396 



It would not be feasible to ban all ocean dumping at once. In some 

 instances, waste disposal methods which are less damaging to the envi- 

 ronment than ocean dumping are not immediately available. Research 

 is needed on the recj^cling of wastes and the development of other 

 alternatives to ocean dumping. 



Conversion to land-based disposal methods will require a substan- 

 tial reallocation of resources hj municipalities and others presently 

 disposing of wastes at sea. 



EPA is making every effort to develop solutions to the often very 

 complex problems of recj^cling and alternate disposal of wastes which 

 otherwise would find their way into inland and ocean wastes. 



Some of the projects now underway include an examination and 

 demonstration of the recycling of solid wastes, an exammation of the 

 feasibility of mixirig municipal sewage sludge and solid waste into 

 a composting material, the location of national land disposal sites 

 for the disposition of hazardous and toxic industrial wastes, the in- 

 cineration of solid wastes as a fuel for power production, and the use 

 of sewage sludge for soil enrichment or as landfill — especially in strip 

 mined areas. 



We are also making an intensive effort through our grant and con- 

 tract authority to develop and demonstrate practical industrial waste 

 water recycling and by-product recovery as well as industrial methods 

 which minimize the production of pollutants. 



In addition to the technological problems, we face an array of social, 

 legal, and economic problems when we seek answers to the puzzle of 

 waste disposal sites and waste transportation. 



A g-reat deal of effort and investment is necessary. 



Some of the bills pending before these subcommittees would ban the 

 dmnping of all materials into the territorial sea or into waters over 

 the Continental Shelf. EPA is not favorable to a ban of this nature 

 which would be applicable to all classes of materials since it might 

 lead to undesirable results in some instances. 



For example, again using the case of sewage sludge, it might be 

 necessary for some communities which presently barge sludge for 

 dumping in near-shore ocean waters over the Continental Shelf to 

 invest substantial amounts in new equipment to barge a farther dis- 

 tance from shore. It might be preferable to allow such communities 

 to continue near-shore dumping on an interim basis and to invest their 

 money instead in developing a capability for land-based disposal. 



However, EPA does agree that special protection should be accorded 

 to those portions of the marine environment wliich are biologically 

 the most productive and the most sensitive, that is, estuaries and shal- 

 low, near-shore areas in which many marine organisms breed or spawn. 

 In many cases, a complete ban of dumping in such areas might be 

 appropriate. 



Several of the bills pending before this committee would require 

 designated levels of treatment for municipal sewage and industrial 

 wastes by specified dates. This approach does not take into account 

 variations in water use designations, the quality or characteristics of 

 the receiinng waters, or other factors which bear on the appropriate 

 level of treatment in a ffiven instance. 



