23 



5.0 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 



One important goal of the survey was to use the results to predict future site 

 conditions of existing disposal sites within Long Island Sound. The historical Bridgeport 

 Disposal Site is a suitable model for comparison. Like the present sites in Long Island 

 Sound, the Bridgeport Disposal Site received a large amount of dredged material from many 

 sources over a period of two decades and is subjected to the same biological and physical 

 processes experienced by other Long Island Sound disposal sites. Some of the dredged 

 material disposed at the Bridgeport Disposal Site, however, would probably have been 

 deemed unsuitable for unconfined open-water disposal using current standards. 



The August 1992 survey of the historical Bridgeport Disposal Site indicated that relic 

 dredged material was distributed throughout the site in low relief. The benthic habitat 

 quality was relatively high despite the fact that materials disposed at the site between 1953 

 and 1977 were not rigorously screened (and were potentially contaminated) prior to open- 

 water disposal. Currently, active Long Island Sound disposal sites are subject to dredged 

 material characterization screening procedures which are intended to be environmentally 

 protective. Because of these management practices, the future biological health of these 

 sites is likely to be maintained. 



The August 1992 reconnaissance survey at the Bridgeport Disposal Site succeeded in 

 providing a cursory look at the physical nature of relic dredged material and the overall 

 quality of the biological conditions at a historical disposal site. While the need for further 

 surveys seems unwarranted, additional surveying would provide a much better assessment 

 of the area's biological status and the location and characteristics of the relic dredged 

 material. Since the dredged material appears to occur over the entire site, a REMOTS® 

 survey using a systematic sampling design (i.e., orthogonal grid or radiating transects) is 

 recommended to provide the needed coverage for a comprehensive site evaluation. In 

 addition, because the distinction between ambient sediment and dredged material was 

 sometimes not clear in the REMOTS® photographs, any future survey should include an off- 

 site reference station for purposes of comparison. Finally, sediment sampling for chemistry 

 analyses would help to better understand the long-term biological response to any existing 

 chemical contamination at the site. 



Reconnaissance Survey of the Historical Bridgeport Disposal Site, August 1992 



