Long-term monitoring at the New Bedford Harbor marine Superfund site: Phase 4 -- Data analysis
- Environmental Protection Agency, Narragansett, RI (United States)
- ROW Sciences, Narragansett, RI (United States)
New Bedford Harbor (NBH), MA, is a marine Superfund site due to severely PCB-contaminated sediments. Recently, the first phase of remediation was completed; dredging of a five acre ``Hot Spot``. Prior to remediation, a comprehensive 30 year long-term monitoring program was developed and implemented at this site that incorporated a systematic, probabilistic, hexagonal grid sampling design, and an information management system similar to that used by the EPA`s Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program. Pre-remedial baseline sediment sampling consisted of quantifying a suite of exposure indicators (PCBs, metals, sediment toxicity), habitat indicators (TOC, AVS, grain size) and ecological indicators (benthic community indices) at each of 72 stations along a gradient from the severely contaminated upper estuary to Buzzards Bay. Analyses of these data, presented in GIS format, focused on the relationships between total and bioavailable contaminant concentrations (PCBs and metals), bioavailable contaminants and sediment toxicity, bioavailable contaminants and benthic community structure, and a comparison between standard short-term sediment toxicity (10-day test) and longer-term benthic community structure. Results of these and subsequent analyses will be used to modify the sampling efforts during the course of the 30 year long-term monitoring plan.
- OSTI ID:
- 211996
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9511137-; ISBN 1-880611-03-1; TRN: IM9617%%312
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 2. Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) world conference, Vancouver (Canada), 5-9 Nov 1995; Other Information: PBD: 1995; Related Information: Is Part Of Second SETAC world congress (16. annual meeting): Abstract book. Global environmental protection: Science, politics, and common sense; PB: 378 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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