Long-Term Fate of PCB Contamination in the New Bedford Harbor, Massachusetts, System

The transport and fate of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) at the New Bedford Harbor Superfund site is modeled using a three-dimensional hydrodynamics and sediment-contaminant transport model. Simulations projecting the fate of PCBs over a 10-year period are required to assess the effectiveness of remedial action alternatives. A continuous computer simulation for the 10-year period is economically unfeasible; therefore, a method to extend the simulation results over the 10-year period was developed. The method uses a combination of transport-only calculations driven by previously computed hydrodynamics and linear extrapolation of model results. The long-term PCB simulation results for the no-action alternative are presented.