248 



Also, some 3 million tons of drilling muds and well cuttings were discharged in 

 the area from IDOG to 1970. With the exception of tiny snails and a few deep sea 

 si)onges, there was almost complete ahsence of normal marine bottom life in the 

 area covered by DEEP QUEST during this inspection dive. Numerous dead fish, 

 shrimp and jellyfish were observed in various stages of decomposition. The ab- 

 sence of the usual forms of bottom life in the KSan Pedro Basin was to be expected 

 L'ecause of the known lack of oxygen along the bottom. This is a natural pheno- 

 menon related to tlie coincident depth of the basin sill and the oxygen maximum 

 layer present in the Northeastern Pacific Ocean. The organisms observed on tlie 

 Basin's floor apparently either died in the upper layer of the water column or 

 strayed to their death in the anoxic bottom layer. Evidence of recent disposal 

 activities in the designated dump site was scant. 



Cans, barrels, and expended Naval ordnance encountered during the dive all 

 appeared to be quite old and showed evidence of long-term deterioration. The 

 apparent lack of anticipated concentration of wastes in the official dumping area 

 could be the result of the disposal operations not being conducted according to 

 established regulations or simply because of the differences between the naviga- 

 tional methods used to locate the dumping grounds by the di.sposal operator and 

 the TRANSQUEST. 



The final inspection dive to a depth of 798 meters was conducted in a disposal 

 area designated for vessel refuse and garbage collected from ships in Los Angeles 

 and Long Beach Habors. Approximately 250 tons a year of the.se wastes are 

 reportedly dumped in a four kilometer circle 14 kilometers southeast of Santa 

 Catalina Island. The environment here was a normal, active and thriving bottom 

 community characterized by an abundance of medium sized fish, star fish, tnd 

 worms. DEEP QUEST ran 10.4 kilometers through the area towards Long Beach 

 along the designated route of the dumping vessel observing a limited amount of 

 ti-ash such as cans, bottles, and paper. The lack of wastes oi)served on the dive 

 may be due to the fact that the prevailing southeasterly currents carry most of 

 the refuse out of the area, or as postulated for the San Pedro Basin disposal 

 site, it is possible that dumping may not always be conducted in the correct area. 

 No further investigations of this dump site were recommended. 



Further details of this series of dives may be obtained from a summary report 

 submitted by the Plessey Co. to NOAA in April 1973, wiiich is entitled "Sul»- 

 mersible Inspection of Deep Ocean Waste Disposal Sites off Southern California" 

 by Robert P. Brown and Edward H. Shenton, Ples.sey Environmental Systems, 

 San Diego, California. A copy of this report has been provided to the Subcom- 

 mittee staff. 



Statement of Bethlehem Steel Corp., SniPBriLRiNG Division 



The Subcommittee's hearings are directed to the general subject of marine 

 pollution as well as to a number of specific measures which are concerned with 

 this very important subject. Among the specific items mentioned in the releases 

 and letters which preceded these hearings were S. 1067, w'hich would implement 

 the 1969 and 1971 amendments to the International Convention for the Preven- 

 tion of the Pollution of the Sea by Oil. and the final draft text of the 1973 IMCO 

 Convention on Prevention of Pollution From Ships. 



Although lioth S. 1067 and the 1973 IMCO Convention are unquestionably im- 

 l)ortant in any discussion of the marine pollution problem, at least two other 

 proceedings currently in progress are also relevant to that problem and par- 

 ticularly to that portion of the problem which is caused by operational and 

 accidental discharges from ships. 



The first of these proceedings involves the final environmental impact state- 

 ment recently published by the U.S. Maritime Administration covering its tanker 

 construction program. That statement and the various alternatives di.scussed in 

 it are now being considered by Administrator of the Maritime Administration. 



The second proceeding involves a rule making proceeding initiated by the Coast 

 Guard. Acting under the authority contained in the Ports and AVaterways Safety 

 Act of 1972, the Coast Guard released for comment on .lanuary 26. 1973, an 

 "Advance Notice of Proposed Rule Making"' (38 F.R. 2467. January 26, 1973). 

 That notice indicated that the Coast Guard was considering a propo.sed rule that 

 would require all tankers delivered after .lanuary 1, 1967 to be constructed with 

 a double bottom and with segregated ballast capacity not less than 45 percent of 

 full load displacement. 



