1.0 INTRODUCTION 



The Western Long Island Sound Disposal Site (WLIS) encompasses a 1 nmi 2 area 

 centered at 40°59.400' N and 73°28.700' W. The site is located 2.7 nmi south of Long 

 Neck Point, Connecticut (Figure 1-1). The discontinued Eaton's Neck, Stamford, and 

 Norwalk disposal grounds border WLIS to the east, west, and northeast. Sediments dredged 

 from nearby harbors and shoreline communities are disposed at WLIS under permits from 

 the New England Division (NED) and New York District of the US Army Corps of 

 Engineers and monitored under the Disposal Area Monitoring System (DAMOS) Program. 



Since March 1982 disposal activities at WLIS have resulted in the formation of six 

 sediment mounds (WLIS "A" through "F"). Disposal operations at WLIS typically occur 

 from October 1 to May 31. The disposal point for the 1991-1992 season (WLIS-F) was 

 marked by a moored taut-wire buoy located at 40°59.160' N and 73°28.880' W (Figure 1- 

 2). This position was 300 m south of the WLIS "E" mound (formed during the 1990-1991 

 disposal season). Based on recorded barge volumes, approximately 39,700 m 3 of dredged 

 sediments was disposed at WLIS from November 1991 through May 1992 (Table 1-1). The 

 accumulation of sediment disposed during this period formed the WLIS "F" mound. 



Previous monitoring surveys at WLIS have normally taken place on an annual basis, 

 although the site was also surveyed following the passage of hurricane Gloria (Germano, 

 Parker, and Williams 1993; SAIC 1987, 1988, 1990a, 1990b; Williams 1993). These 

 surveys have generally been conducted during the summer, following completion of an active 

 disposal season. The principal objectives of this monitoring have been to determine the 

 distribution of recently disposed dredged material, and to assess the effects of each season's 

 disposal on the benthic habitat and water column. Concurrent monitoring of three reference 

 areas (2000W, 2000S, and WLIS-REF) has historically provided off-site data for comparison 

 to on-site conditions. 



Following analysis of the 1991 survey data (Williams 1993) two important 

 observations were made concerning future monitoring at the WLIS Disposal Site: 



• It was recommended that WLIS-REF and 2000S should be reassessed, and potential 



replacement reference areas should be identified. Sediment chemistry analysis, grain 

 size information, and REMOTS® (Remote Ecological Monitoring of the Seafloor) data 

 indicated that two of the reference areas (WLIS-REF and 2000S) may have been 

 affected by historical disposal activities or have experienced greater environmental 

 disturbance than other reference areas. 



Monitoring Cruise at the Western Long Island Sound Disposal Site, July 1992 



