Stellwagen Bank Final EIS and Management Plan 



Page 65 



70'35.0'W). At this time the area became known as 

 the Industrial Waste Site (IWS). Between 1963 and 

 1975, this area was also authorized for disposal of 

 toxic and hazardous wastes. In 1975, at the request 

 of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the 

 Corps of Engineers, the IWS buoy marker was 

 moved one nautical mile east, to its present location 

 (42*25.7'N X 70*35.0'W). 



b. Dredfzed Material 



In 1977, EPA promulgated its Ocean Dumping 

 Regiilations, and subsequently granted "interim site 

 designation" status to ocean disposal sites which had 

 been historically used (40 CFR 228). The disposal 

 area, now known as the Massachusetts Bay Disposal 

 Site (MBDS), was established over a two-nautical- 

 mile-diameter circle (Figure 13) centered at 

 42*25.7'N X 70'35.0'W, and overlapped the old 

 IWS. The MBDS has alternatively been called the 

 "Marblehead Site" and the "Foul Area Disposal Site" 

 (FADS). The name "Foul Area" was used because 

 disposed materials on the bottom would tend to tear 

 or "foul" fishermen's nets. Since 1977, the MBDS 

 has been used only for the disposal of dredged 

 materials. Approximately 3,160,000 cubic yards of 

 dredged material have been placed at MBDS since 

 1975. Nearly all of these materials are generated 

 from dredging coastal harbors and waterways 

 ranging from Rockport, Massachusetts to Plymouth, 

 Massachusetts. 



In 1988, the COE prepared a site evaluation 

 report using the criteria for selection of ocean 

 disposal sites (40 CFR §§ 228.5 and 228.6), and 

 summarizing 15 years of site monitoring. In 

 September 1989, EPA published a Draft 

 Environmental Impact Statement on the continued 

 use of the MBDS under a permanent ocean disposal 

 site designation. In response to public review 

 comments, a Supplemental EIS was prepared in 

 July 1990 which more fully evaluates alternative sites 

 for dredged material disposal activities. The 

 alternatives analysis is being prepared using the 

 guidelines prepared by EPA and COE for dredged 

 material site designation (EPA, 1986). A zone of 

 siting feasibihty (ZSF) has been established to 

 develop a reasonable range of alternative sites. The 

 following factors are taken into consideration in 

 estabUshing the ZSF: cost of dredging, transport. 



and disposal; navigation restrictions; distance to the 

 edge of the continental shelf; existing poUtical 

 boundaries; environmentally sensitive areas; and 

 areas of incompatible uses. The suitabiUty of these 

 alternative sites are evaluated using the five general 

 and eleven specific criteria for disposal site 

 designation (40 CFR §§ 228.5 and 228.6). 



Prior to the preparation of the COE's MBDS 

 Site Eviduation Report, a review of the Disposal 

 Area Monitoring Program (DAMOS) program 

 reports and pertinent scientific Uterature was 

 conducted to identify data gaps in the 

 oceanographic knowledge of site specific conditions 

 at MBDS. Extensive site evaluation studies were 

 contracted during the preparation of the site 

 designation document to fulfill the criteria of Title 

 I of the Marine Protection, Research and 

 Sanctuaries Act of 1972 (40 CFR §§ 228.5 and 

 228.6). Physical oceanographic data were collected 

 using bathymetric surveys, current meters, and side 

 scan sonar. Water colimin chemistry was measured 

 and chemical analyses were also performed on 

 sediments and organisms (worms, shellfish, and 

 sandlance), both inside and outside of the MBDS 

 boundary. Benthic analyses were made using 

 conventional grab samples (soft sediments), and 

 manned submersible dives (hard and soft 

 sediments). Additional fish were sampled using 

 trawls and gill nets. These data along with NMFS 

 fish catch statistics were used to evaluate fish 

 resources in the area. Specific programs and results 

 are foimd in the MBDS site evaluation study (COE, 

 1987) and in supporting documents (SAIC, 1987). 



A major effort was also made to determine the 

 use of the area by cetaceans, marine reptiles, and 

 seabirds. Data were collected from the following 

 sources: 



1) Cetacean and Turtle Assessment Program, 

 Bureau of Land Management (1978-1980); 



2) National Marine Fisheries Service, Northeast 

 Fisheries Center-sponsored marine mammal 

 surveys, Manomet Bird Observatory, Manomet, 

 Massachusetts (1980-1985); 



3) Right Whale Surveys of Cape Cod Bay, Center 

 for Coastal Studies, Provincetown, Massachusetts 

 (1983-1986); 



