Introduction 



Western Long Island Sound Disposal Site 



The Western Long Island Sound disposal site (WLIS) located 

 8.3 3 kilometers southeast of Stamford Harbor is near a historic 

 site (Eatons Neck) and one of the deepest disposal sites (40 

 meters) in Long Island Sound (Fig. 1) . It was opened in March 

 1982 and began to receive dredged materials in April 1982; a 

 total of 43,063 cubic meters (56,325 cubic yards) of dredged 

 materials were deposited that year. During its second (1983) and 

 third (1984) years of operation, 114,405 and 126,923 cubic meters 

 (149,635 and 166,008 cubic yards) of dredged materials were 

 disposed respectively. In the fourth year (1985), 298,518 cubic 

 meters (390,445 cubic yards) were disposed (Table 1, Fig. 2). 

 During the time of this study, June 1984 to June 1985, a 

 cumulative volume of 304,622 cubic meters (398,445 cubic yards) 

 of dredged material were disposed. The largest volumes of 

 dredged material were deposited between January and June of 1985, 

 with April claiming the highest monthly volume of 119,518 cubic 

 meters (156,330 cubic yards). 



Most of the dredged materials came from various Connecticut 

 and New York marinas as well as boat yards operating in Western 

 Long Island Sound, and differed presumably in their chemical 

 contents from those disposed at the Central Long Island Sound 

 disposal site, which were of industrial harbor origin. 



Eastern Long Island Sound Reference Station 



Ram Island reference station (Rlr) (Fig. 3) in Fishers 

 Island Sound is located approximately 260 meters south of Ram 

 Island and served as the master monitoring reference as well as 

 the source of mussels for the other three mussel monitoring 

 platforms. The depth of this location varies from 10 to 12 

 meters. The sea bottom is generally paved with mixed gravel, 

 shells, and mud; its boulder-dotted surrounding is interspersed 

 with outcrops of relic clay banks. 



The Latimers Light reference station (LATr) has similar sea 

 bottom features as the Ram Island station and was the source of 

 mussels for restocking the three experimental platforms in March 

 1985 when Ram Island mussels were not available due to natural 

 mortality. 



Project Objectives 



The principal objective of this study was to monitor 

 possible deleterious effects on the environment during on-going 

 open water disposal of dredged materials in Long Island Sound; 



