An important aspect of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) work is to provide support for other federal and state agencies, such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). At the Baird

Battelle conducts long-term sediment and fish sampling monitoring plan on the Cochato River, MA.

& McGuire Superfund site in Massachusetts, the New England District (NED) of the USACE has contracted Battelle to provide sampling and analysis support to the EPA.

The site is situated on a flood plain of the Cochato River. From 1912 to 1983, a chemical manufacturing facility was operated at the site, and as a result of storage and disposal practices, the site was contaminated with heavy metals, pesticides, and organics. Industrial waste was discharged into the soil, a nearby brook and wetlands, and a gravel pit. In 1986 a Record of Decision (ROD) was signed to address on-site cleanup, including groundwater treatment and incineration of contaminated soil. RODs signed in 1989 and 1990 addressed sediment excavation and treatment, and development of an alternative water supply.

The EPA undertook cleanup of the Baird & McGuire site and adopted a long-term environmental monitoring plan involving sediment and fish sampling. The overall purpose of the monitoring plan is to assure that site remediation continues to protect public health. Fish samples are included to be an indicator of long-term ecosystem recovery, and to ensure that contaminant levels in fish, that could be consumed by people fishing in the affected waterbodies, does not pose a human health risk. The plan requires five years of annual monitoring followed by a 25-year sampling regime with gradually decreasing intensity of monitoring, provided that contaminant levels show signs of decreasing. Fish sampling will occur in roughly five-year increments.

In support of the monitoring program’s fourth year, Battelle collected fish and sediment samples from five locations along the Cochato River in December 1999. Sediment samples were analyzed for bulk sediment properties (grain size, TOC) and chemical contaminants (arsenic, VOA, PAHs, and pesticides). Fish fillet (skin-on), offal (waste parts) and whole body samples were analyzed for PAHs and pesticides. Battelle submitted a data report to EPA and NED in March 2000. Battelle will also prepare an interpretive report to address the following questions:

• What is the aerial scale of contamination?
• What factors affect the distribution and concentration of contaminants in the study area?
• How do sediment and fish contaminant levels compare against applicable thresholds?
• How are sediment and fish contaminant levels responding over time?

A critical component of Battelle’s work included a Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP), which had to be prepared according to EPA Region 1 guidance. The QAPP sets forth the project management organization, quality control requirements and objectives, sampling and sample handling procedures, analytical method requirements, data acquisition, documentation, and management protocol, and verification and validation requirements and procedures. Although Battelle had not previously completed a QAPP for EPA Region 1, Battelle’s quality assurance experience enabled a successful effort. “We understand the quality assurance issues associated with dealing with Superfund sites and the need for special handling of samples,” said Karen Foster, Battelle Project Manager.

For more information about Battelle’s participation in the long-term monitoring effort at Baird & McGuire, please contact Karen Foster at (781) 952-5370 or via e-mail at foster@battelle.org.