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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 Mr. Weldon - In your testimony you describe an 

 effects-based testing as a tiered approach with lower tiers using 

 existing information and higher tiers requiring that a decision 

 be made on an appropriate form of disposal. Can this approach be 

 used in the future to determine what is the best possible 

 disposal method for contaminated sediments? 



ANSWER Dr. Engler: The effects-based approach at identifying and 

 assessing potential contamination of sediments proposed for 

 dredging can be used and is designed specifically for identifying 

 environmentally acceptable disposal alternatives. The procedures 

 summarized in my testimony can be applied to aquatic, wetland, 

 and upland disposal alternatives. It is used in combination with 

 the jointly developed Corps of Engineers/ EPA manual, "Evaluating 

 Environmental Effects of Dredged Material Management Alternatives 

 - A Technical Framework" cited in Mr. Rees ' testimony to select 

 the best possible disposal method for contaminated sediments. 

 These procedures are not designed specifically for remediation 

 concerns involving in-place sediments, but would be applicable if 

 a decision was made to remediate by removing those sediments and 

 placing them elsewhere. 



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