49 



©.&. l>ou£fe of fcepresfentattbess 



Committee on 



fHercfjant iflarine anb fi&\)tritS 



Boom 1334. longtDortti feoust ©(fur Suilbing 



Masljington. ffi£ 20515-6230 



March 25, 1993 



BACKGROUND MEMORANDUM SUMMARY 



TO: MEMBERS, SUBCOMMITTEE ON OCEANOGRAPHY, GULF OF MEXICO, 

 AND THE OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF 



FROM: SUBCOMMITTEE AND COMMITTEE STAFF 



RE: OCEAN DISPOSAL OF CONTAMINATED DREDGE MATERIAL 



Attached is a copy of a detailed background memorandum 

 relating to the upcoming March 30, 1993, hearing on ocean 

 disposal of contaminated dredge material. What follows is a 

 short summary of the memorandum. 



Sparked by the recent denial of a permit to the New York/New 

 Jersey Port Authority to dispose of dioxin-laced sediment dredged 

 from Newark Bay into the Atlantic Ocean, the hearing will focus 

 on the current ocean dumping program for contaminated dredge 

 material. Specifically, it will examine the existing Army Corps 

 of Engineers permitting process under the Ocean Dumping Act and 

 alternatives to ocean disposal of contaminated sediment. In 

 addition, the new National Contaminated Sediment Task Force will 

 be discussed, as well as Environmental Protection Agency 

 directives to inventory and monitor contaminated sediments in 

 U.S. waters contained in the Water Resources Development Act of 

 1992. 



The memo includes sections describing the extent and nature 

 of contaminated sediments in coastal waters, the Federal 

 regulatory scheme for ocean disposal of this material under the 

 Ocean Dumping Act, the role of States in regulating the ocean 

 disposal of contaminated sediments, and the contaminated sediment 

 provisions of the Water Resources Development Act of 1992. The 

 memo also outlines the circumstances surrounding the denial of a 

 Corps permit to ocean dispose of contaminated sediments from 

 Newark Bay, New Jersey. Finally, the memo provides a detailed 

 summary of various methods of avoiding the ocean disposal of 

 contaminated sediments, including land-based disposal, isolation 

 of the dredge material, and treatment of sediment contaminants. 



Attachment 



iTED OH PAPER t 



