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option which a city with the size and density of New York would 

 find extremely difficult, if not impossible, to manage. 



Incineration of sewage sludge would release pollutants into the 

 atmosphere, and cause, we believe, more significant public health 

 hazards than any other option. 



It seems clear to us that ocean disposal, while it has many draw- 

 backs, is the best method now available. We also believe, as I said 

 earlier, that the current site in the New York Bight is the prefer- 

 able site. 



There seems to be little point in establishing new sites for dispos- 

 al. Sewage sludge contributes only an estimated 2 to 11 percent of 

 the metals, and two-tenths of 1 percent of coliform bacteria to the 

 bight. To move our disposal site further out to sea would have little 

 effect on the bight and might only contribute to the creation of a 

 new bight. Two bights would be foolish, I believe. 



The negative environmental effects of disposal in the bight 

 appear to be confined to a relatively small area. Forcing us to 

 transport sludge to new sites farther from the city would also mean 

 an increase from our current outlay of $4 million a year to more 

 than $18 million for the 60-mile site, and nearly $27 million for the 

 106-mile site. 



Nevertheless, we are willing to continue looking at all three 

 ocean sites, and we have provided our data from the three sites to 

 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 



While the EPA is considering our data, and that provided by 

 others, we strongly urge the Congress to withhold any action which 

 would anticipate or usurp the regulatory process. We support H.R. 

 1761, which would allow this process to continue. 



We are working now to improve the performances of our sewage 

 treatment plants. Through our pretreatement program we will 

 remove some of the additional metals from the sludge, and we are 

 working on methods of reducing pollution from storm water runoff. 



We are all concerned with our environment, with pollution of 

 our land, air, and water. We have become more aware of the prob- 

 lems of environmental degradation in a highly urbanized society. 

 However, we do not now have the technology to solve every envi- 

 ronmental problem, nor do we have the funds to restore our envi- 

 ronment to the condition it enjoyed when the first European set- 

 tlers discovered this country. 



Given the many difficult choices facing us, and the enormous 

 competition for relatively few public dollars, we believe we must 

 continue our current ocean disposal of sewage sludge, and we urge 

 the Congress to await further scientific determinations before 

 taking any action which might have even more deleterious effects 

 on the environment than our current program, and spend precious 

 dollars to accomplish nothing. 



Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 



[The statement of Mayor Koch follows:] 



