2.0 MANAGEMENT OVERVIEW 



All open-water dredged material 

 disposal is subject to the regulatory 

 jurisdiction of NED as defined under 

 Section 103 of the Marine Protection, 

 Research and Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA) 

 and Section 404 of the Clean Water Act 

 (CWA). In order for private applicants 

 or federal maintenance projects to be 

 considered as candidates for open- 

 water disposal, they must first 

 demonstrate the need for open-water 

 disposal and that all practicable 

 alternatives to ocean disposal (Section 

 103) or estuarine/riverine disposal 

 (Section 404) have been explored and 

 found unavailable or not feasible 

 according to the guidelines. Once 

 these criteria are met, the dredged 

 material must be evaluated for 

 potential environmental impacts in 

 order to determine its suitability for 

 open-water disposal. The logic and 

 structure for this evaluation process 

 has been summarized in the form of a 

 flow chart (Figure 1); each box has 

 been numbered for cross-referencing 

 purposes with the text which follows. 

 Rectangular boxes are known as 

 process boxes and describe actions 

 which take place; diamond-shaped 

 boxes are decision points where 

 questions are posed with a "yes" or 

 "no" outcome. Each of the outcomes 

 from a decision box will lead to 

 another action or decision box. 

 Elongated boxes at the end of a 

 pathway with rounded corners which 

 do not lead to another action or 

 decision box are terminal boxes. It is 

 important to note that the numbering 

 scheme in this and the remaining flow 

 charts do not imply a rigid rank order or 

 infer a linear protocol which must be 



followed; it is merely for easy reference with 

 the explanatory text. 



Box 1.1: 



"Project Proposed " 



As outlined in the previous 

 paragraph, the action which triggers 

 this entire open-water disposal 

 evaluation process is an application for 

 a dredging permit at NED. After the 

 evaluation process is completed at 

 NED, all permits are subject to review 

 and comment by federal agencies such 

 as EPA Region I, the National Marine 

 Fisheries Service, and the U.S. Fish and 

 Wildlife Service. In addition, the 

 project is reviewed to see if it 

 conforms to state standards of water 

 quality (401 Certification) and is 

 consistent with the Coastal Zone 

 Management Act (CZM Consistency). 

 With the complete absence of regional 

 near-shore dredged material 

 containment facilities and a paucity of 

 coastal real estate available for 

 nearshore or upland disposal sites in 

 the region, open-water disposal 

 typically is the most feasible option 

 available in New England. 



In accordance with the procedures 

 in the 1977 EPA Ocean Dumping 

 Regulations and Criteria (Federal 

 Register, 1977)) applicants are "given 

 guidance" regarding criteria by the 

 joint EPA/COE 1991 Testing Manual 

 "Evaluation of Dredged Material 

 Proposed for Ocean Disposal" (the 

 "Green Book") which defines 

 procedures to evaluate the potential 

 environmental impacts associated with 

 ocean disposal of dredged material. 

 Even though some national guidance 

 is provided in the Green Book, it is 



An Integrated, Tiered Approach to Monitoring and Management of Dredged Material Disposal Sites 



