UPCOMING INVESTIGATIONS

 Tissue Chemistry
 Plans are currently being developed for the collection
 of tissue from lobster, finfish (flounder, tautog,
 bluefish) and channeled whelk to assess the potential
 bioaccumulation of contaminants in organisms at the
 existing disposal sites and at non-disposal areas
 within LIS. The assessment will include analysis for
 metals, PCBs, pesticides, bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate,
 lipid content, water content, PAHs, dioxins/furans,
 tributyltin, dioxin-like PCBs, and radiochemistry.
C. High (USAGE) readies equipment
for deployment. (Feb. 2000)
                             Physical
                             Oceanography
                             The EPA and the
                             Corps have
                             initiated the
                             collection and
                             analysis of physical
                             oceanographic data
                             (currents, waves,
                             temperature,
                             salinity, etc.) to
                             evaluate the
                             circulation patterns
                             and degree of water
                             movement in LIS.
                             Existing data,
including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) National Ocean Survey
(NOS) and the State University of New York
(SUNY), Stony Brook and the Disposal Area
Monitoring System (DAMOS) data sets from LIS are
being reviewed.  The review will identify data gaps
so that any information needed for the EIS can be
collected during the calendar year 2000 field effort.

Fishing Resources and Activities
Fishing resources includes finfish and lobster
resources. Fishing activities include commercial and
recreational fishing activities. To collect finfish tissue
for analyses, we will accompany the Connecticut
Department of Environmental Protection (CTDEP) on
its planned Spring and Fall 2000 trawl surveys of LIS.
Since trawling is avoided in the vicinity of the WLIS
site, other sampling methods, including gill nets and
hook and line, are planned for that area.  We will be
collecting lobsters from the Study Areas and conducting
tissue analysis.

We plan to interview commercial and recreational
fishermen in the Spring and Summer of 2000 to further
define the type and amount of fishing effort conducted
in LIS including gear used in the Study Areas.  These
surveys will supplement the aerial surveys of lobster pot
buoys.  The aerial surveys will be taken during the peak
season.

SCHEDULE
Since the October 1999 workshops, a field work
schedule has been developed, protocols drafted and
refined along with the associated laboratory analyses.
The field work for the open water disposal alternative
has been scheduled to take  advantage of the LIS
resources during peak seasons.
•   Winter 2000 - Sediment sampling (completed)
•  Spring 2000 - Physical oceanographic data, finfish
   collection
•  Summer 2000 - Lobster collection, benthic tissue
   bioaccumulation/community analysis
•  Fall 2000 - Additional physical oceanographic data
   (if needed) and additional finfish collection
This  schedule will complete a full year of data to assist
in characterizing LIS.

An update on the status of the field program will be
provided at the April 2000 workshops.
                                                   J. Brochi (USEPA)
                                                         extracting
                                                      sediments from
                                                      the Ted-Young
                                                      grab sampler.
                                                        (Feb.  2000)
For more information, please contact Ann Rodney, US EPA, 1 Congress Street,
Suite 1100, CWQ, Boston, MA 02114-2023, 617-918-1538 (tel), 617-918-1505 (fax),
rodney.ann@epa.gov (email), or visit our Web Site at
www.epa.gov/region01/eco/lisdreg/.
                                                                                               SS2K001d
                                                                                                                          r/EPA
                  United States
                  Environmental
                  Protection Agency
                        Fact Sheet #3- April 2000
                     US Army Corps
                        of Engineers
                   New England District

                                                                                                                                                              LONG  ISLAND SOUND
                                                                                                                                                  DREDGED MATERIAL DISPOSAL  EIS
                                                                                                                                                                     Field Work
                                                                                                                                                            for Open  Water Sites
BACKGROUND
The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and
the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers (the Corps) are
preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
that will consider the potential designation of one or
more dredged material disposal site(s) in the waters of
Long Island Sound (LIS), as required under Section
102 (c) of the Marine Protection, Research and
Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA) and 40 CFR 230.80 of the
regulations of the EPA under Section 404 of the Clean
Water Act (CWA). The EIS will be prepared in
accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) and the Council on Environmental Quality
(CEQ) Regulations (40 CFR 1500 et. seq.).

To provide baseline information on LIS, the EPA and
the Corps reviewed and evaluated existing data to
determine data collection needs.  Based on that review,
the EPA and the Corps are gathering data on all the
alternatives to be evaluated in the EIS, including open
water sites, beneficial use sites, upland disposal sites
and treatment technologies. As an early task of this
data collection effort, the EPA and the Corps identified
data gaps associated with  open water disposal.  As
reported at the October 1999 workshops and presented
in a fact sheet titled "Data Review and
Recommendations," data gaps  associated with open
water disposal sites were identified in four priority
areas:
•   Sediment chemistry - Distribution of contaminants
    of concern in sediments at, and immediately
    around, each active disposal site in LIS
•   Tissue chemistry - Distribution of contaminants of
    concern in tissue of shellfish (including lobsters),
    finfish and benthic invertebrates, at and immediately
    around, each active disposal site in LIS.
•   Physical oceanography - Physical oceanographic
    data from LIS that may be applicable to disposal site
    designation, including general circulation, wave, and
    current information relevant to each active disposal
    site in LIS, and in proximity to those sites.
•   Fishing resources and activities - Commercial and
    recreational fisheries resources and activities in
    proximity to the active disposal sites in LIS, including
    any baseline fish, shellfish, and lobster data.
The field data collection effort is underway. The field
work is being coordinated with other federal and state
agency efforts scheduled for the calendar year 2000,
including finfish trawl surveys planned by the
Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection
(CTDEP).  This fact sheet provides a status report on the
field work necessary to  assist in the preparation of the EIS
baseline and impacts analyses.
SAMPLING
PROGRAM
OVERVIEW
The overall field
program associated
with the open water
disposal alternative
includes the collection
of sediment samples,
benthic samples, and
lobster and finfish
tissue samples within
LIS. It also includes
collection and analysis
of data regarding
currents, waves,
temperature, salinity
and other physical
                                                                                                                                                                                                   Ted-Young grab sampler modified with
                                                                                                                                                                                                   landing pads to facilitate sampling in
                                                                                                                                                                                                   soft bottom conditions. (Feb. 2000)

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                                                                                   Long Island Sound
                                                                                   Disposal Sil«£
                                                                                   Sampling Stadons

                                                                                   ^3 Orn^ii rt+pwi i«m
Figure 1. Long Island Sound Disposal Sites and Sampling Stations

oceanographic characteristics of LIS. This data
will be used in evaluating baseline conditions
within the open water of LIS, including the four
existing disposal sites, referred to as Study Areas.
The Study Areas are:
•   Western Long Island Sound (WLIS)
•   Central Long Island Sound (CLIS)
•   Cornfield Shoals (CSDS)
•   New London (NLDS).
As reported below, an extensive sediment sampling
effort was conducted during February 2000.
Planned for future seasons are the collection of
lobsters and finfish, physical oceanographic data
and additional sampling of benthic species in LIS.

WINTER 2000 FIELD SURVEY  -
SEDIMENT SAMPLING
During the week of February 14, 2000, the EPA
and the Corps conducted sediment sampling for the
analysis of sediment chemistry and the
characterization of the local benthic communities at
the four Study Areas (see Figure 1). For each Study
Area, sediment samples were collected within each
of four distinct geographical areas:
•   Historical - areas that received dredged material
    prior to the onset of testing requirements in 1979
•   Active - areas that have received dredged
    material deemed suitable for open-water disposal
•   No impact - areas that should have no
    discernible impacts from the disposal of dredged
    material, i.e., a "reference site" for each Study
    Area
•   Far field - areas outside of existing site
    boundaries suitable for evaluating for any distant
    effects of disposal of dredged material within LIS.
At each sampling station, five (5) discrete grabs (125
total grabs) were taken in order to obtain enough
material for the determination of physical, chemical,
and toxicological properties.

The sampling procedure is shown in Figure 2.
A grab sampler was deployed from the survey vessel
F/V Isabelle to retrieve bottom sediments.
Sediments from each grab were divided up for
different types of analyses.  These included:
•   Chemistry - the chemical analysis of the sediments.
•   Toxicity - the exposure in the laboratory of a
    benthic species to the collected sediments to
    determine if the sediments are toxic to the species.
•   Biology - the benthic species found within the
    sediment sample to identify the composition of the
    biological community to include diversity and
    populations present.
In total, over 1,100 samples were collected and
delivered to laboratories for chemistry, grain size and
toxicity analyses.

During the collection of sediment samples in the Winter
2000 survey, provisions were made for the collection of
benthic invertebrates for potential analysis of tissue
samples for bioaccumulation. However, given the
season and associated water temperature, limited
invertebrates  were  collected during this survey.

Chemistry/Physical Testing
From the samples collected at each station, sediments
will be analyzed for a list of contaminants, including
metals, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), pesticides,
polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), acid volatile
sulfides/simultaneously extractable metals, bis(2-
Ethylhexyl)phthalate, dioxins/furans, dioxin-like PCBs,
tributyltin, total organic carbon (TOC), radiochemistry,
and for percent water and grain size.  Sediments will be
tested in accordance with "Evaluation of Dredged
Material Proposed  for Ocean Disposal, Testing Manual,
EPA-503/8-91/001, February 1991," commonly referred
to as the "Green Book" and the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers New England District "Inland Testing Manual
                        SAMPLING PROCEDURE
    A grab deployed from a
    boat is used to retrieve
      surface sediments
Sediments from
a given station
are divided up
 for different
  analyses
                                                                                                                                  Figure 2. Sampling procedure
Recovering the 0.1m2 Ted-Young grab sampler. Feb. 2000

 (ITM) for Dredged Material Disposal Activities" dated
 July 7, 1998, as appropriate, and as supplemented by
 additional guidance.

 Toxicity Testing
 From the samples collected at each station, a portion of
 the sediment material was collected for toxicity
 analysis. Following the procedures outlined in the
 publication: EPA, 1994 "Methods for Assessing the
 Toxicity of Sediment-associated Contaminants with
 Estuarine and Marine Amphipods," EPA 600-R-94-025,
 June 1994, toxicity testing will be performed with the
 amphipod Ampelisca abdita.  This amphipod will be
 exposed in the laboratory to collected sediment as a
 measure of the toxicity of the sediment to benthic
 resources.

 Benthic Community Analysis
 Three  additional grabs were performed at 21 stations to
 collect materials for benthic community analysis.  These
                 samples were transferred to a clean 5-
                 gallon plastic bucket where they were
                 rinsed with local seawater. After a
                 careful filtering and sieving of the
                 material, the consolidated sample  was
                 then removed from the sieve and
                 transferred to sample bottles. Local
                 seawater was then  added to the
                 sample, after which the sample was
                 preserved.  The samples collected will
                 be identified and counted to
                 determine the diversity and
                 population of benthic invertebrates in
                 the existing marine ecosystem.
                                                             Chemistry
                                                             Chemical
                                                             analysis of
                                                             sediments
                                                             to identify
                                                            contaminants
                                                              Toxicity
                                                             Testing to
                                                             determine
                                                             if sediments
                                                             are toxic to
                                                            benthic species
  Biology
Identification
 of the type
and variety of
  biological
 community
 living in the
  sediment

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