83 



- 7 - 



characteristics of the material to be disposed had changed from the initial testing. 

 EPA indicated to the Corps that it had not reviewed or concurred on the 500,000 cy 

 proposal and requested that, if it could not be shown that the sediment profile had 

 remained the same in the project site since the initial testing, then further sediment 

 chemistry testing for dioxin be undertaken to ensure that the additional volume of 

 material complied with the EPA ocean dumping criteria. Thereafter, the Corps 

 directed the Port to conduct sediment chemistry tests for all the project area, and the 

 results from these tests are being analyzed. 



If the results of these tests show the dioxin levels in the sediment to be at or 

 below those from tests conducted on the 200,000 cy project, which were generally 

 below the 10 pptr criteria, disposal may be allowable if the material is capped within 

 5-10 days of such dumping. If these new sediment tests show increased levels of 

 dioxin, then additional bioaccumulation testing of the material will be necessary before 

 a disposal decision can be reached. 



The issues of dredging and disposal of material from the New York/New Jersey 

 Harbor have been controversial and generated much public interest and concern. In 

 light of this widespread interest, our Region II office is seeking to facilitate a 

 consensus on disposal alternatives among interested parties and is planning a forum 

 sponsored by the EPA, the Corps, and the States. This forum would seek to bring 

 together representatives of all interested parties including shipping, dredging, 

 governmental, environmental, fishing, boating and marine research interests. 



