Chardon Realty Corporation; Boston Inner Harbor, Massachusetts

Boston Inner Harbor, Massachusetts | 1986-Mar-05

Initial Notification: On March 3, 1986, black oil was sighted on the surface of Boston Inner Harbor in the vicinity of Pier 1 at the U. S. Coast Guard Support Center. A survey by the Coast Guard of the adjoining shorelines failed to find a potential source for the spill, or evidence of additional pollution outside of the immediate area of the Coast Guard pier. A contractor was hired, and cleanup commenced at 0930. Another shoreline survey, conducted on March 4 at low tide, revealed that the contaminated area now extended from the Coast Guard Support Center north to the Charles River Locks. The oil was confined to the southern side of the harbor and appeared to be leaching from a section of the seawall beneath the Charlestown Bridge. Cleanup activities were expanded to include the newly discovered impacted shoreline. The Coast Guard continued its attempts to identify the source. USCG district 1.