92 



- 16 - 



In the specific context of the New York/New Jersey Harbor, various provisions 

 of the Water Resource Development Act (WRDA) bills over the years have addressed 

 alternatives to ocean dumping. §41 2(a) of the WRDA of 1 990 directed EPA to submit 

 a report to Congress on the feasibility of designating an alternative to the Mud Dump 

 Site, and that report has been completed and is in the final stages of Agency review 

 prior to transmittal to Congress. The WRDA of 1 990 §41 2(b) also directed the Corps 

 and EPA to prepare a plan for the long-term management of dredged material from the 

 New York/New Jersey Harbor, and EPA Region II has been cooperating with the Corps 

 New York District in its preparation. §41 2(c) of the WRDA of 1990 further directed 

 the Corps in consultation with EPA to implement a decontamination technology 

 demonstration project. The Corps Waterways Experiment Station and a private 

 consultant have been performing the work. Finally, §405 of the WRDA of 1992 

 requires EPA and the Corps to conduct a decontamination project for the New 

 York/New Jersey Harbor based on a review of the technologies identified under 

 §41 2(c). Congress has appropriated to EPA $2.7 million, and once the information 

 gathered by the Corps under §41 2(c) is available, we will be able to proceed. 



In addition to decontamination of sediments, EPA considers alternatives to 

 ocean disposal an important regulatory option. Accordingly, EPA and the Corps 

 developed and published a guidance document last year addressing dredged material 

 management alternatives. This guidance, known as the "Framework Document", 

 emphasizes the importance of evaluating alternative methods to manage dredged 

 material and provides technical guidance on evaluating the environmental 



