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2. Although a large number of sewage sludge ocean-dumpers 
have_been persuaded to terminate this practice since the advent 
of the ocean dumping law, most have been very small communities. 
Overall, the level of ocean-dumped sewage sludge has increased 
by more than one-third--from 4.8 million tons to 7.3 million 
tons--between 1973 and 1980. Dumping information is not yet 
available for 1981, but the figures will almost certainly show 
a continuation of the trend of steadily-increasing quantities 
of ocean-dumped sewage sludge. ‘The 1981 phase-out deadline on 
harmful sewage sludge ocean dumping, enacted by Congress in 
1977, has had little impact on the pattern of ocean dumping, 
with the notable exceptions that the cities of Philadelphia and 
Camden successfully implemented land-based alternatives 
nearly two years ago. : 
3. Despite statutory and treaty restrictions on allowing 
ocean dumping at sites which have not been formally studied and 
designated for this purpose, only 11 of the 144 ocean dumpsites 
given blanket interim-approved status have gone through the 
study and designation process. In the meantime, ocean dumping 
freely continues at 50 to 70 of these unstudied sites each year. 
4. The ocean dumping of dredged material--the product of 
river and harbor maintenance and deepening--continues unabated, 
with massive increases likely if a number of proposed port 
development projects come to fruition. While the vast majority 
of this dredged material is relatively innocuous sand, clay, 
and silt, a small, but important fraction of the material is 
