New Bedford Harbor Superfund Site Public Meeting Scheduled for June 10, 2025
BOSTON (June 3, 2025) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hold a virtual public meeting on Tuesday, June 10, 2025 from 6 pm -7:30 pm on Microsoft Teams to update the community on the cleanup work completed in 2024 and what is planned for 2025. EPA will also present the draft seventh Explanation of Significant Differences (ESD7) proposing to modify the upper and lower harbor remedy (Operable Unit 1) for the Site, as explained further below.
The Agency is seeking public comments on the draft ESD7 during the 30-day public comment period starting on June 11, 2025 and ending on July 10, 2025. Comments on the draft ESD7 and Administrative Record can be submitted via https://www.regulations.gov (Docket ID No. EPA-R01-SFUND-2025-0131). All comments are reviewed and responded to in writing by EPA prior to selecting a final alternative for the ESD.
A link to join the June 10, 2025 Microsoft Teams meeting and resource materials are available at: https://www.epa.gov/new-bedford-harbor.
Background
The draft ESD7 describes three proposed modifications to the upper and lower harbor (Operable Unit 1) remedy:
- Finalizing the remedy for the 10 interim sediment cap areas;
- Proposing a change in the polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) cleanup level (from 50 to 25 parts per million or ppm) for the intertidal shoreline adjacent to the proposed New Bedford River Walk to address the change in land use from commercial/industrial to recreational along the proposed River Walk;
- Clarifying that the remedy's Institutional Controls requirements include preventing human contact risk with contaminated sediments in areas within the Site where the remedy left PCB concentrations in sediments that were not cleaned up to standards that allow for unrestricted use/unrestricted exposure. The controls will limit activities within the intertidal and subtidal zones within certain areas of the Site where sediments still pose limited health risks from human contact.
The draft ESD7 assesses three proposed alternatives for addressing the first modification, regarding the sediment cap areas:
- Incorporating the interim sediment caps as permanent elements of the upper and lower harbor remedy, combined with long-term monitoring and maintenance, and implementation of institutional controls to protect these caps over the long-term. (EPA's Proposed Alternative)
- Removal of the interim sediment caps and proceeding with the originally planned dredging and off-Site disposal remedy for these areas (using sheet piling and backfilling to protect abutting shoreline structures and to avoid deep side slopes as well as different/heavier equipment to deal with the extensive amounts of debris where present).
- Removal of the interim sediment caps and adding select microorganisms to break down PCBs in sediment (in-situ bioaugmentation) at the ten sediment cap areas, combined with long-term monitoring and maintenance, and implementation of institutional controls at these areas.
The other two modifications have already been implemented but public comment is being solicited on formally incorporating the changes into the remedy. These include:
- The intertidal zone shoreline along the proposed New Bedford River Walk from Coggeshall Street to Wood Street has already been cleaned to the more protective 25 ppm PCB recreation-based standard rather than the Site-wide remote wetland standard of 50 ppm PCBs.
- EPA has already implemented institutional controls which include notification by municipalities of proposed shoreline development projects within the upper and lower harbor areas to ensure there is no human exposure to contaminated sediments where cleanup levels limit the potential land uses of the area by the public. Also, the U.S. Coast Guard has designated the Outer Harbor Pilot Sediment cap area as a Regulated Navigation Area (RNA). The RNA restricts persons and vessels from disturbing the sediment cap, which includes, but is not limited to anchoring, dragging, trawling, and spudding within the area. The Outer Harbor Pilot Sediment cap is also identified on navigational charts.
To find out more about the New Bedford Harbor Superfund site, visit: https://www.epa.gov/new-bedford-harbor.