of New Bedford, on the western side of the harbor, has a population of about 100,000 and is the commercial and population center in the watershed. The city was first known as a prosperous whaling port, then as a producer of fine textiles, and most recently as a major commercial fishing port and fresh-fish processor. The New Bedford waterfront reflects current and past industries. It is lined with docks, storage and repair facilities, fish processing and packaging plants, large brick buildings that were formerly textile mills, and other commercial buildings.
The towns on the eastern shore of the harbor are much smaller and less commercial. Fairhaven has a population of about 16,000 and Acushnet about 10,000. Marshes extend along the eastern shore of the upper harbor. Residential areas are situated on uplands behind the marshes. Residential and commercial sections, primarily marinas, marine service and repair businesses, extend along the rest of the eastern shore.