Carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen analyses were conducted with 

 an autoanalyzer using a combustion technique. Oil and grease 

 measurements were made by extracting the sediment with freon and then 

 analyzing the freon by infrared spectrophotometry. PCBs were 

 extracted with hexane and also analyzed by electron capture gas 

 chromatography . 



2.5 Benthic Community Analysis 



Sediment samples for quantitative benthic analyses were 

 obtained at the center of each of the ten disposal mounds as well as 

 at the new CLIS reference station using a 0.1 m Smith-Maclntyre grab 

 sampler. At each station, five replicate grab samples were collected 

 and sieved onboard the research vessel through nested 2 mm and 0.5 mm 

 mesh screens. A visual description of each sediment grab was recorded 

 prior to sieving. The material retained on the sieves was preserved 

 with buffered formalin either for later sorting and identification in 

 the laboratory or for archiving. Three of the replicate samples from 

 the FVP, MQR, STNH-N Center stations and the reference station were 

 analyzed, while the remaining two replicates from these areas were 

 archived along with all the samples from the other disposal mounds. 



In the laboratory, samples were stained with 0.2% rose 

 bengal and sieved on 1.0 and 0.1 mm screens immersed in water. Light 

 material was separated from each sieve fraction by repeated suspension 

 and decantation. This fraction included most organisms other than 

 molluscs and a few polychaetes in tubes. Sand, gravel, and shells 

 made up the heavy fraction. Heavy fractions were sorted in glass 

 trays with a white background. All other fractions were examined with 

 binocular microscopes. All samples were analyzed under the 

 supervision of Mr. Sheldon Pratt at the University of Rhode Island's 

 Graduate School of Oceanography. 



Organisms were identified to species in most cases. 

 Individuals from all fractions were combined during counting. All 

 individuals were stored in 70% alcohol. Sieve residues were described 

 in laboratory notes and discarded. A combined reference collection 

 of all species found in the 1986 Central and Western Long Island Sound 

 Disposal Site samples was archived at the University of Rhode Island 

 Graduate School of Oceanography under the direction of Mr. Sheldon 

 Pratt . 



The STNH-N samples contained a large number of Polydora 

 polychaetes and their tubes. The coarse fraction of STNH-N-2 took 

 over 20 hours to sort and yielded 2,200 Polydora . To assure the 

 timely completion of all samples, the remaining coarse and fine 

 material from STNH-N were split into 1/2 and 1/4 fractions. 



