contaminated dredged material definition

This testing manual contains a tiered evaluation approach developed specifically for ocean disposal of dredged material at a selected site. The USACE requested Battelle/Marine Sciences Laboratory (MSL) to conduct more » testing for ocean disposal under the guidelines in Evaluation of Dredged Material Proposed for Ocean Disposal-Testing Manual (EPA/USACE 1991). Approximately 8.5 million cubic yards (mcy) of sediment will be removed from the channel to reach this project depth. = 45 ft relative to mean lower low water (MLLW).

This paper discusses such efforts to date and the preliminary recommendations for evaluating the potential effects of dioxin contaminated dredged material. more » Recently, the EPA and the USACE have been working to incorporate risk-based evaluation procedures into the dredged material decision-making process.

Within that framework, judgments about the suitability of dredged material for aquatic disposal are made based upon a tiered testing and evaluative process. Decision makers in the EPA and the USACE are guided by numerous statutory mandates and regulations. Further testing will likely find that dredged materials are contaminated with low levels of dioxin across the country. One particular class of chemicals that raises concern when regulating dredged material disposal is dioxin, which has been found in sediment in a number of locations, including New Jersey/New York Harbor. An increasing amount of dredged materials are being identified through more sophisticated testing regimes to pose potentially adverse risks to human health and the aquatic environment. Contaminated dredged materials are most frequently found downstream of industrial and municipal sewage-treatment discharges non-point sources of pollution (e.g., urban and agricultural runoff) also contribute to contamination of dredged materials. While the vast majority of the dredged material are clean and thereby suitable for aquatic disposal, a portion of the dredged material are contaminated with chemicals that may pose risks to human health and the ecological health of the aquatic environment. Approximately 400 million cubic yards of sediment are dredged from US navigation channels every year.

Contaminated dredged material definition