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 EPA and the Corps have jointly issued a testing manual "Evaluation of Dredged 

 Material Proposed for Ocean Disposal" (commonly known as the Green Book), which 

 provides technical guidance on how to perform the necessary biological tests and 

 interpret the results. This manual was updated in 1991 to incorporate improvements 

 in testing methods. We are well along in preparing a manual with similar testing 

 methodologies for use in evaluating dredged material disposal in waters of the United 

 States subject to regulation under §404 of the Clean Water Act (CWA). Drafts of this 

 manual have been prepared and are undergoing Agency review. We anticipate 

 providing this manual in draft form for public comment in the Fall or Winter of this 

 year. 



Site designation, management, and monitoring 



The second key mechanism used to control the environmental impacts of 

 dumping is site designation, management, and monitoring. Under the Act, EPA is 

 charged with designating recommended sites for ocean dumping for all materials, and 

 the MPRSA directs the Corps to use such EPA-designated sites to the maximum 

 extent feasible. 



EPA's ocean dumping regulations set out criteria for use by EPA in designating 

 ocean disposal sites. These criteria are designed to select sites so as to minimize the 

 potential for impacts on beaches, shorelines, and other important environmental 

 resources. In order to ensure careful analysis of potential disposal sites, under its 

 voluntary Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) policy the Agency prepares EISs as 



