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PRACTICES AND PARTICULAR WASTES IT IS NECESSARY TO DETERMINE THE 
BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES: EMPHASIS WILL BE ON DETERMINING THE EFFECTS OF 
VARIOUS EXPOSURE PATTERNS IN THE WATER COLUMN AND ON DETERMINING THE 
CHRONIC EFFECTS AND PERSISTENCE OF POLLUTANTS ON BENTHIC/EPIBENTHIC 
SPECIES NEAR OCEAN DUMPING SITES- 
DRILLING FLUIDS RESEARCH 
DuE TO INCREASED QuTER CONTINENTAL SHELF (OCS) OIL AND GAS 
EXPLORATION AND DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES, MORE INFORMATION IS NEEDED ON 
THE CONSEQUENCES OF THESE ACTIVITIES IN THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT- EPA Is 
RESPONSIBLE FOR ISSUING PERMITS FOR THE DISCHARGE OF DRILLING FLUIDS 
INTO MARINE WATERS ON THE OCS UNDER THE NATIONAL POLLUTION DISCHARGE 
ELIMINATION SYSTEM: THIS RESEARCH PROGRAM IS DESIGNED TO PROVIDE A 
TECHNICAL DATA BASE TO ASSIST THE AGENCY IN PROCESSSING THESE PERMITS- 
THE RESEARCH EFFORT OF THE PAST FOUR YEARS HAS FOCUSED ON DERIVING 
INFORMATION ON THE TOXIC AND SUBLETHAL EFFECTS OF DRILLING FLUIDS ON 
MARINE BIOTA: IN RECENT YEARS, EMPHASIS HAS BEEN PLACED ON THE 
EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT OF DRILLING FLUIDS UNDER AMBIENT CONDITIONS: THE 
MAJOR OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAM ARE (1) TO PROVIDE A STATE-OF-THE-ART 
ASSESSMENT OF THE HAZARDS OF DRILLING FLUIDS DISPOSAL IN THE MARINE 
ENVIRONMENT, INCLUDING PROTOCOLS FOR MEASURING POTENTIAL IMPACT, AND 
(2) PROVIDE RESULTS OF BIOASSAY SCREENING FOR A WIDE RANGE OF DRILLING 
FLUID TYPES UTILIZING SEVERAL INDIGENOUS GROUPS OF MARINE ORGANISMS. 
THIS PROGRAM WAS ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED FOR COMPLETION IN FY 83. 
HOWEVER, DUE TO BUDGETARY RESTRICTIONS IT WILL CLOSE OUT IN FY 82. THE 
FINAL YEAR OF THE PROGRAM WILL FOCUS ON SYNTHESIS OF INFORMATION, 
DEVELOPMENT OF A TRANSPORT MODEL, AND TOXICITY TESTING OF AN ARRAY OF 
