The Copicut River, or Copecut River, is a
[U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data]
The National Map
, accessed April 1, 2011 stream in the U.S. state of
Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
.
The river flows south from Copicut Reservoir (formerly the Copicut Swamp), in
Dartmouth and
Fall River
Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The City of Fall River's population was 94,000 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 United States Census, making it the List of municipaliti ...
, to Cornell Pond near Hixville in Dartmouth. From there the
Shingle Island River drains into
Noquochoke Lake, which the
East Branch Westport River drains in turn into the
Rhode Island Sound
Rhode Island Sound is a strait of water off the coast of the U.S. state of Rhode Island at the mouth of Narragansett Bay. It forms the eastern extension of Block Island Sound and opens out the Atlantic Ocean between Block Island and Martha's Vi ...
.
The river is currently polluted with
polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contamination from
Re-Solve, Inc., which operated a chemical reclamation facility nearby from 1956 to 1980. In 1983 the
Environmental Protection Agency
A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale ...
listed the area as a
Superfund
Superfund is a United States federal environmental remediation program established by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA). The program is administered by the Environmental Protection Agency ...
site, and in 1985 removed of contaminated soils and sludges. Since 1988 the
Massachusetts Department of Public Health
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health is a governmental agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts with various responsibilities related to public health within that state. It is headquartered in Boston and headed by Commissioner Monica ...
has advised against consuming fish from Cornell Pond or Copicut River.
References
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency9th Annual Cornell Pond Fishing Derby
Rivers of Bristol County, Massachusetts
{{BristolCountyMA-geo-stub