If contamination of surface water and sediment occurred, would edible fish be contaminated as well?
To determine whether or not past disposal activities at STA have contaminated surface water, sampling has been done in Puffer Pond, on-site streams, White and Willis ponds, the Assabet River, and drainage to Lake Boon. Fish sampling has also been done in Puffer Pond. A summary of those studies are presented here with more detailed information available in the Environmental Contamination and Pathway Analyses sections of this document. Surface water and sediment from Puffer Pond contain pesticides and metals. Fish tissue also contained pesticides and metals; however, with the exception of mercury in a single chain pickerel, none of the contaminants detected were at levels of health concern. Based on the results of the fish studies, the Army posted Puffer Pond for “catch and release fishing only”. Because of data limitations in previous Puffer Pond studies, additional surface water, sediment and fish sampling is planned. A few substances (metals and a semivolatile organic compound) were d
