The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, and Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management have released a draft plan to restore common loons and other birds (PDF, 71 pages) that were killed and injured by the 2003 Bouchard Barge 120 oil spill in Buzzards Bay in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Hazardous Waste Site | Ashland, MA | 1917 – 1978

What Happened?

Between 1917 and 1978, Nyanza, Inc. and other companies manufactured textile dyes and other products at this site. Their operations generated large volumes of industrial waste and they contaminated the soil, groundwater and wetlands of the Sudbury River. Mercury, chromium, arsenic, lead and organic compounds were released and reached as far downstream as the Concord River.

Hazardous Waste Release |New Bedford Harbor, MA| 1940s – 1970s

New Bedford Harbor is a major commercial fishing port and industrial center in southeastern Massachusetts on Buzzards Bay. From the 1940s to the 1970s, manufacturers discharged wastes containing  PCBs and toxic metals into New Bedford Harbor. This resulted in high levels of contamination throughout the waters, sediments, plants, and wildlife of the Harbor and parts of Buzzards Bay.

Hazardous Waste Site | Everett, MA | 1890s to Present

Between 1932 and 1977, the General Electric Company (GE) released PCBs polychlorinated biphenyls; a class of chemicals previously used in manufacturing that remain in the environment for many decades, accumulate in living creatures, and pose health hazards to humans, wildlife, and fish. and other chemical wastes into the Housatonic River.

On April 27, 2003, the tank barge Bouchard 120 hit a bedrock ledge in Buzzards Bay. The impact created a 12-foot rupture in the barge’s hull. An estimated 98,000 gallons of oil spilled into the coastal waters of Massachusetts and Rhode Island.