United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Water
(4305) !
EPA-823-N-95-OO5
Number 15
September 1995
Contaminated
Sediments News
Status of Proposed RCRA Hazardous
Waste Identification Rule for
Contaminated Media (Including
Contaminated Sediments)
An EPA workgroup recently completed
work on the Agency's Hazardous
Waste Identification Rule for contami-
nated media (HWIR-Media). Now the
rule will be reviewed by senior EPA
management, the EPA Administrator,
and the Office of Management and
Budget before proposal in the Federal
Register. This rule will provide an
exemption from regulation under
Subtitle C of the Resource Conserva-
tion and Recovery Act (RCRA) for
contaminated media that are managed
under the oversight of EPA or an
authorized state. In addition, the rule
excludes dredged material permitted -
for discharge under the Clean Water
Act and the Marine Protection, Re-
search, and Sanctuaries Act from
RCRA Subtitle C requirements (includ-
ing testing requirements).
A summary of the rule reads "as part of
the President's regulatory reform
initiative the United States Environ-
mental Protection Agency (EPA) is
proposing new regulations governing
contaminated media, including
contaminated soil, ground water,
surface water, and sediment, that are
managed during government-overseen
remedial actions. Currently these
contaminated media are often subject
to regulation as hazardous waste
under RCRA. Today's proposal
specifies that EPA and authorized
states would have the authority to
exempt certain lower risk contami-
nated media from regulation as
hazardous wastes, and establishes
modified land disposal restrictions
(LDR) treatment requirements for
higher risk contaminated media which
remain subject to the hazardous waste
regulations (RCRA Subtitle C). EPA
also proposes to streamline the
permitting process for remedial
actions involving management of
hazardous wastes (or contaminated
media), and to simplify the state-
authorization procedures associated
with these regulations."
The proposal addresses only the
management of wastes (or contami-
nated media) that are generated during
Inside this issue...
Regional Activities 2
ORD Activities 3
Focus: NOAA's Sediment
Toxicity Survey of
Biscayne Bay, FL 5
Call For
Participants 6
Creature Feature 7
Announcements 7
Contaminated Sediment
Activities Timeline
October 11-13,1995. Managing
Contaminated Sediments. Univer-
sity of Wisconsin, Madison. Contact
Pat Eagen at 1 -800-462-0876.
November 5-9,1995. Second
SETAC World Congress,
Vancouver, B.C., Canada. The
theme of this meeting is Global
Environmental Protection: Science,
Politics, and Common Sense.
Abstracts are due by May 1, 1995.
For more information, call Peter
Chapman, program chair, at (604)
986-4331 or Rod Parrish, executive
director, at (904) 469-1500. For
information regarding exhibits, call
Karsten Liber at (715) 394-8158.
November 29 - December 1,1995.
National Sediment Bioaccumulation
Conference. Crystal City, Virginia.
(see announcement on page 7).
For more information, contact
Leanne Stahl, U.S. EPA Headquar-
ters, at (202)260-7055.
December 7-8,1995. Sampling
and Analyzing for VOC in Environ-
mental Media. University of
Wisconsin, Madison. Contact Pat
Eagen at 1-800-462-0876.
CS News is produced by EPA OST to
exchange information on contaminated
sediments and to increase communication
among interested parties. To obtain copies
of this report or to contribute information,
contact Jane Marshall Farris, EPA OST,
mail code 4305, at (202) 260-8897.
To be added to the mailing list or to make
changes to your address, please fax your
request to Melissa Bowen, Tetra Tech, at
(703) 385-6007.
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cleanup actions. It does not address
issues associated with what wastes or
media should be cleaned up, what the
clean-up levels should be, or how
remedies are selected. Media include
soil, sediment, surface water, and
ground water.
To determine whether media are
higher or lower relative risk, EPA has
established "Bright Line" contaminant
concentration levels for soil and
ground water. Bright line numbers
have not yet been determined for those
contaminated sediments, which will
continue to be regulated under RCRA.
Media that are contaminated below
bright line levels are eligible for more
flexible site-specific management
standards to be set by the overseeing
Today's proposal specifies
that EPA and authorized
states would have the
authority to exempt certain
lower risk contaminated
media from regulation as "'
hazardous wastes.
agency. One of the primary objectives
of the proposed rule is to remove
lower-risk contaminated media from
Subtitle C jurisdiction so that more
appropriate, site-specific management
requirements can be specified by the
overseeing agency for those media.
The proposed HWIR-Media rule does
not propose bright line contaminant
concentrations for determining
whether sediments contain hazardous
or contaminated material at RCRA
sites. The rule preamble will state that
bright line concentrations have not yet
been proposed for sediments. The rule
will request comments on whether
bright line concentrations for sedi-
ments are needed, and if needed,
request comments about appropriate
bright line concentrations.
The rule would also establish that
dredged material disposed in accor-
dance with a permit issued under
Section 404 of the Clean Water Act
or under Section 103 of the Marine
Protection, Research, and Sanctuar-
ies Act would not be subject to
Subtitle C of RCRA. At present,
dredged material could be subject to
both RCRA regulations and dredged
material disposal regulations,
complicating efficient assessment
and management of potential
environmental impacts.
For more information on this pro-
posed rule, contact jane Marshall
Farris, EPA-OST, at (202) 260-8897.
Recent Federal
Bioaccumulation
Conferences
Recently, a series of meetings and
conferences have been organized
and sponsored by EPA and the Corps
of Engineers to tackle the question of
how to integrate bioaccumulation
assessment results from sediment
testing into regulatory
decision .making. _=_„..,
Workshops were held
in Wakefield, Massa-
chusetts, and Denver,
Colorado, during
August 1994 and
1995, respectively.
Planning for the third
event, the National Sediment
Bioaccumulation Conference, is
currently under way. It will be held
in Crystal City, Virginia, November
29 - December 1,1995. Results
from these meetings will contribute
to the ultimate goal of developing
guidance on interpretation of
bioaccumulation test results to
determine sediment quality and
potential impacts to ecologi-
cal and human health. ,
Each of the meetings is
briefly summarized
below and future
issues of the news-
letter will focus on
the results of
these meetings.
Wakefield, Massachusetts Workshop
A 2-day workshop entitled Interpreta-
tion of Sediment Bioaccumulation
Test Data for the Ocean Dumping
Program was held in Wakefield,
Massachusetts, in August 1994. It was
sponsored by EPA Region 1; the Corps
of Engineers, New England District;
and the New England Division of
Metcalf & Eddy. The purpose of the
workshop was to provide direction for
developing regulatory interpretive
guidance in evaluating sediment
bioaccumulation test data for the EPA/
Corps dredging program. Experts on
sediment contamination from around
the country participated in the work-
shop.
Background EPA and the Corps
nationally have required the use of the
28-day laboratory bioaccumulation
test to determine the bioavailability of
sediment contaminants in the food
chain. The test is used with the
companion sediment toxicity tests to
provide project-specific data for the
evaluation of dredged sediment
proposed'for open water or ocean T-:.?^
disposal. The bioaccumulation tests
involve a comparison of tissue
contaminant concentrations in
deposit-feeding invertebrate species
that are exposed in the laboratory to
the dredged sediments with (1) FDA
action levels and (2) laboratory-
derived reference values using
sediments from the general vicinity of
the disposal site, but outside its
influence.
Workshop Objectives The objectives
of the Wakefield workshop, were
(1) to identify approaches to interpret
the test data and (2) to provide
direction to regulators on which of
these approaches are the most useful/
feasible for establishing interpre-
tive guidelines. For more
information, contact Dave
Tomey, U.S. EPA Region 1,
JFK Federal Building, Boston,
MA 00203 (617) 565-4425.
Denver, Colorado Workshop
A second workshop, entitled Inter-
preting the Consequences of
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Bioaccumulation Related to Dredged
Material Assessment and Management,
was held in Denver, Colorado, August
29-31,1995. The workshop was
organized by the Corps of Engineers.
The purposes of the workshop were to
continue the dialogue with national
experts on interpreting
bioaccumulation test results and to
recommend specific research and
development needs.
Background Bioaccumulation for
dredged material disposal is the process
that describes the movement of con-
taminants from the sediment or water
into the biota. Bioaccumulation
establishes a compliance standard for
the Marine Protection, Research, and
Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA) and the Clean
Water Act (CWA). Continued mainte-
nance of navigation projects depends
on the scientist's ability to interpret
bioaccumulation results and relate
them to decision making.
Workshop Focus and Goals This
workshop focused on interpreting the
significance of specific levels of
bioaccumulation from dredged material
disposal. The results of the workshop
will contribute to developing policy
and guidance for use by dredging
project managers and technical special-
ists who manage dredged material.
Discussion at the workshop focused on
(1) a framework for interpreting the
consequences of bioaccumulation, (2)
numeric and narrative guidance for
interpreting specific levels of
bioaccumulation, and (3) recommenda-
tions for specific research and develop-
ment needs.
Upcoming National Sediment
Bioaccumulation Conference
The upcoming EPA National Sediment
Bioaccumulation Conference (Novem-
ber 29 - December 1, 1995, Crystal
City, Virginia) will focus on assessment
of bioaccumulative sediment contami-
nants, integration of the assessment
results into regulatory decision making,
and pollution prevention, as well as
dredged material management. For
more information on the conference,
refer to the conference announcement
on page 7 of this newsletter.
Regional Activities
Region 2
NY/NJ Harbor Estuary Program
. Monitoring Workshop Held
On August 22-
23,1995, The
Hudson River
Foundation, in
conjunction
with the NY/NJ
Harbor Estuary Program (HEP),
sponsored a workshop to develop a
monitoring plan for the NY/NJ Harbor
Estuary and New York Bight. The
workshop was held at Rutgers
University's Institute of Marine and
Coastal Sciences. One hundred
participants, meeting over a 2-day
period, broke into work groups to
develop specific indicators for
monitoring as well as testable hypoth-
eses, scopes of work, cost estimates,
and data management needs. The
workgroup topics included Toxics/
Dredged Material, Nutrients, Habitat,
Pathogens/Floatables, and Data and
Information Management. A pro-
ceedings document will be prepared,
and the results from the workshop
will form the basis of the monitoring
plan. For more information on the
HEP, contact Dennis Suszkowski,
Hudson River Foundation, at
(212) 924-8290.
Region 10
Health-Based Sediment Criteria for
Puget Sound
Since 1989, the Washington State
Departments of Ecology and Health
have been working together to
develop sediment criteria to protect
human health. This summer, the
Department of Health's final report,
which describes its recommended
approach for the development of
criteria, was completed. This paves
the way for Ecology to move ahead in
the rule development process.
Ecology's proposed construct for
human health criteria relies on a
tiered approach, with "Tier I" repre-
senting an initial evaluation to
determine whether sediment chemical
concentrations pose a significant
human health risk. Additional, site-
specific analysis would then be
available ("Tier II") to verify the
results of the Tier I analysis. The
Department of Health is currently
completing a report describing the
technical considerations for Tier II
analysis.
The final Tier I Report marks the
completion of a major step in the
development of health-based sedi-
ment criteria for Puget Sound. Ecol-
ogy will complete additional techni-
cal development work in the next few
months and will then be ready to
move into the rule development .-..
phase. Once adopted into the
Sediment Management Standards,
Chapter 173-204 WAC, human health
criteria will be used to make cleanup
and source control decisions in
conjunction with the existing ecologi-
cal criteria.
Initial efforts focused on the use of a
bioenergetics-based equilibrium-
partitioning model (Thomann, et al.,
1992). Due to a lack of appropriate
input parameters and the availability
of empirical data, an empirically
based approach, relying on informa-
tion from both the published and gray
literature, was developed and recom-
mended. This approach is described
in the final DOH report.
An outside contractor has been
conducting additional technical
development work, including verifica-
tion of the biota-sediment accumula-
tion factors recommended by DOH.
Ecology expects this work to be
completed this fall. As the technical
development work moves forward,
Ecology is developing a strategy for
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implementing the human health
criteria for cleanup and source control
efforts. This strategy is likely to
include an assessment offish tissue
chemical concentrations to confirm
the potential threat to human health.
Ecology expects to propose health-
based criteria values later this year,
with final adoption slated for mid-
1996. As always, the rule develop-
ment process will include ample
opportunity for public input. In
addition, Ecology will write a cost/
benefit analysis for the proposed rule
as required by recent legislation.
For further information on this or
other Ecology human health sediment
criteria reports or on the rule develop-
ment process, contact Laura Weiss at
(360) 407-7446 (fax: 407-6904). You
can also send E-mail to
Iwei461@ecy.wa.gov. For additional
information on Region 10's sediment
program, contact John Malek, Sedi-
ment Management Program at
(206)553-1286, E-mail:
malek.john@epamai.epa.gov.
References:
Washington State Department of
Health. 1995. Tier I Report: Devel-
opment of Sediment Quality Criteria
for the Protection of Human Health.
June.
Thomann, R., J. Connolly, and T.
Parkerton. An Equilibrium Model of
Organic Chemical Accumulation in
Aquatic Food Webs with Sediment
Interaction. Environ. Toxicol. Chem.
11:615-629.
ORD Activities
ORD-Narragansett
Geochemistry of Polychlorinated
Biphenyls in Marine Sediment
Colloids
For the past year, researchers at the
U.S. EPA Atlantic Ecology Division
laboratory have been studying the role
of marine sediment colloids in the
geochemistry of polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs). This work demon-
strates that more than 60 percent of
the highly chlorinated PCBs present in
sediment interstitial waters are
associated with colloids while the
remaining PCBs are truly dissolved.
Other researchers have shown that
anthropogenic contaminants bound to
colloids are often less bioavailabie
than those truly dissolved. Evaluated
together, these data suggest that
highly chlorinated PCBs present in
interstitial waters might not be readily
bioavailabie to marine organisms. For
more information, contact Rob
Burgess at (401) 782-3106.
ORD-Duluth
Effects of Bioturbation on the Oxida-
tion of Metal-Sulfide Complexes
ORD-Duluth has finished a series of
experiments using Lumbriculus
variegatusto determine the effects of
bioturbation on the oxidation of
metal-sulfide complexes. The metals
used were cadmium and zinc. ORD
researchers found a density-dependent
oxidation of
AVS, with
concurrent
increases in
bioavailability of
metal in surficial
sediments where
bioturbation is most
marked. These results indicate the
importance of sampling appropriate
surficial sediment horizons for deter-
mination of metal bioavailability.
Toxicity Test to Validate AVS Parti-
tioning on Zinc-Spiked Sediment
ORD-Duluth has developed a fresh-,
water chronic life-cycle test using
Chironomus tentans. The 56-day test
was used to evaluate the validity of
AVS partitioning to predict the toxicity
of zinc-spiked sediment. When
sufficient AVS was available to bind
with the zinc, no toxicity was ob-
served even at dry-weight metal
concentrations in excess of 100 mg/
kg. When there was more zinc
present than AVS, survival, growth,
and fecundity were affected. This is
the first demonstration of the utility of
the AVS:metal partitioning model
using a chronic freshwater sediment
test.
Solid-Phase Resin Used to Bind
Nonionic Organics in Sediment
ORD-Duluth is investigating the utility
of a solid-phase resin, Ambersorb, that
when added to a
sediment, binds
nonionic organ-
ics, thereby
reducing the pore
water concentra-
tions and
bioavailability.
This resin might
be appropriate for
use as a
remediation tool. Experiments consist
of laboratory exposures, using spiked
and field-collected sediments, in
which the toxicity and
bioaccumulation of compounds in
samples with and without the resin are
evaluated. Field studies are also
being conducted to determine the
colonization rate of benthic organisms
in contaminated sediments with and
without the resin.
For more information, contact Gary
Ankley, ORD-Duluth, at
(21 8) 720-5603.
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Sediment
Joxiciiy Survey of
Giscayne Gay, Florida
As a part of its National Status and
Trends Program, NOAA is conducting
a series of regional surveys of sedi-
ment toxicity 'in selected bays and
estuaries. The objectives of these
surveys are: (1) to determine the
spatial patterns and extent of toxicity;
(2) to estimate the severity of toxicity;
and (3) to determine the relationships
between toxicity and chemical
contamination. Funding for these
surveys was provided by the National
Status and Trends Program and the
Coastal Ocean Program of NOAA.
In April and May of 1995, 105
surficial sediment samples were
collected throughout portions of
Biscayne Bay and selected adjoining
canals. Samples were collected in the
extreme northern reaches of the
system (zone 2), in the central Port of
Miami area (zone 6), in the lower
Miami River, in the southern end of
the bay (zone 8), and in several canals
that intersect with the southern bay.
Sampling stations were chosen
randomly within specified sampling
strata. Toxicity was determined with
tests of amphipod survival, microbial
bioluminescence, sea urchin fertiliza-
tion and embryo development, and a
battery of chronic assays of reproduc-
tive success among
meiobenthic copepods.
Chemical analyses are
under way.
Most of the samples
were collected with a
modified van Veen
benthic grab. However,
in the southern bay the
grab would not pen-
etrate the compacted
sandy/shell hash/sea
grass substrate and
samples were collected
by hand with small
corers. We had to get
wet and snorkel for the
samples.
Sampling in the lower
Miami River canal was
an adventure as many of
the samples had a
distinct creosote/
petroleum odor and
produced a visible
sheen in the sampler.
We missed by a few
minutes being involved
in a large fire aboard a
freighter that exploded
in the narrow canal.
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Local residents and their inevitable
dogs expressed a curiosity about our
activities in
their back-
yards (which
include the
canal). The
steering on
our vessel
failed during a
thunderstorm
at a critical location in the Port of
Miami in heavy traffic. We lost the
grab sampler among what likely is the
only pile of rocks in the Port of Miami
basin and had to retrieve it with
divers.
With the effort in 1995, we have
collected approximately one-half of
the samples. In 1996 approximately
100 additional samples will be
collected to complete the survey. The
same battery of tests and chemical
analyses will be performed on those
samples. The data, then, will be
merged from the two years and
reported in a NOAA technical report
(expected in late 1997).
For more information contact Ed Long,
NOAA, at (206) 526-6338.
Editor's note: If anyone can top Ed on a
seagoing misadventure, please submit
your entry for the next issue.
Gall for Study Participants
A Round-Robin Evaluation of the U.S. EPA
Sediment Toxicity Test Methods
Qualified laboratories are invited to participate in a round-robin
evaluation of interlaboratory variation of the new U.S. Environ-
mental Protection Agency methods for determining published
freshwater acute and draft chronic toxicity of sediments. The
study will be conducted during 1996, beginning in January or
February and concluding by September. Two to four test sedi-
ments will be evaluated using Hyalella azteca and Chironomus
tentans. Acute toxicity assays are conducted for 10 days and
chronic toxicity assays are conducted for up to 42 days. Partici-
pation is on a voluntary basis without monetary compensation.
Laboratories are not required to participate in all evaluations of
the acute and chronic methods. Results of the study will be
published in the peer-reviewed literature and participants can be
listed as co-authors.
In order to participate in the study, the laboratory must demon-
strate that they have the following qualifications:
1. Have an aquatic toxicity testing program with a quality
assurance/quality control program;
2. Have conducted some type of toxicity testing with the study
species; and
3. Have an on-going laboratory culture of the test species.
Potential participants should send a letter of interest to G. Allen
Burton, Institute for Environmental Quality, Wright State Uni-
versity, Dayton, OH 45435; fax (513) 873-4997. Further study
information will be supplied this Fall.
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Reminder for the Upcoming National
Sediment Bioaccumulation Conference
The response has been overwhelming to the upcoming National
Sediment Bioaccumulation Conference to be held in Crystal
City, Virginia on November 29 - December 1, 1995. If you have
not yet sent in your registration form or have not made your •-;
hotel reservations, please do so promptly.
Dr. Robert Huggett, Assistant Administrator for EPA's Office of
Research and Development, will lead off the conference with a
presentation on the status of the science and future research
directions for contaminated sediments. The conference will
feature nationally recognized experts for presentations and panel
discussions on topics related to bioaccumulative sediment con-
taminants. Specific topics include:
• field and laboratory methods for measuring bioaccumulation,
• interpretation and applications of bioaccumulation assess-
ment results,
• modeling bioavailability of sediment contaminants,
• bioaccumulation modeling applications,
• applying bioaccumulation assessment results to human
health and ecologically-based risk assessments, and
• integrating bioaccumulation assessment results into EPA's .
decision-making process.
To receive a detailed agenda and registration form, please call
Charlie MacPherson or Melissa Bowen, Tetra Tech, at
(703) 385-6000.
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United States
Environmental Protection
Agency (4305)
Washington, DC 20460
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use
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