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erator ash on the abyssal plains of the deep ocean. I look forward 

 to hearing from Dr. Valent about that study. 



I also look forward to hearing from Drs. Edmond and Grassle 

 about the status of knowledge about the deep ocean environment 

 and Beth Millemann about the legal and policy implications of deep 

 ocean placement. 



Personally, I have grave concerns about deep ocean disposal. Re- 

 moving our waste from plain sight is not the same as responsible 

 management of those wastes, nor does it replace efforts to develop 

 practical, cost effective ways to reduce the stream of waste that we 

 produce. However, I am interested in hearing the testimony of our 

 distinguished panelists today and perhaps this will be the begin- 

 ning of additional dialog on this issue in the Congress. 



Thank you all for coming. Your statements will be placed in the 

 record. Feel free to make whatever comments you would like, ei- 

 ther following your statement or without your notes. We will start 

 with Dr. Valent. Thank you. 



STATEMENT OF DR. PHILIP J. VALENT, NAVAL RESEARCH 

 LABORATORY, STENNIS SPACE CENTER 



Dr. Valent. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 



My name is Philip Valent. I am the associate superintendent of 

 the Marine Geosciences Division, Naval Research Laboratory, and 

 a marine geoscientist and a registered civil engineer. I submit my 

 written statement, which I will summarize orally. 



The United States relies mostly on land-based waste manage- 

 ment alternatives since the cessation of ocean disposal of wastes 

 with the Ocean Dumping Ban Act of 1988. In fiscal year 1993, Con- 

 gress tasked the Department of Defense to study the advantages, 

 disadvantages, and economic viability of storing industrial waste in 

 the abyssal plains of the ocean floor. Please note, the industrial 

 waste is defined here as sewage sludge, fly ash from municipal in- 

 cinerators, and dredged material and does not include radioactive 

 waste, such as discussed in the previous panels. 



DOD tasked the Naval Research Laboratory to perform the paper 

 study to examine the abyssal waste isolation option. I am the prin- 

 cipal investigator on that project. 



Our first task was to conduct a technology assessment of the ca- 

 pabilities to transport and place wastes on the abyssal sea floor. 

 Four concepts emerged as being technically feasible. The least risky 

 and least costly concept is depicted in the first figure of a packet, 

 which I hope you have. This figure depicts the barge transport of 

 waste contained in geotextile bags. The waste-filled bags are re- 

 leased through trapdoors and free-fall to the abyssal sea floor with- 

 out loss of material to the water column. 



Our second task was to perform an environmental assessment 

 where we sought first to identify areas of the abyssal sea floor 

 within 1,000 nautical miles of the U.S. mainland where environ- 

 mental isolation of waste would be maximized, where the environ- 

 mental impact of placing the waste on the sea floor would be mini- 

 mized, and where economic zones of other countries would be ex- 

 cluded. Favorable sites are shown on the second figure, with the 

 darker squares marking those more favorable. 



