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ports and harbors: 
"The United States of America and many other countries 
must continue to dredge new and existing waterways to 
assist in achieving safe passage for vessels of com- 
merce. This will be done, not only because the export 
and import cargoes are vital to maintenance of sound 
and growing economies, but also because accidental 
spillage of some cargoes due to poorly maintained chan- 
nels could have far more profound ef fects than dredg- 
ing on marine ecological systems and, thus, on the 
welfare of the peoples of the world.” 
Thus, we are confronted with three important facts 
(a) dredging of ports and harbors must and will continue in the 
1980s and beyond, 
(b) the volumes of dredged material to be utilized or disposed 
will certainly increase, and 
(c) the numbers and kinds of acceptable places in which to dis- 
' pose of this mounting volume of dredged material will just 
as certainly decrease, especially on the land. 
There can be no doubt, then, that problems associated with the disposal of 
dredged material will persist for years to come. Therefore, it is the dis- 
posal aspect of the dredging/disposal problem and the justifications for 
recommending increasing use of the marine system as the receiving environ- 
ment that will orchestrate the principal theme of this paper. We shall 
examine the extent to which some amelioration of environmental impacts can 
be achieved by careful management of the dredging plan and process as well 
as of the disposal process. 
At this point let us examine some geographic, demographic, oceanographic, 
and ecologic facts which demonstrate that the ocean can and will very like- 
ly have to assimilate substantial amounts of dredged material derived from 
ports and harbors over the globe, provided the dredging/disposal process is 
