(Figure 2-2). Stations were positioned 100 m apart. Triplicate photographs were taken at 

 each station. In addition, REMOTS® sampling at three reference areas (2000W, SOUTH, 

 and EAST) recorded ambient sediment conditions for comparison to on-site conditions. 

 Within each reference area, triplicate REMOTS® photographs were taken at each of 13 

 stations arranged in a cross-shaped grid and spaced 100 m apart. 



2.3 Selection of Alternate Reference Areas 



Geographic coordinates for several potential reference site replacement regions were 

 determined using National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) nautical 

 chart 12363. The selection criteria for choosing these areas included depth comparable to the 

 disposal site, location outside of the active and discontinued disposal sites, and relative 

 proximity to the previously utilized 2000S and WLIS-REF reference areas. The final 

 selection of the SOUTH reference area was based on REMOTS® sediment-profile 

 photography, bathymetric surveying, and sediment sampling and chemical analyses. No 

 adequate replacement was identified for WLIS-REF, although an initially promising area 

 called EAST was intensively investigated and was used as a reference for the present survey 

 (Figure 1-1). 



Sediment samples taken with the Van Veen grab provided textural and composition 

 characteristics for the initial screening of potential reference areas. The presence of shell 

 debris and sandy or dark sediments excluded several of these regions from further 

 consideration. These characteristics are commonly associated with dredged or introduced 

 sediments or are indicative of erosional/depositional current regimes not found at WLIS. 

 Triplicate REMOTS® photographs were taken at the remaining areas to provide sediment- 

 profile data. Evidence of past disposal activity (i.e., sand over mud layering, buried 

 oxygenated layers, shell lag, consolidated sediments, etc.) also excluded several locations 

 from consideration as replacement reference areas. 



A cross-shaped bathymetric survey was done to characterize the major topographical 

 features of the proposed SOUTH and EAST reference areas. Each survey consisted of two 

 lanes, approximately 800 m long, run north-south and east-west, through the center of each 

 area. General changes in depth and slope characteristics surrounding the potential reference 

 areas were noted. Evidence of significant slope would have excluded either region from 

 consideration. 



Sediment samples were collected at the center of the SOUTH and EAST reference 

 areas using a 0.1 m 2 teflon-lined Van Veen grab sampler. Three separate grab samples were 

 collected for analysis at each reference area. Subsamples from each grab were obtained 

 using a 10 cm polycarbonate plastic core liner (6.5 cm ID). Cores (5-10 cm in length) were 

 composited to provide sufficient sediment to fill precleaned 250 ml glass jars for chemical 

 analyses of metals and PAHs, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and pesticides. Sediments 



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



