City Pier Wins Brownfields Remediation Project of the Year Award

BETA is pleased to announce that the Senator Thomas Norton City Pier Redevelopment project in Fall River, Massachusetts, has been recognized with the 2025 James D.P. Farrell Brownfields-Remediation Project of the Year Award by the Environmental Business Council of New England (EBC).

This award honors outstanding brownfield or remediation projects that overcome complex technical, environmental, and institutional challenges. The City Pier project addressed long-standing contamination while enhancing public access to the Taunton River, a federally designated Wild and Scenic River. The revitalized site now features a 480-foot dock, supporting water-based transportation, tourism, and economic development.

Located on the Taunton River shoreline, the four-acre City Pier had been underutilized for decades. Under EPA and MassDEP oversight and using Brownfield funding, BETA conducted a comprehensive investigation of site soils for the presence of PCBs. Based on this work, BETA prepared an EPA Risk-Based Cleanup Plan, which led to the removal of highly contaminated soil and on-site management of other impacted materials. These clean-up activities helped to transform this once vacant parcel into an accessible site that can now be used for marina, recreation, dining, and waterfront activities.

This complex and coordinated effort involved close collaboration among the City of Fall River, the Mayor’s Office, and the Fall River Redevelopment Authority, along with support from state and federal agencies. The City Pier project demonstrates the long-term value of collaborative brownfields redevelopment and its role in advancing both environmental restoration and community revitalization.