167 



Testimony 



Delivered by Frederick Grassle, Director 



Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences 



Rutgers University 



Hearing on Ocean Disposal of Contaminated Dredge Material 



Subcommittee on Oceanography, Gulf of Mexico and 



the Outer Continental Shelf 



Tuesday, March 30, 1993 



I'd like to thank Chairman Ortiz and members of the Subcommittee 

 for the opportunity tc present information or. the ocean disposal of 

 contaminated dredge material. Per your request, my remarks provide 

 a brief overview of the effects of this activity on the marine 

 environment, potential alternatives to ccean disposal of 

 contaminated dreaged material including the current state of 

 technology for remediating sediments, and comments on the proposal 

 to use in-vessel storage for the dredging of contaminated sediments 

 at the Port Newark/Port Elizabeth Marine Terminal. 



Overview of Effects -~. f '. :ean Disposal tf Contaminated 

 Sediments en the Marine Environment 



It is necessary to be concerned about disposal of any contaminated 

 materials in the ocean. Ccean disposal leads to changes in marine 

 ecosystems in the immediate area of the disposal site. If the 

 material from the disposal site is prevented from spreading, then 

 the effects on either biota cr human health are minimal. For 

 example, capping of contaminated sediments with clean sediments has 

 proven to be successful in controlling the spread of contaminated 

 sediments so that risks to marine life and human health have been 

 acceptable . Major advances have been made in recent years in our 

 understanding of processes associated with transport of sediment in 

 the marine environment . Materials thought to nave beer, contained 

 may on some occasions ce moved by storms and can ce transported 

 considerable distances. In these instances, material from ocean 

 disposal contributes tc the gradual buildup of pollutants in the 

 ocean. Despite the large extent of the deep ocean, it covers 60% 

 of the earth's surface, pollutants have been measured in ail deep- 

 sea oeaiments sampled to date. The primary source of these 

 pollutants are atmospheric, but we need tc be concerned about any 

 source that adds to the oenerai level of contaminants. 



Assessment of Ccean disposal Alternatives ..".eluding 

 Sediment Remediation 



During the past year, one Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences 

 at Rutgers University received funding from the Port Authority of 



