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Registration Now Open for the 11th Annual Cornell Pond Fishing Derby in North Dartmouth, Mass.

Release Date: 09/03/2008
Contact Information: Jeanethe Falvey, (617) 918-1020

(N. Dartmouth, Mass. – September 3, 2008) – Fishermen and women may now register for the eleventh annual Cornell Pond Fishing Derby in North Dartmouth, Mass, on September 13.

This fishing derby is part of EPA's community outreach regarding the Re-Solve Inc. Superfund Site. The Re-Solve Inc. 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 was installed in 1998 and continues to treat contaminated groundwater and prevents contaminate migration from the site. 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.

"Community participation is vital to the progress and ultimate success of a Superfund cleanup,” said Robert W. Varney, Regional Administrator of EPA’s New England Office. “This annual fishing derby has proven to be an innovative way to have local residents help assess the improvements in environmental conditions and ecological health of the Cornell Pond and the Copicut River."

During the derby, the first twenty local fishermen who sign up will be able to participate in the fish monitoring event at Cornell Pond on Saturday September 13. Roy F. Weston Inc. will oversee the fishing derby and distribute awards for the largest fish caught.

The Cornell Pond fishing derby keeps the local community involved in the fish monitoring program that is integral in the annual assessment of environmental conditions and improvement at the pond. The derby is also a reminder to local residents of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health fish advisory that is still in effect for Cornell Pond and the Copicut River.

The derby will take place on Saturday, September 13, between 7:00 am and 12:00 noon at Cornell Pond in North Dartmouth. In case of inclement weather, the derby will be moved to Sunday September, 14. 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 please contact: Michael O'Reilly, Environmental Coordinator for the Town of Dartmouth at 508-910-1822 or Arthur Thibodeau, community fishing derby coordinator at 508-678-5054.

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