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Registration Begins for 9th Annual Cornell Pond Fishing Derby in North Dartmouth, Mass.

Release Date: 08/31/2006
Contact Information: David Deegan, (617) 918-1017

(No. Dartmouth, Mass. - August 31, 2006) – Fishermen and women may now register for the ninth annual Cornell Pond Fishing Derby in North Dartmouth, Mass.

At the annual fishing derby, part of EPA's community outreach under the Superfund program, 20 local fishermen with Massachusetts fishing licenses will participate in the fish monitoring event at Cornell Pond on Saturday, Sept. 23. Roy F. Weston Inc. will oversee the fishing derby and distribute awards for the largest fish caught.

The Cornell Pond fishing derby helps the local community to remain involved the important fish monitoring program to assess environmental conditions at the pond. It also helps remind local residents of the Massachusetts Dept. of Public Health fish advisory that is in effect for Cornell Pond and the Copicut River.

The derby will take place on Saturday, Sept. 23, between 7:00 am and 12:00 noon at Cornell Pond in North Dartmouth. In case of inclement weather, the derby will be held on Sunday, Sept. 24. 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 OReilly, 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.

After contamination was discovered at the ReSolve Inc., Superfund Site, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health established a fishing advisory for Cornell Pond and Copicut River in 1988 due to elevated levels of PCBs in fish. Catch and release fishing is permitted in the pond and river.

More information on the ReSolve cleanup (epa.gov/region1/superfund/sites/resolve)

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