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Questions and Answers for the Record 



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



Ocean Disposal of Contaminated Dredge Material 



Question from Chairman Ortiz - If contaminated sediments 

 remaining in our bays and estuaries close to shore have harmful 

 biological effects, would it make sense to employ deep ocean 

 isolation as a technology for moving these contaminants to more 

 remote locations? 



ANSWER Dr. Engler: In order to manage the contaminated sediment 

 problem in the most efficient and environmentally responsible 

 manner, it is essential that all potentially feasible management 

 options be available to the resource manager and equally so from 

 a regulatory context. However, deep ocean isolation most 

 probably would not represent a cost-effective option at this 

 point in time, even for managing highly contaminated bottom 

 sediments. Further, it is questionable if this option could be 

 seriously considered at present for highly contaminated sediments 

 due to regulatory constraints of the London Dumping Convention. 



Would isolating and removing contaminated dredged 

 material from current near-shore bays or estuaries aid in 

 remediation of the marine ecosystems and coastal water quality of 

 these areas? 



ANSWER Dr. Engler: Isolating and/or removing contaminated 

 sediment has been shown to be an effective remediation measure 

 under certain conditions. For example, isolation or removal of 

 "contaminant hot spots" with natural remediation of the remaining 

 problem may often be the preferred option for resolving this 

 problem, both from an environmental as well as an economical 



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