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EPA Announces 7th Annual Cornell Pond Fishing Derby in North Dartmouth

Release Date: 09/13/04
Contact Information:

Contact: Peyton Fleming, EPA Press Office (617-918-1008)

For Immediate Release: September 13, 2004 Release # 04-09-04

BOSTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced the seventh annual Cornell Pond Fishing Derby in North Dartmouth, MA. As part of a community outreach initiative under the Superfund program, 20 local fishermen with Massachusetts fishing licenses will participate in this fish monitoring event at Cornell Pond on Saturday, September 25. An advisory restricting the consumption of fish has been in effect for the pond since 1986, based upon the discovery of PCB contamination stemming from the Re-Solve Superfund site. Roy F. Weston Inc. will oversee the fishing derby and distribute awards for the largest fish caught.

“This annual fishing derby is a great way to involve the local community in EPA’s important fish monitoring program,” said Robert W. Varney, regional administrator of EPA’s New England Office. “It also serves to remind local fishermen of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health fish advisory that is in effect for Cornell Pond and the Copicut River.”

The derby will take place on Saturday, September 25, from 7 am to noon at Cornell Pond in North Dartmouth. In case of inclement weather, the derby will be held on Sunday, September 26. All participants over the age of 15 must have a current Massachusetts Fishing License to participate in the derby. For registration, directions and any additional information contact: Michael O’Reilly, Environmental Coordinator for the Town of Dartmouth at 508-910-1822 or Arthur Thibodeau, community fishing derby coordinator at 508-678-5054.

The Re-Solve Inc. Superfund Site is on North Hixville Road in North Dartmouth and was listed as a Superfund Site in 1983 when extensive PCB and volatile organic compounds were discovered in the soil and groundwater. A state-of-the-art groundwater treatment system that treats contaminated groundwater and prevents contamination from migrating from the site was completed in 1998. The facility will operate until groundwater is cleaned to appropriate levels. In 1988, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health established a fishing advisory in Cornell Pond and Copicut River due to elevated levels of PCBs in fish. Only catch and release fishing is permitted in the pond and river.

For more information on the ReSolve Inc. Superfund site, contact EPA’s Joseph LeMay at 617-918-1323 or at [email protected].

Related Information:
Re-Solve Fact Sheet
Long-Term Cleanups