210 
shore, because of the current level of public concern they may actually 
be sailing to and dumping further south than is necessary. 
In other cases, last March for instance, we collected surf clams 
(Spisula solidissima) only 2 miles off the Long Island shore. These 
clams were heavily contaminated with coliform bacteria, suggesting 
they had been subjected to organic pollution. We do not know whether 
this is because of materials that are being carried by currents from the 
dumping site north to the clam beds, or whether this is the result of 
short dumping. Some personnel in other Federal agencies believe that 
it is the result of short dumping. In any case, the area affected by 
dumping seems to be expanding. 
During the past winter, we noticed that the substratum surface 
layer, a smal] layer one-eighth to a quarter of an inch in thickness, 
seemed to recover slightly during the winter period. Rather than 
being completely black and anaerobic, it developed a thin, brownish 
layer of sediment which appeared to be well oxygenated. One might 
expect this in the wintertime when the temperatures are very low 
and bottom oxygen levels increase. 
Since that time, the layer has been broken down over the entire 
sewer sludge disposal area, and the same conditions that we observed 
during the summer of 1969 now prevail. At the present time, the oxy- 
gen values are dropping precipitously just as they did in 1969. They 
may not reach the same critical level this year because the waters have 
tended to be cooler this year off the Jersey shore. It has been a rather 
cool summer, and the oceanic waters reflect this. The microbiological 
activity involved in these sediments may be depressed and conse- 
quently the oxygen might not drop so low this year. 
One of the other things that we have noted, which was mentioned 
this morning, was that two very important species of crustaceans 
have been observed to be affected by the dumping of the dredge spoils - 
and the sewer sludge sediments. These are the common lobster (Ho- 
marus americanus) and the red crab or the cancer crab (Cancer 7r- 
roratus). Those of you who have read the interim report may recall 
that when these animals were exposed to sludges in the laboratory, 
the individuals became, you could describe it as being, sick, and they 
died after a period of several. weeks’ exposure. That was in the labo- 
ratory. 
ne collections that we have made in the dredge spoil and sewer 
sludge areas have resulted in our obtaining lobsters and crabs which are 
equally sick in the environment. I have with me a specimen of one of 
these crabs and if anybody would like to look at this crab to see the 
debilitation that develops, I would be glad to show it to them. I will 
enter it as evidence or testimony in today’s hearing. 
This includes not just a few crabs, but many crabs. Numerous lob- 
sters seem to be affected in this same way. The lobsters are commer- 
cially important. The crabs at the present time do not have a high 
commercial value, but they form one of the dominant food items for 
many of the bottom-feeding fish. If you analyze fish guts, for instance, 
ou regularly find this particular species of crab as a large portion | 
g yy p 
of the food ingested. 
Since this crab occurs around the sewer sludge areas, one can Imagine 
that the heavy metals and the other toxic materials which are in the 
sludge and dredge spoils on the ocean bottom may enter into the crab’s 
a 
