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Is the volume of contaminated sediment increasing? 



ANSWER Mr. Rees: As point and non-point sources of contamination 

 are controlled, we may see a decrease in the level of 

 contamination in sediments. However, with the ability to 

 identify and detect harmful contaminants at lower and lower 

 concentrations and a general trend toward lowering state 

 criteria/standards for levels of contamination considered 

 harmful, we expect that the volume of sediments that could be 

 classified as contaminated would increase. We believe it is 

 critical to continue looking at impacts of other disposal options 

 and measuring them against impacts of open water disposal. 

 Setting an absolute threshold for open water disposal can well 

 lead to upland or groundwater impacts which are even less 

 acceptable than some potential minor water quality impacts. We 

 believe we should be in a position to select the least 

 environmentally damaging practical alternative considering all 

 options together. 



