Public meeting on Bedford Harbor cleanup next week

The U.S. EPA will hold a virtual public meeting next week, January 13, on the next phase of the decades-long cleanup to remove harmful chemicals from the New Bedford Harbor and its shorelines. 

The meeting presentation details what the agency accomplished in 2020 and what work it has planned for 2021. 

Last year, EPA completed subtidal dredging and shoreline remediation of certain zones, as well as salt marsh restoration.

According to EPA, the level of soil contamination was, on average, 1,427 parts per million at one of the eastern shoreline zones prior to intervention. 

After excavating and backfilling, the level was 0.01 parts per million, or non-detectable.

This year, the EPA will continue shoreline remediation and salt marsh restoration work along Riverside Avenue on the west side, and Sycamore Street on the Fairhaven side.

Intertidal cleanup will continue in the coming years as funding becomes available, according to EPA.