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Secondly, a comprehensive national sediment survey was mandated to be 

 conducted using all available data and information regarding sediment quality. 



The Title does change how the ocean disposal program is currently 

 operated. It provides for EPA to have a concurrence role with respect to ACOE 

 issued permits. EPA has 45 days to review all information and the permit 

 application and concur, reject or concur with conditions. States are allowed to 

 promulgate regulations for ocean disposal that are stricter than federal regulations, 

 as long as they are scientifically defensible. The new language also revises the 

 site designation requirements by requiring that all dump sites be designated by 

 1997. requires that EPA develop site monitoring plans and site management plans 

 be developed by 1995. It also clarifies the policy of non-designated sites. The 

 maximum length of permits are restricted to seven years, placing an upper limit 

 on the amount of time a permit can exist before renewal. However, it is 

 important to note that the intent of this last requirement was to set an upper limit 

 on permit lengths and not preclude the typical permit term length of three years, 

 which is appropriate for most permits. 



IV. Alternatives to Ocean Disposal 



Alternatives to ocean disposal include upland disposal, upland storage, use 

 as sanitary landfill cover, disposal on beaches, wetland restoration projects, 

 containment structures, such as islands, subaqueous borrow pits, or near-shore 

 diked areas, and decontamination technologies. 



Alternatives generally are utilized according to the quality of the sediment 

 and its structure. To be sure, any clean, sandy dredged material should be taken 

 advantage of and reused in a beneficial manner. 



Alternatives to ocean disposal of contaminated dredged materials do exist 

 and can be implemented. A full set of alternatives needs to be considered and 

 assessed to determine which ones best meet environmental protection and meet 

 the needs of the specific locality. 



Decontamination technologies do offer an advantage over containment 

 options due to their ability to render dredged materials less contaminated and 

 perhaps even suitable for ocean disposal. The Superfund program has helped 

 develop numerous technologies that lend themselves to being utilized to 

 decontaminate sediments. Decontamination also offers the possibility of spurring 

 economic growth and can be considered among the new environmental 

 technologies promoted by the present Administration. 



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