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Waste Site Reports: Massachusetts
NOAA trust species in Massachusetts include anadromous and catadromous species such as alewife, blueback herring, American shad, Atlantic salmon, Atlantic sturgeon, striped bass, rainbow smelt, and American eel. Some non-anadromous fish species found in Massachusetts are white perch, rainbow smelt, winter flounder, Atlantic silverside, Atlantic cod, Atlantic menhaden, Atlantic herring, mummichog, bluefish, pollock, and mackerel. Invertebrates include American lobster, soft shell clam, and several species of crab, shrimp, and starfish. Alewife and blueback herring support both commercial and recreational fisheries in offshore areas. Alewife and blueback herring feed primarily on crustaceans and insects and provide an important link between invertebrates and higher trophic level fish.
Military Sites in Massachusetts
Massachusetts is dotted with 321 military installations and formerly used defense areas, comprising 602 DoD sites. The nature of defense-related activities involves chemicals that are highly toxic and persistent in the environment. In Massachusetts, military-related contaminants of concern include VOCs, PCBs, BTEX, incinerator ash, explosive compounds, acids, paints, chlorinated solvents, emulsifiers, penetrants, radionuclides, photographic chemicals, heavy metals, petroleum products, pesticides, and herbicides. During 1995, the NOAA CRC program conducted coastal hazardous waste site reviews for Hanscom Field/Hanscom Air Force Base, Materials Technology Laboratory (U.S. ARMY), Natick Laboratory Army Research/D&E Center, Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant, and South Weymouth Naval Air Station. In addition, NOAA CRC developed a waste site fact sheet for Otis Air Force Base and is presently participating in a Natural Resource Trustee Council, monitoring the remedy selection and assisting the regulatory agencies in their studies. DoD has 111 installations contemplated for restoration in Massachusetts. NOAA's input is needed now to ensure that cleanups are protective of coastal natural resources as well as human health. NOAA offers technical expertise and a neutral perspective valued by both the military and the local public.
Areas of Special Concern in Massachusetts
The NOAA RRC program works to protect and restore natural resources throughout Massachusetts. However, New Bedford Harbor and associated PCB sediment contamination is of special concern because elevated levels of PCBs have accumulated in many marine species, resulting in bans to all recreational fisheries and several commercial fisheries in the area. NOAA RRC recently reviewed the proposed plan for the Harbor, commenting on the proposed remedial measures and restoration plan. NOAA also visited with commercial fishermen to learn of and integrate their views into recommendations for the feasibility study.
Another area of concern for NOAA is the Merrimack River and its tributaries since it provides extensive spawning and migratory habitat for some NOAA trust resources. NOAA CRC has been involved in design of sediment sampling and review of sediment chemistry results. NOAA also was involved in developing and implementing ecological risk assessment studies and providing technical recommendations for protective cleanup strategies.
Reports Not Yet Available Online
- Charles-George Reclamation Landfill (Reviewed 1987); CERCLIS No. = MAD003809266
- Groveland Wells (Reviewed 1987); CERCLIS No. = MAD980732317
- Industri-Plex (Reviewed 1987); CERCLIS No. = MAD076580950
- Nyanza Chemical Waste Dump (Reviewed 1987); CERCLIS No. = MAD990685422
- Sullivan's Ledge (Reviewed 1987); CERCLIS No. = MAD980731343
Waste Site Reports
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- MA: New Bedford Site (Reviewed 1984); CERCLIS No. = MAD980731335
(Document format: PDF, size: 537.2 K)
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- MA: Olin Chemical (Reviewed 2008); CERCLIS No. = MAD001403104
(Document format: PDF, size: 491.0 K)
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Other pages in this series
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