Money from the federal stimulus package will accelerate a plan to clean up PCB-contaminated New Bedford Harbor in Massachusetts by dredging contaminated soil and shipping it to Michigan, the Boston Globe reports.

The additional money will allow a massive “dewatering” facility on the harbor to operate continuously eight months a year, instead of the 40-45 days it now runs. The facility squeezes water out of the sediment before it is shipped to a hazardous waste disposal site in Michigan.

 
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Director Lisa Jackson announced yesterday that at least $25 million would be allocated for clean up of New Bedford Harbor which is one of New England’s oldest and largest Superfund sites.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are man made organic compounds that were used in the manufacture of electrical components until they were banned in the 70s.

PCBs are known as persistent organic pollutants because they are toxic and break down very slowly in the environment.

In Michigan the Great Lakes are contaminated with PCBs and women of child-bearing age are warned against eating fish because of the risks of developmental damage to their children.

No word yet on which Michigan facility will receive the contaminated soil.