Contaminated Sediment Management Strategy-Fact Sheet                                 http://www.epa.gov/OST/cs/stratefs.html
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           hi    United States                  Office ol'Water      l;PA-823-l:-98-0()4
           *~    linvironinental Protection         4305              April 1998
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           ^    EPA's Contaminated Sediment Management Strategy
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           °    Introduction
           u    To address the ecological and human health risks thai contaminated sediment poses in many
           n-    U.S. watersheds, HP A announces publication of its Contaminated Sediment Management
           Q    Strategy. Also available, through the Office of Water Docket, is the Response to Public
                 ('omments Document. The Strategy is an HP A workplan describing actions the Agency
                 believes are needed to bring about consideration and reduction of risks posed by
                 contaminated sediments. In the Strategy. EPA summarizes its understanding of the extent
                 and severity of sediment contamination, including uncertainties about the dimension of the
                 problem and describes the cross-program policy framework in which the Agency intends to
                 promote consideration and reduction of ecological and human  health  risks posed by
                 sediment contamination.

                 The Strategy establishes four goals to manage the problem of contaminated sediment, and
                 describes actions the Agency intends to take to accomplish these goals. The goals arc: 1) to
                 control sources of sediment contamination and prevent the volume of contaminated sediment
                 from increasing; 2) to reduce the volume of existing (in-place) contaminated sediment: 3) to
                 ensure that sediment dredging and dredged material disposal are managed in an
                 environmentally sound manner; and 4) to develop a range of scientifically sound sediment
                 management tools for use in pollution prevention, source control, remediation and dredged
                 material management.

                 Concerns About Sediment Contamination
                 Recent studies of the quality of the nation's lakes, rivers, and bays, and concerns about the
                 economic impacts associated with contaminated fish and disposal of contaminated dredged
                 material make sediment contamination an important issue.

                    o  HPA estimates that 10 percent of the nation's lakes,  rivers, and  bays have sediment
                      contaminated with toxic chemicals that can kill fish living in those waters or impair
                      the health of people and wildlife who eat contaminated fish (Listing ofl-'ish and
                      Wildlife Consumption Advisories. EPA 823-C-97-004. 1997: The Incidence ami
                      Severity of Sediment Contamination in Surface Water of the United Stales. HP A
                      823-R-97-006. 007, 008, 1998).
                    o  fifteen percent of the nation's lake acreage and 5 percent of the nation's river miles are
                      under state-issued fish consumption advisories. All  of the Great Hakes and a large
                      portion of the nation's coastal waters are also under  advisory (Listing of Fish and
                      Wildlife Consumption Advisories. EPA 823-C-97-004. 1997).
                    o  Billions of dollars of economic activity are potentially affected by contaminated
                      sediment because of the loss ol'recreational and commercial fishing and the increased
                      cost of disposing of contaminated material dredged  to aid navigation.

                 Why  EPA Needs a Contaminated Sediment Management Strategy
                 HP A needs an Agency-wide Contaminated Sediment Management Strategy because
                 cooperation among many HPA offices is necessary to address the problem of contaminated
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Contaminate Sediment Management Strategy-Fact Sheet                                 http://www.epa.gov/OST/cs/stratefs.html


                 sediment.

                    o Contaminated sediment is an environmental problem in the nation's water bodies that
                      is not handled by a single EPA office or authority.
                    o The multimedia sources of ongoing contamination and the need to remediate historical
                      contamination require coordinated Agency-wide actions.

                 What the Strategy Will Aecomplish
                 The ('on/amimi/.e
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