RESEARCH Development and use of Site-Specific Chemical and Biological Criteria for Assessing New Bedford Harbor Pilot Dredging Project

Numerical site-specilic chemical and biological criteria were established to assess the impact of a pilot dredging project on water quality at the New Bedlord Harbor. Massachusetts, USA, Superfund site. Because most existing chemical concentrations in the water column and indigenous biota exceeded federal and state water quality limits, the derivation of site-specific criteria was required. Prior to any operational phases of the project (Le., dike construction, Anthropogenic inputs to estuarine-marine waters have resulted in contaminated areas along the conti­ nental United States. Because of the contaminant con­ centrations in sediments, certain areas are listed on the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) National Priorities List (NPL) of hazardous waste sites sched­ uled for cleanup under the Comprehensive Environ­ mental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA 1980) and the Supedlll1d Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA 1986). Dredging of contaminated sedimellts is one option often consid­ ered for remediation in marine waters. However, the possibility that sediments resuspended during dredging may be transported and contaminants re­ leased is always of concern. The magnitude of this transport and associated ecological risk can be quanti­ fied, and minimized, through an effective monitoring program and decision-making framework. New Bedford Harbor (NBH), located alongBuz­ zards Bay between the cities of New Bedford and Fairhaven, Massachusetts, USA, is scheduled for cleanup under authorization of the Superfund Act.