United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Water
Mail Code 4305
EPA-823-F-94-001
March 1994
FACT SHEET
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EPA's Contaminated Sediment Management Strategy
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contamination problems. Third, EPA will develop
two inventories: a Site Inventory, containing
data on sediment quality throughout the United
States, and a Source Inventory, containing data
on potential sources of sediment contamination.
Pollution Prevention
Prevention of sediment contamination is
the most environmentally protective and, in most
cases, cost-effective way to address the
problem. EPA has statutory and regulatory
authority to prevent many contaminants from
being released to sediments. EPA's Office of
Water, Office of Pesticide Programs, Office of
Pollution Prevention and Toxic Substances,
Office of Enforcement, and Office of Air will use
their authorities under the Clean Water Act
(CWA), the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and
Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), the Toxic Substances
Control Act (TSCA), and the Clean Air Act to
address prevention of contaminated sediments.
Examples of actions that these program
offices can take include: 1) incorporating
sediment quality criteria in the form of effluent
limits into National Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System permits; 2) proposing
revisions to regulations and guidance that would
require pesticides and chemicals manufacturers to
perform sediment toxicity tests when seeking
registration and reregistration of certain
pesticides under FIFRA and certain chemicals
under TSCA; 3) banning or otherwise regulating
the production of new chemicals to reduce
bioavailability and partitioning of toxic chemicals
to sediments; 4) implementing pollution
prevention initiatives within various compliance
programs; and 5) eliminating or reducing air
emissions of contaminants that subsequently are
deposited in surface waters, either directly
through atmospheric deposition or indirectly
through stormwater runoff.
Remediation and Enforcement
Where sediments are contaminated to
levels that cause ecological harm or pose a risk to
human health, EPA will strive to implement a
remediation strategy that will most effectively
reduce the risk. Remedial options range from
active remediation of sediments to natural
recovery, which consists of implementing
pollution prevention measures and point and
nonpoint source controls and allowing
biodegradation, chemical degradation, and the
deposition of clean sediments to restore
contaminated sites. EPA may take remedial and
enforcement actions under several statutes,
including TSCA, CWA, the Comprehensive
Emergency Response, Compensation, and
Liability Act, the Rivers and Harbors Act, and the
Oil Pollution Act .
Dredged Material Management
The presence of contaminated sediments
can introduce significant ecological and human
health considerations into the decision of
whether and how to dredge and dispose of
sediments to maintain navigational channels.
Where contaminated sediments exist, dredging
can result in resuspension of contaminated
material which may then become more available
to aquatic organisms. Disposal of contaminated
dredged material requires locating a site, either in
open water or on land, where large amounts of
contaminated material can be safely contained.
The Army Corps of Engineers, in cooperation
with EPA, is currently developing an Inland
Testing Manual to provide consistent national
guidance on testing dredged material for
discharge to waters of the United States. A
similar Ocean Testing Manual is already available.
The two agencies are also working on a
comprehensive ocean disposal site designation,
management, and monitoring guidance
document.
Research and Outreach
To implement this Strategy effectively,
EPA has developed a research plan covering
development and validation of sediment quality
criteria, as well as assessment and remediation
methods for contaminated sediments. EPA has
also developed an outreach program to increase
public understanding of the ecological and human
health risks associated with sediment
contamination and of potential solutions to the
problem. This outreach program includes the
preparation of guidance documents, reports,
public outreach publications, and multimedia
materials, as well as the establishment of
advisory groups, databases, and clearinghouses.
Water Resources Development Act
The most recent legislation addressing
contaminated sediments is the Water Resources
Development Act of 1992 (WRDA). WRDA calls
for the establishment of a National
Contaminated Sediment Task Force, to be co-
chaired by the EPA Administrator and the
Secretary of the Army, and to include
representatives from the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S.
Department of Agriculture, States, ports,
agriculture and manufacturing interests, and
public interest organizations. This Contaminated
Sediment Management Strategy addresses many
of the tasks for which EPA is responsible as a
member of the National Contaminated Sediment
Task Force.
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