channel to the Brayton Point Power Station. History Mount Hope Bay was once part of the Wampanoag Nation, and the site of early events of King Philip's War in 1675. For nearly 200 years, the area of the bay was part of a boundary dispute between the states of Rhode Island and Massachusetts, which was finally settled by the United States Supreme Court in 1862. Mount Hope Bay has played an important part in the industrial history of the city of Fall River, which is located on its eastern shore. The bay provides access to the city for ocean-going vessels, including for many years the passenger ships of the Fall River Line. In the 1960s, the 1,500 megawatt Brayton Point Power Station was built by the New England Power Company in Somerset, Massachusetts at the north end of the bay. It has the largest capacity of any power plant in New England. For many years, the plant has relied on the waters of the bay as part of its cooling process. This has led to severe thermal pollution, resulting in periodic fish kills. After years of lawsuits and various environmental government action, current owner Dominion Resources spent approximately $500 million building two 500-foot tall cooling towers and upgrading the cooling system to prevent pollution of the bay. The plant closed in 2017 and cooling towers were demolished in April 2019. The power station brownfield was purchased in 2018 and became the Brayton Point Commerce Center. It was upgraded and adapted it into offshore wind port which can support heavy-lift port operations and receive deep-draft vessels. In 2009, the City of Fall River completed the first phase of a $185 million Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) abatement project, designed to drastically reduce the amount of sewage overflows that occur during periods of heavy rains. The project is expected to be completed by 2018. See also Battleship Cove Borden Flats Light Fall River Heritage State Park Mount Hope Farm Ocean Grove, Massachusetts References Estuaries of Massachusetts Estuaries of Rhode Island Fall River, Massachusetts Bodies of water of Bristol County, Massachusetts