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Questions and Answers for the Record 



Hearing Before House MMS.F-OGM&OCS on 30 March 1993 



Ocean Disposal of Contaminated Dredge Material 



Question from Chairman Ortiz - You mention significant long 

 term problems if action is not taken. With research being 

 conducted to detect and reduce pollutants at their source, what 

 further actions must be taken to prevent further problems? 



ANSWER Dr. Engler: Research on source detection, control, and 

 management is an EPA mission. As such, the Corps has no research 

 in this area. The Corps does conduct research in the 

 identification, assessment and management of contaminants once 

 they are in the sediments that we manage in our dredging program. 

 We are detecting low levels of a wide range of contaminants that 

 originate from land based sources, atmospheric deposition or in- 

 water hot spots. These sources must be aggressively controlled 

 before we can pursue any long-term clean-up solutions. 



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