449 



cal treatment methods or because the materials cannot be technically or economi- 

 cal recovered. These materials may be in liquid, solid or semi-solid form. When 

 discharged into the marine environment, the materials may be (1) deposited 

 on the ocean floor, (2) dissolved and transported by ocean diffusion, dispersion 

 and currents, (3) suspended in colloidal form and transported by currents, (4) 

 float and be transported by currents. The position that the discharged materials 

 occupy in the ocean determine what life forms may be damaged. The toxicity 

 of the wastes is dependent upon several ocean factors, such as pH, salinity, 

 turbidity, temperature and mixing. 



Examples of the types of industries that can produce toxic wastes are petro- 

 chemical facilities, steel mills, paper mills, metal plating plants and others. Very 

 simply, much of these toxic industrial wastes are the residual materials from 

 "still bottoms", settling basins, lagoon storage systems or concentrated precipi- 

 tates and sludges from solid-liquid industrial processing streams. Elements and 

 compounds that may be regarded as hazardous substances are common in toxic 

 industrial wastes. Tliese materials would include elements in their elemental form 

 or as ions, compounds, or in any combination or mixture such as antimony, 

 arsenic, beryllium, boron, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, nickel, selenium, 

 silver, thallium and zinc. In addition, organic materials, includuing certain 

 pesticides and residues that have been classified by Department of Transporta- 

 tion as Class B poisons in 46 CFR 146.25 are also toxic. A major threat to the 

 marine environment from toxic industrial wastes is the complexity of these mix- 

 tures and the high potential for synergism once discharged. 



Mr. DiNGELL. Are you satisfied that oil may be safely excluded from 

 the purview of this act because it is adequately covered elsewhere in 

 the statutes? 



Mr. EucKELSiiAus. I think under section 11 of the Federal Water 

 Pollution Control Act, Mr. Chairman, there has been a very recent 

 effort by this Congress to cover comprehensively the problems of oil 

 pollution, and we are in the process of attempting to implement 

 that act, and maybe after a little more experience with our efforts to 

 implement it, we can give you a clearer answer, but it is a comprehen- 

 sive effort to treat the problem of oil, and certainly we have by no means 

 got it completely under control, but we are in the process of trying. 



Mr. DI^^GELL. You have here a question of existing legislation and 

 the question is whether bilge and hold pumping anywhere by American 

 ships is adequately handled, out of the 20-mile limit, or possibly 50 

 miles out. 



Could you give us a comment on that particular problem ? 



]Mr. DoMixTOK. "We feel that the role of the United States in han- 

 dling the question of ballast dumping and bilge pumping beyond our 

 territorial waters or the contiguous zone must be undertaken in the 

 international convention areas, and, as you know. Secretary Volpe 

 has taken a very strong role with the NATO countries in seeking 

 international agreements to totally ban the discharge of ballast 

 waters on the high seas. I believe the date was by 1975 or 1976. 



Mr. DiNGELL. This brings to mind the question regarding matters of 

 some importance to the Chair. 



Legislation pending elsewhere in the Congress would instruct the 

 administration, if it is the wish of Congress, that they should at an 

 early time enter into endeavors to achieve international controls on, 

 ocean dumping through treaties and similar devices. 



Would you have any feeling as to the relative usefulness of a direc- 



