EPA’s Sawyer Street draft sets a 1-ppm PCB cleanup level

EPA’s draft cleanup plan for the city-owned Sawyer Street property would apply a 1-part-per-million PCB cleanup level in western Areas B and C, excavate soil above that level in Area C to 3 feet, and leave land-use controls where contamination remains. The proposal is not final. EPA project manager Chris Kelly estimated the work would cost about $9.25 million, including 30 years of maintenance and monitoring, The New Bedford Light reported.

The draft concerns the city-owned Sawyer Street Support Facility at 103 Sawyer St. in New Bedford’s North End. EPA presented its draft eighth Explanation of Significant Differences at a virtual public meeting on Oct. 28, 2026.

Targeted excavation would not remove all contaminated soil i

EPA proposes a site-specific residential cleanup level of 1 part per million in Areas B and C in the western portion of the property. In Area C, soil with PCB levels above that threshold would be excavated to a depth of 3 feet and replaced with clean soil. Land-use controls would apply in Areas B and C where contaminated soil remains. If deeper contaminated soil is disturbed, a soil-management plan would be required.

In practical terms, the draft pairs excavation in Area C with controls over soil left in place; it does not propose removing all contaminated soil. Those controls would remain where the soil does not meet the residential cleanup standard.

Kelly also estimated the work would take about six months. He said the property could theoretically be ready for mixed-use development by summer 2027, The New Bedford Light reported. That is a projection, not a guaranteed schedule.

The draft does not approve a development i

Does the cleanup plan approve housing? No. The proposal could allow the city to pursue residential development in areas covered by the proposed work and controls, but it does not approve a project or commit New Bedford to build. The New Bedford Light reported that the city had no concrete development plan. It also reported that a capped containment cell in the eastern part of the property limits future use there.

EPA’s public-comment period runs from Oct. 30 through Nov. 28, 2026, a 30-calendar-day window. EPA says it will respond to comments before selecting a final alternative, if necessary. The cleanup terms remain a draft during that process.