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Registration Open for 12th Annual Cornell Pond Fishing Derby in North Dartmouth, Mass.

Release Date: 09/23/2009
Contact Information: Jeanethe Falvey, (617) 918-1020

(Boston, Mass. – Sept. 23, 2009) – Registration is now open for the 12th annual Cornell Pond Fishing Derby in North Dartmouth, Mass., on Saturday, Sept. 26. The derby takes place at Cornell Pond between 7:00 a.m. and 12:00 Noon.

During the derby, the first twenty local fishermen who sign up will be able to participate in the fish monitoring event at Cornell Pond this Saturday (Sept. 26). Roy F. Weston Inc. will oversee the fishing derby and distribute awards for the largest fish caught. In case of inclement weather, the derby will be moved to Sunday, Sept. 27. All participants over the age of 15 must have a current Massachusetts Fishing License to participate in the derby.

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 contamination from migrating from the site. The facility will operate until groundwater is cleaned to appropriate levels.

After contamination was discovered at the site, the Massachusetts Dept. 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.

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 Dept. of Public Health fish advisory that is still in effect for Cornell Pond and the Copicut River.

More Information:

- 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

- Cleanup of the ReSolve Superfund site (epa.gov/region1/superfund/sites/resolve)

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