EPA Superfund site
NEW BEDFORD
Human exposure is NOT currently under control
Data limitations: Proximity to a Superfund site boundary does not mean your property is contaminated. EPA site boundaries show the area designated for cleanup, not the full extent of contamination. Groundwater plumes can extend beyond site boundaries. This tool shows publicly available EPA federal data. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by EPA, and is not a substitute for a professional environmental assessment.
About this site's exposure pathways
As of November 2025, the New Bedford Harbor Superfund Site is considered "Current Human Exposure Not Under Control" because unacceptable exposure pathways exist related to consumption of locally caught seafood contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). This Human Exposure Control determination is based on site-specific human health risk assessments. Although sediment and shoreline remediation has been completed, PCB contamination remains in local seafood. Past computer modeling has estimated that it will take ten years after completion of remediation (i.e., until 2034) before PCB levels in all locally caught seafood decrease to levels safe for unlimited human consumption.
EPA's full scale dredging program began in 2004 and accelerated in 2014 after a cash-out settlement with the main responsible party. Additional over $72 millions funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was provided in 2022 to fund the project to completion. All subtidal dredging and intertidal/saltmarsh remediation is now complete, and work is now focused on remaining remediation tasks at the Sawyer Street operations facility.
EPA operates an outreach campaign to dissuade the consumption of locally caught PCB-contaminated seafood. This effort includes education at public meetings as well as coordination with stakeholders and local officials. Signs are posted in multiple languages around the harbor shoreline describing the current fishing restrictions. EPA also funds community outreach coordinators to patrol the shoreline to provide risk information to anglers. EPA continues to receive reports that consumption of seafood from posted areas is ongoing among some residents.