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Bight Apex is presently being evaluated by the Agency in its consideration of peti- 

 tions to redesignate the 12-Mile Site for continued use. 



(3) The City of New York contends that there is virtually no significant accumula- 

 tion of sewage sludge on the ocean bottom at the existing dump site; in other words, 

 that a mound of material has not built up at the sludge site as it has at the existing 

 dredge site. One must assume, then, that the site itself has not shown huge accumu- 

 lations because the solids have been dispersed by physical processes over a much 

 greater area of impact. Could you comment on the dispersion of solid material from 

 the 12-Mile Site. In which direction or directions is the material most likely to be 

 transported? How large an area of the ocean bottom has been affected by sewage 

 sludge disposal at the 12-Mile Site? 



The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has reported 

 that, within the accuracy of bathymetry measurements, there has been no signifi- 

 cant accumulation (mounding) of sewage sludge at the 12-Mile Suite. This is not un- 

 expected. Basically sewage sludge, when ocean dumped, breaks into four fractions: a 

 surface film which is dispersed primarily by wind action; a water fraction (roughly 

 95 percent of sludge is water) which is widely dispersed and diluted in the water 

 column; a suspended particulate fraction which is likewise widely dispersed before 

 settling out to the bottom; and a denser solid fraction which settles relatively quick- 

 ly to the bottom. NOAA and EPA studies indicate that the particulate and solid 

 fractions generally settle in a topographic low known as the Christiaensen basin. 

 Some also is transported down (about 50 miles) the Hudson Canyon. Estimates of 

 the area of the bottom impacted by sludge dumping vary from 20 to 30 square miles. 

 This is in comparison to the 6.6 square mile area of the 12-Mile Site. 



(4) Could you comment on the bioaccumulation of cadmium by fish and shellfish 

 in the Bight Apex, especially as compared with organisms in less contaminated 

 water. It is my understanding that NOAA studies indicate that the eastern Chris- 

 tiaensen Basin acts as a sediment trap for cadmium and contains the highest levels 

 in the Bight Apex. Are similar trends occurring with regard to PCB's? 



Recent NOAA and EPA studies indicate that sediments of the Christiaensen 

 basin, a topographic low which acts as a settling area for suspended particulates 

 and solids introduced into the Apex, have elevated concentrations of pathogens, 

 heavy metals including cadmium, and organic compounds including PCB's. The role 

 that sewage sludge dumping has played in contributing to the accumulation of these 

 contaminants in sediments and any impacts on fishery resources is presently being 

 evaluated by the Agency in its consideration of petitions to redesignate the 12-Mile 

 Site for continued use. 



(5) In testimony before the Committee on April 25, former Assistant Administra- 

 tor for Water, Frederic A. Eidsness, Jr., indicated that the Port Authority of New 

 York and New Jersey had received $942,000 in grants to plan activities such as recy- 

 cling and cogeneration. He further stated that five refuse-to-energy projects in the 

 metropolitan region are in preliminary design, and one in Westchester County is 40 

 percent complete. Will any of these projects be designed so as to be able to also burn 

 sludge? Was the use of sewage sludge considered in the design or planning on any of 

 these plants? 



The five projects referred to by Mr. Eidsness in his testimony are: New York City 

 Department of Sanitation, Brooklyn Navy Yard; Port Authority — Essex County — 

 City of Newark, New Jersey; Bergen County, New Jersey; Passaic County, New 

 Jersey; and Wheelabrator — RESCO, Middlesex County, New Jersey. 



According to current plans, none of these projects will be designed to incinerate 

 sewage sludges. The inclusion of sewage sludge co-disposal was considered early in 

 the planning process by all of these project sponsors, with the exception of New 

 York City; but co-combustion was rejected because of public perception problems. 



(6) What are the chances of an anoxic event similar to the one which occurred in 

 1976 occurring again? Does high organic loading in the New York Bight Apex as a 

 result of sludge dumping play a role in stimulating the high ph3doplankton produc- 

 tivity which, in turn, could be a causative factor in the oxygen depletion episode? 



NOAA has postulated the 1976 event was a result of a series of simultaneously 

 occurring phenomena, i.e., an extended period of calm meteorological conditions, 

 early peak river discharge, early warming of surface waters, and a massive bloom of 

 a dinoflagellate Ceratium tripos concentrated at and below the pyconocline. If these 

 conditions were to occur again, the possibility of another anoxic event does exist. 

 NOAA and EPA continue to monitor dissolved oxygen levels throughout the Bight 

 Apex and have observed that depressed dissolved oxygen levels usually occur in late 

 summer. When dumped into the already enriched environment of the Bight Apex, 

 sewage sludge can play a role in the occurrence of phji;oplankton blooms. However, 

 based upon mass loadings, the major input of nitrogen and phosphorus, the two pri- 



