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Bliss Corner Neighborhood Site

 
Site Contact:
John Mckeown
On-scene coordinator

(mckeown.john@epa.gov)

Site Location:
85 McCabe Street
Dartmouth, MA 02748
response.epa.gov/BlissCorner

2018-2019

In the summer of 2018, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) and the Town of Dartmouth Board of Health discovered waste material, including buried drums containing unknown materials, at a residential property located at 85 McCabe Street. MassDEP issued a field Notice of Responsibility (NOR) to the property developer. The developer hired a Licensed Site Professional (LSP) and started conducting response actions. During this process, MassDEP learned of potential dumping activities in the Bliss Corner Neighborhood dating back to the 1930s.

During follow on inspections and sampling activities in 2018, MassDEP and the Town of Dartmouth discovered waste material containing lead and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) at three other properties located on Kraseman and McCabe Streets. In May and June of 2019, MassDEP discovered waste material containing lead and PCBs in subsurface soil samples collected from Town of Dartmouth right-of-ways. In July 2019, MassDEP began collecting soil samples from residential properties within the neighborhood. To date, MassDEP has sampled approximately 30 properties.

2020-2021

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provided analytical and sampling support to Mass DEP during their continued residential sampling activities planned for the Bliss Corner Neighborhood in 2020.  From July 2020 through June 2021, MassDEP and EPA sampled 46 residential properties in the neighborhood. From this sampling, the main contaminants of concern identified are lead and polychlorinated biphenyls, better known as PCBs.

MassDEP requested EPA support to remove contaminated soil at some of the properties with the greatest health risk.  EPA and MassDEP selected five residential properties in the Bliss Corner neighborhood where elevated levels of lead and/or PCBs exceed the MassDEP Imminent Hazard level in surficial soil and pose a risk to human health and the environment. 

 

 2022 – Present

 

EPA began the cleanup and restoration of these five properties. The remediation activity and the final restoration has been completed.  EPA is currently working in the neighborhood to address any issues and concerns with property restoration.  This work should be completed in about three weeks.

 

 

 

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