United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Water
(4504F)
EPA-B42-R-95-Q01
September 1995
EPA Monitoring, Research, and
NOAA Surveillance of the 106-Mile
Deepwater Municipal Dump
Site and Environs
Report to Congress
Former i t
106-Mtle Industrial Waste Site
ATLANTIC OCEAN
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The only deep ocean disposal site designated
by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) for barge-based disposal of municipal
sewage sludge was the 106-Mile Deepwater
Municipal Sludge Dump Site (106-Mile Site).
Sludge disposal at the 106-Mile Site began in
1986 as a result of the phasing out of sludge
disposal operations at the 12-Mile Site located
in the New York Bight. Transition of sludge
disposal from the 12-Mile Site to the 106-Mile
Site was completed in 1987. From 1988 to
1990, 8-10 million wet tons of sludge were
dumped at the 106-Mile Site each year. The
amount of sewage sludge disposed at the Site
decreased in 1991 and 1992 as a result of the
Ocean Dumping Ban Act of 1988 (ODBA)
requirement that ocean disposal of sewage
sludge stop by December 1991. All sewage
sludge disposal at the 106-Mile Site ended in
June 1992,
In addition to requiring the cessation of ocean
disposal of sewage sludge, the ODBA also
mandated that EPA, the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the
U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) design a
monitoring program for the 12-Mile Site, the
106-Mile Site, the industrial waste sites, and
other areas that might be impacted by
dumping. The monitoring program was
mandated to assess the potential impact of
sludge disposal on the marine environment,
particularly the effects on living marine
organisms. The required monitoring program
was to include (1) sampling an appropriate
number of fish and shellfish species and other
organisms to assess the effects of
environmental conditions on living marine
organisms in these areas and (2) use of satellite
and other advanced technologies to conduct the
program. In response to this mandate, EPA,
NOAA, and the USCG jointly revised the EPA
monitoring plan in use at the time, and
designed and implemented a comprehensive
monitoring, research, and surveillance plan
entitled the Monitoring, Research, and
Surveillance Plan for the 106-Mile Deepwater
Municipal Sludge Dump Site and Environs
(EPA, 1990a). This joint Monitoring Plan was
implemented in the spring of 1990, and
monitoring and surveillance activities
continued through June 1992 when ocean
dumping of sewage sludge ended. Additional
research studies were conducted in the summer
of 1993,
The joint Monitoring Plan was organized into
four areas labeled as tiers. Tier Jf; "Waste
Characteristics and Disposal Operations was
concerned with monitoring the waste
characteristics and disposal operations. Tier 2:
Nearfteld Fate and Short-Term Effects focused
on the nearfleld fate and short-term effects of
sludge. Tier 3; Farfield Fate addressed the
long-term, farfield fate of sludge constituents
and Tier 4: Long-Term Effects was concerned
with resultant long-term environmental effects.
A series of monitoring questions was
formulated and grouped hierarchically within
the four tiers of the joint Monitoring Plan.
The major emphasis of the joint Monitoring
Plan was placed on determhiing the ferfield
transport and fate of the sewage sludge (Tier
3), and potential long-term effects and
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Executive Summary
environmental impacts (Tier 4). Among the
sponsoring agencies of die joint Monitoring
Plan, EPA assumed most of the responsibilities
for Tier 3 activities, while NOAA was the
principal agency addressing the hypotheses
under Tier 4.
Several Reports to Congress related to the
106-Mile Site monitoring program were
developed during the joint monitoring program
and include: draft Report to Congress on the
Progress Towards Ending Ocean Dumping of
Sewage Sludge; draft Report to Congress on
the 106-Mile Site Monitoring Program;
Monitoring Results from 1988 to August 1990;
and draft Report to Congress on the 106-Mile
Site Monitoring, Research, and Surveillance
Results: August 1990 through October 1991.
This Final Report to Congress replaces the
previous draft reports and provides a
comprehensive summary of the findings of the
106-Mile Site monitoring program as related to
the monitoring hypotheses, results, and
management actions. This document, in
concert with peer-reviewed scientific papers,
fulfills commitments in the joint Monitoring
Plan to disseminate findings from the
monitoring program to both the scientific
community and interested public sectors.
SLUDGE DISPOSAL
Sewage sludge dumping was phased in at the
106-Mile Site beginning in 1986. Dumping at
both the 12-Mile Site and 106-Mile Site
continued through 1987, The total annual
volume of sewage sludge dumped at these two
Sites increased from «»7.7 to 8.8 million wet
tons between 1986 and 1988. From 1988
through 1990, the volume of sludge dumped at
the 106-Mile Site remained relatively constant
at 9-10 million wet tons of sludge per year.
Phase out of the disposal operations reduced
the annual volume dumped from 7 million wet
tons hi 1991 to 2 million wet tons in 1992.
No sludge was dumped after June 1992.
Nine sewerage authorities from the greater
New York City area and northern New Jersey
were authorized to use the 106-Mile Site tor
sewage disposal. Between 1986 and June of
1992, these authorities transported and dumped
* 42 million wet tons of sewage sludge at the
106-Mile Site, The largest amount of sludge
{«22 million wet tons) was dumped by New
York City Department of Environmental
Protection. Each of the other permittees
contributed less than 6 million wet tons to the
total load at the Site; three permittees dumped
less than 900,000 wet tons. On a dry weight
basis, a total of 1.5 million tons of sludge was
dumped at the Site. Passaic Valley Sewerage
Commission contributed the second largest
input on a dry weight basis (450,000 dry
tons), nearly the same amount dumped by the
New York City Department of Environmental
Protection (575,000 dry tons). More than
70% of the total dry tonnage of sludge dumped
at the 106-Mile Site was contributed by these
two permittees. The remaining permittees
each dumped less than 130,000 dry tons.
FINDINGS
The remainder of this executive summary
presents major findings from the 106-Mile Site
monitoring, research, and surveillance
activities. These findings address fundamental
questions evaluated during the 1989
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Executive Summary
EPA/NOAA/USCG 106-Mile Site Workshop,
including
1. What is the physical and chemical fate of
the sewage sludge dumped at the 106-
Mile Site?
2. What is the effect of the sludge dumped at
the 106-Mile Site on living marine
resources?
The results from the monitoring program
substantiate many of the predictions made
during the site designation process regarding
sewage sludge behavior, transport, fate, and
effects. The high quality data collected during
the monitoring program (1) resulted in a more
comprehensive understanding of the
predictions and (2) significantly increased the
database on deep-sea sediments, benthic
infauna communities, fish and bacterial
communities, and the physical processes
operating in the environs of the 106-Mile Site
and the outer continental shelf. Future
programs and studies of similar scope will
greatly benefit from this extensive set of new
information,
COMPLIANCE
During the period that sewage sludge was
dumped in the ocean, BPA required that
permittees using the ocean to dispose of
sewage sludge regularly provide sludge
characterization data. In 1989, EPA evaluated
the type of measurements, reporting
frequency, and data quality for sludge
characterization monitoring ongoing since
1984. Special sludge characterization studies
were conducted to verify that the sludge
characteristics data were adequate to meet the
monitoring program goals. These special
investigations determined that the data and
reporting requirements were inadequate. As a
result, new program-specific requirements for
sludge characterization monitoring were
developed. These requirements, which
included modified sampling and analysis
methods, and required that all analyses be
conducted under approved quality assurance
plans, were included as part of the permits
issued in August 1989 for sewage sludge
disposal at the 106-Mile Site.
The required sludge characterization
measurements revealed that the sludge quality
was generally similar to the sludge as
characterized by measurements performed in
the mid-1980s. As found previously, physical
and chemical characteristics of the sludges
were highly variable both within permittees
and among the various treatment facilities.
Between 1990 and 1991, several of the sludges
were found to be more toxic to marine species
than in 1989 when permits were issued; other
sludges were characterized as less toxic. The
timely receipt of sludge characterization data
was effective for evaluating changes and
making decisions regarding the rate at which
sludge could be dumped in the ocean. The
detection of potential sludge-associated metals
and organic contaminants in sediment samples
obtained from the vicinity of the 106-Mile
Site, coupled with inadequate information
obtained from the Tier I characterization
monitoring, necessitated more detailed sludge
characterization measurements. These detailed
studies contributed significantly to the
evaluations completed under Tiers 3 and 4,
As part of the process to develop conditions
for the permits required by the ODBA, EPA
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Executive Summary
evaluated whether the dumping rates in effect
prior to the ODBA would result in compliance
with the requirements of the ocean dumping
regulations. Nearfield water quality
compliance studies established that, under the
conditions initially set for sludge disposal (i.e.,
a dumping rate of 15,500 gal/mta),
concentrations of sludge constituents frequently
did not meet regulatory requirements
established by the ocean dumping regulations.
As a result, the permittee dumping rates were
lowered to ensure that water quality criteria
were met at all times and that pathogen
concentrations in the water column were
reduced. Ongoing bioassay study results
provided by the permittees were used to a
mathematical formulation that linked dumping
rates to sludge quality and enabled quarterly
adjustments in the disposal rates, thereby
ensuring that water quality criteria and
conditions of the ocean dumping regulations
were met.
In general, disposal operations were conducted
in a manner that was consistent with the ocean
dumping regulations and permits. However,
in response to concerns of short dumping
practices at the site and public concerns over
sludge transfer in the Harbor, EPA determined
that surveillance of all dumping activities was
necessary. This was successfully completed
with a cradle-to-grave manifest, seal system,
and shiprider program that focused on the
sludge transfer activities within the greater
New York/New Jersey Harbor. This program
supplemented the electronic monitoring system
known as the Ocean Dumping Surveillance
System developed by the USCG, and was
effectively used to determine whether dumping
at the 106-Mile Site was in compliance with
the permits and regulations. EPA issued a
number of administrative actions and fines
when violations of the permit conditions were
identified.
SLUDGE FATE
Nearfield Fate and Short-Term Effects. Early
in the program, monitoring results indicated
that sewage sludge could be transported out of
the Site in the surface waters before sludge
constituents were adequately diluted. Under
certain oceanographic conditions, sludge
constituents that were of ecological concern
exceeded relevant water quality criteria outside
of the Site boundaries and, on occasion, within
the 106-Mile Site four hours after disposal.
To ensure that water quality criteria were met
under all conditions, barge dumping rates were
reduced. Dumping rates were allowed to vary
depending on plume dilution rates and a
mathematical formulation that related sludge
toxicity and the dilution rates to dumping
rates. A limited set of effects measurements
determined that plume dilution reduced the
sludge toxicity rate below levels of concern
within the four-hour post-disposal period
allowed by the ocean dumping regulations.
Settling of some of the sludge from the surface
waters was detected during the nearfield fate
studies and by other investigations that focused
on the seabed within the Site, These findings
led, in part, to the extensive set of results
summarized under the farfield fate and long-
term effects elements of the monitoring
program.
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Executive Summary
Feafleld Fate, An extensive field and
analytical program was developed to assess the
transport and farfield fate of the sludge. The
program included (1) weekly deployment of
satellite-tracked surface drifters to determine
movement of surface waters and potential for
onshore transport, (2) satellite imagery of sea-
surface temperature to determine the water
masses in which dumping occurred and the
relationship of these water masses to the
surface water movement, (3) an array of deep-
sea moorings instrumented with current meters
and sediment traps to directly assess the
transport and fate of the sludge, (4) sediment
sampling in canyons of the outer continental
shelf and the continental slope and rise areas
potentially impacted by sludge to determine if
and where the sludge could be found in the
sediments, and (5) numerical, circulation, and
probability modeling of the sludge transport
and fate. The major findings from these
studies include the following:
Deployment of satellite-tracked surface
drifters over an 18-month period and
associated satellite sea-surface temperature
measurements demonstrated that sludge
particles in the surface waters were not
transported beyond the continental shelf
break and did not reach the shoreline of
the northeastern United States.
An array of deep-sea sediment traps
deployed in the vicinity of the 106-Mile
Site demonstrated significant flux of
sludge-related material to the seabed.
Highest fluxes were near the Site and
were detectable 110 km southwest of the
site. The sediment trap program also
demonstrated that dispersion of the sludge
to the north and south was confined to a
relatively narrow band and probably did
not move onto the continental shelf,
* Chemical measurements of the sediments
collected within and near the Site revealed
substantial increases in the concentrations
of certain metals and organic compounds
that are commonly found in sewage
sludge. Compared to reference areas
northeast of the Site, highest
concentrations were confined to a
relatively small area within 10-20 km
southwest of the Site. The sediment
concentrations rapidly decreased to
background levels towards the southwest,
in the direction of the long-term net water
column transport. Metals and organic
compounds in the surface sediments did
not show the same footprint as observed
for Clostridium perfiingens,
* Measurements of other sewage sludge
tracers also demonstrated that the sludge
could reach the sediments in the vicinity
of the 106-Mile Site. These
measurements include stable isotopes of
carbon, sulftir, and nitrogen, and sediment
oxygen consumption rates which increased
at least two-fold relative to background
levels in the areas receiving the most
input of sludge. Each of these increases
suggests a significant input of terrestrial
organic matter.
» Broad-scale sampling of the surface
sediments of the outer continental shelf,
continental slope, and deep-sea sediments
north, south, and west of the site
demonstrated a distinct Clostridium
perfiingens footprint extending to the west
and south of the Site; Clostridium
perfiingens is a spore-forming bacterium
common to mammals and known to be
associated with sewage wastes. Outside
of this footprint, concentrations of
Clostridium were typical of pre-disposal
conditions. High concentrations of
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Executive Summary
Clostridium perfringem spores were also
measured in submarine canyons on the
outer continental shelf, but these levels
could not be linked to disposal activities at
the 106-Mile Site.
Monitoring found evidence of chemical
and bacterial contamination in the heads
of the submarine canyons on the outer
continental shelf. However, for these
sludge tracers, there was no evidence of a
concentration gradient with distance from
the 106-Mile Site. Thus, the
anthropogenic signatures in these
sediments could not be linked to the
disposal activities at the 106-Mile Site.
The presence of metal and organic
contaminants and sewage bacterial
indicators in these canyons clearly
demonstrated inputs from anthropogenic
sources. The consensus of the scientific
investigations conducted in this
geographic region was that these
contaminant signatures were probably
derived from offshore transport of
particles or down-canyon movement of
sediments contaminated by disposal
activities to the New York Bight and from
atmospheric inputs.
Numerical transport and circulation
models that incorporated measurements of
the physical oceanographic conditions
collected during the monitoring program
and settling rates of sludge particles
estimated that a significant fraction of the
sludge would settle to the seafloor within
50 km of the Site. The depositional
footprint of sludge derived from the
transport models was similar to the
Clostridium distributions measured hi the
sediment. Uncertainty in the actual
settling rates of the sludge particles
resulted in a wide range in estimates of
the amount of sludge reaching the
seafloor. Model predictions ranged from
20 to 70%, depending on the particle
settling rates used. Circulation models
suggested that sludge particles not
reaching the seafloor in the vicinity of the
Site were moved to the Gulf Stream and
were transported out of the region,
Independent mass balance estimates
developed from the sediment trap data and
several unique chemical tracers of the
sludge suggested that at least 30% of the
sludge dumped at the 106-Mile Site
reached sediments in the vicinity of the
Site. Probability models of the transport
of sludge particles onto the continental
shelf determined the transport potential to
be extremely small (< 0.0001).
Post-disposal monitoring studies (summer
1993) found diminished evidence of sludge.
Findings of these post-disposal studies include
the following:
* Sediment samples collected near the Site
one year after sludge disposal stopped
indicated that organic contaminants and
silver remained at levels similar to those
measured in 1989. The data suggested
that linear alkyl benzenes (LABs), a class
of chemical compounds found to be one
of the best tracers of sewage sludge in this
environment, had decreased
disproportionately to other contaminants
and thus may have undergone
degradation,
Sediment oxygen consumption rates in the
areas receiving the highest input of sludge
had returned to background levels one
year after disposal stopped. These
dramatic results indicate that the organic
matter from the sludge that reached the
sediments was rapidly oxidized (a half life
as low as three years but no more than six
years was estimated). Oxygen
consumption rates remained high in
sediments 95 km southwest of the Site,
suggesting that erosion and transport of
sediments on the continental slope may
have been partially responsible.
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Executive Summary
Considered in total, the information collected
under the farfield fate studies suggested that a
significant fraction (at least 20% and at most
70%) of the sewage sludge reached the
seafloor in and near the 106-Mile Site. The
remainder of the sludge settled at slow rates
and was probably transported via the Gulf
Stream into the north Atlantic Ocean. No
evidence was obtained that sewage sludge was
transported onto the continental shelf or to
areas supporting commercial fisheries. The
data from the outer shelf and canyons tend to
support previous hypotheses that atmospheric
inputs and off-shelf transport from the inner
continental shelf are the likely sources for the
contaminants found in these areas.
EFFECTS
Studies to determine if sludge disposal at the
106-Mile Site resulted in significant impacts to
the biology and ecology included (1) at-sea
observations of endangered species, (2)
surveys of midwater fish for evidence of
bioaccumulation of chemical contaminants, (3)
surveys of epibentbic organisms, (4)
assessments of ichthyoplankton, (5) evaluations
of the prevalence of chitinoclasia shell disease
in lobster and red crab, (6) accumulation of
metals and organic contaminants in
commercially important fish species, red crabs,
and lobsters, (7) evaluations of benthic and
microbiological community structure, and (8)
evaluations of fisheries landings. Major
findings of these studies are summarized
below.
Endangered Species, Observations of
endangered species in and near the 106-Mile
Site did not identify any adverse effects. The
species identified were primarily migratory and
there were no indications that the site was used
as breeding or nursery grounds.
Bioaccumulation, An extensive suite of
contaminant measurements in organisms
ranging from deep-sea finfish and shrimp, to
midwater fish, to commercially important fish,
lobster and red crab were completed between
1989 and 1991. None of these studies
identified significant increases in tissue
concentrations of contaminants that could be
related to the dumping of sewage sludge at the
106-Mile Site.
* The most extensive set of contaminant
measurements ever conducted in midwater
fish was completed under the 106-Mile
Site monitoring program. Elevated
concentrations of some metals and organic
compounds were sporadically found hi an
area immediately west of the Site. Broad-
scale sampling did not identify any
significant increase in contaminant
concentrations away from the Site. Thus,
while some short-term increases in
contaminant concentrations were evident,
broad-scale, longer-term bioaccumulation
above background levels in these
organisms was not detected.
Contaminants accumulating in plankton
collected from the surface waters were
also sporadically detected, but could not
definitively be linked to sludge dumped at
the Site.
Measurements of contaminants in deep-sea
organisms are the most extensive studies
of this kind. Results of these studies
indicated that the concentrations of metals
and organic contaminants in several
hundred deep-sea finfish and shrimp,
collected in the vicinity of the 106-Mile
Site in 1990 and 1991, were low and
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Executive Summary
approximated concentrations measured in
similar species sampled in the early and
mid 1970s.
Concentrations of contaminants in lobster
and red crab collected from the outer
continental shelf canyons were slightly
elevated and differences in contaminant
levels were identified in organisms from
several different canyons. Contaminant
concentrations could not be related to
distance from the 106-Mile Site. Rather,
sources such as atmospheric inputs or
transport from the inner shelf were
thought to be the reason for the
differences,
« Metal and organic contaminants in
tilefish, a commercially important finfish
harvested from canyons on the outer
continental shelf, were generally low. No
clear spatial patterns in concentrations
were evident. The results from 1990 and
1991 were similar to results obtained in
the early 1980s, prior to sludge dumping
at the 106-Mile Site,
Community Structure. Changes in the
structure of finfish, benthic, and microbial
communities in the sediments from the
continental rise in the site were evaluated, as
well as communities at 700 m in the submarine
canyons of the outer continental shelf.
Findings include the following:
The community structure of the deep-sea
finfish collected in 1990 and 1991 was
similar to the community structure
described in the early 1970s. Measures of
species richness, numerical abundance,
depth distributions, and biomass were all
similar for both sampling periods. No
effects due to sludge dumping at the 106-
Mile Site were evident.
* In 1989, sampling of the bacterial
community in near-bottom waters revealed
that the natural autochthonous bacterial
community in the near-bottom waters was
replaced with a community that was
poorly adapted to the deep-sea conditions.
The importance of this change to the
ecology of the area was not clearly
established. Bacterial communities in the
canyons clearly included species directly
associated with sewage, suggesting that
the sewage wastes had reached the canyon
areas. The presence of sewage-associated
bacteria could not be attributed to
dumping at the 106-Mile Site, but was
thought to result from offshore transport
of sewage-related materials from previous
dumping in the New York Bight.
Compared to results of studies conducted
prior to sludge disposal, analyses of the
sediment samples collected in 1989
suggested that the deep-sea benthic
community had changed. Specifically,
polychaete species not previously found in
sediments from the continental rise were
identified. Because these organisms
generally respond to inputs of organic
matter, the presence of polychaetes was
believed to be related to the deposition of
sludge near the 106-Mile Site. The
results of follow-up studies conducted in
1991, 1992, and 1993 are not yet
available.
* Between 1990 and 1992, extensive video
surveys at 700-m depth in the submarine
canyons of the outer continental shelf
determined that the macrobenthic
community structure and species
abundances were consistent among the
canyons. The behavior and habitat
associations of the animal populations in
the canyons were also consistent and did
not appear to be affected by sludge
dumping. No impact from dumping at
the 106-Mile Site could be found.
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Executive Summary
IffiCOMMENDATIONS
Although the overall monitoring program was
highly successful, ongoing data collections and
data interpretation could have improved
several aspects of the program, including
* Early identification of chemical and
physical attributes which can be used as
specific and unique tracers of the waste.
These tracers must be measured using
methods that provide accurate
_ quantification.
Better definition of the source
characteristics for more accurate
prediction of fate,
* Better and more complete characterization
of size-specific particle-settling rates and
fractions within the sludge, and
characterization of the tracer
concentrations within the various particle-
size classes.
* More frequent acquisition of data to
address the time-varying concentrations of
specific tracers in the sludge.
* Consideration of cumulative impacts of
the constituents of the waste material and
significant ecological processes that might
influence the transport and fate or effects
(both positive and negative) of the
material.
Linking modeling with field measurements
to improve the cost-effectiveness of
monitoring designs.
Continued use of unique waste tracers that
can be used to quantitatively address fate
and impact without implementation of a
full priority pollutant measurement
program.
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CONTENTS
Page
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY iii
1.0 INTRODUCTION . 1-1
1.1 History of Sewage Sludge Disposal in the New York Bight and at the
106-Mile Site 1-2
1.2 Predictions Made During Site Designation 1-8
1.3 Organization of this Report , 1-9
2.0 OVERVIEW OF THE 106-MILE SITE MONITORING PROGRAM 2-1
2.1 Summary of Monitoring Program Design 2-7
2,2 Tier 1: Sludge Characteristics and Disposal Operations 2-7
2.3 Tier 2: Nearfield Fate and Short-Term Effects 2-9
2.4 Tier 3: Farfield Fate . 2-12
2.5 Tier 4: Long-Term Effects 2-21
3.0 MONITORING RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS 3-1
3.1 Tier 1: Sludge Characteristics and Disposal Operations 3-1
3.2 Tier 2: Nearfield Fate and Short-Term Effects 3-7
3.2.1 Nearfield Compliance , 3-7
3.2.2 Nearfield Fate 3-8
3.2.3 Short-Term Effects . 3-13
3.3 Tier 3: Farfield Fate . 3-14
3.4 Tier 4: Long-Term Effects 3-27
4.0 SITE MANAGEMENT , . . 4-1
4.1 Summary of Management Actions 4-1
4.1.1 Tier 1 Management Actions 4-1
4.1.2 Tier 2 Management Actions 4-2
4.1.3 Tier 3 and Tier 4 Management Actions 4-2
4.2 Recommendations 4-2
5.0 REFERENCES 5-1
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Contents
TABLES
Page
1-1 Annual amounts of industrial waste dumped at the 106-Mile Site from 1961
through 1988 1-3
2-1 The 1989 106-Mile Site Monitoring and Research Plan contained a series
of hypotheses ; 2-4
3-1 Comparison of sludge toxicity in August 1988 to information provided in
permit applications 3-2
3-2 Summary of total monthly and cumulative loading of sewage sludge (dry tons) to the
106-Mile Site during two EPA sediment trap deployment periods. May to October
1990, and November 1990 to June 1991 3-4
3-3 Sightings of mammals, turtles, and seabirds in the 106-Mile Site area of
potential influence , 3-28
FIGURES
1-1 Several ocean disposal sites, including the 106-Mile Site, were located in
the New York Bight and environs 1-1
1-2 Annual disposal of sewage sludge (wet tons) at the 12-Mile Site and the
106-Mile Site from 1986 through June 1992 when sludge disposal ceased 1-4
1-3 Cumulative discharge of sewage sludge (wet tons) to the 106-Mile Site from
1986 through June 1992 1-5
1-4 Sewage sludge disposed between 1986 and 1992 at the 106-Mile Site varied by
municipality , , 1-6
1-5 Sewage sludge disposed between 1986 and June 1992 at the 106-Mile Site varied
by municipality 1-7
1-6 Dry/wet ratio of sewage sludge disposed from August 1989 through June 1992 by
municipality 1-8
2-1 Major study elements of the 106-Mile Site joint monitoring program 2-8
2-2 The locations of long-term, real-time mooring deployments at the 106-Mile Site
during the 106-Mile Site monitoring studies 2-11
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Contents
FIGURES (Continued)
Page
2-3 Drifter deployment positions based upon first satellite-derived position for all
drifters deployed at the 106-Mile Site between October 1989 and June 1991 2-13
2-4 Regional circulation in the Mid-Atlantic Bight 2-13
2-5 Location of the discrete stations along three transects sampled during the
October 1989 survey to the 106-Mile Site 2-15
2-6 October 1989 survey study area west of the 106-Mile Site indicating locations where
horizontal transects of near-surface turbidity were acquired , 2-15
2-7 Location of CTD/TR, XBT, and drifter deployment sites in the Mid-Atlantic Bight
from the Delaware //Cruise 90-08 of 6-18 August 1990 .,,....,,... 2-16
2-8 Station map of the Delaware II Cruise 91-09 of 5-16 August 1991 .2-16
2-9 Locations of the sediment trap moorings deployed in the vicinity of the 106-Mile
Site between May 1990 and June 1991 . 2-17
2-10 Configuration of the deep sea mooring array deployed at the 106-Mile Site 2-18
2-11 Sediment samples collected during the October 1991 NOAA survey on the
R/V Oceanus covered the area of potential impact from sludge dumping 2-19
2-12 Station locations for the August 1990 NOAA/NMFS midwater fish survey covered a
broad area around the 106-Mile Site , 2-22
2-13 Station locations for the August 1991 NOAA/NMFS midwater fish survey primarily
covered the area southwest of the 106-Mile Site 2-22
2-14 During the 1990 and 1991 NOAA surveys, trawl collections of epibenthic
megafauna for analysis of chemical contaminants were made at 21 stations
in and around the 106-Mile Site in the area of expected sludge dispersion 2-23
2-15 More than 500 mega-invertebrate samples, for heavy metal and organic
contaminant analysis, were collected by NOAA from 27 stations during an
August 1991 survey. 2-24
2-16 Canyons sampled by commercial lobster and/or tilefish vessels during the NOAA
canyon studies along the Atlantic continental shelf. 2-25
2-17 Observations relevant to the 106-Mile Site American lobster (Homarus americanus)
chitinoclasia studies made between January 1989 and March 1991 by sea samplers
while on board trawlers 2-27
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring xvtt
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Contents
FIGURES (Continued)
Page
2-18 Observations relevant to the 106-Mile Site American lobster (Homarus americanus)
chitinoclasia studies made between January 1989 and March 1991 by sea samplers
while on lobster pot fishing vessels., 2-28
3-1 A decrease in (a) copper (Cu) and (b) lead (Pb) concentrations was
evident in plumes tracked in September 1987 . 3-3
3-2 Nomograph of sludge dumping rates (in gal/min) vs. sludge dilutions 4 h
after dumping at the 106-Mile Site used to control dumping rates at the Site 3-5
3-3 EPA used the three-month averages of bioassay results to continuously adjust the
dumping rates, for a vessel speed of 6 kn, specified for each sewerage authority 3-6
3-4 Comparison of copper (Cu) dilution as a function of tune for plumes surveyed in
September 1987 and 1988 3-8
3-5 Contour plot of dissolved lead (Pb) at the shallow particle maximum
on the farfield transects Summer 1988 3-9
3-6 Total LAB flux from the along-slope moorings 3-11
3-7 Fraction of dumped sludge reaching the sediments as a function of time under
various sludge dilution scenarios 3-12
3-8 Distributions of Clostridium perftingens in surface water near the 106-Mile Site in
October 1989 . 3-13
3-9 Results from sea urchin fertilization tests conducted in October 1989 3-14
3-10 Silver (Ag) flux from the moorings located along the continental slope 3-15
3-11 Fraction of sludge in sediment traps from the vicinity of the 106-Mile Site based
on (he stable isotope data 3-16
3-12 Trajectories of 66 satellite-tracked drifting buoys released at the 106-Mile Site between
October 1989 and October 1992 shown in the region of the Mid-Atlantic Bight 3-17
3-13 Clostridium perfringens spores (log number g"1 dry weight) in the top 0.5 cm
of sediment 3-19
3-14a Estimated sewage sludge mass flux (mg/m2/day) at a depth of 100 m during
the first deployment period 3-20
3-14b Estimated sewage sludge mass flux (mg/m2/day) at the seabed during the first
deployment period 3-21
xviu 106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
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Contents
FIGURES (Continued)
Page
3-15a Elevated contaminant concentrations in surface sediments were found near
the 106-Mile Site, High-molecular-weight PAHs 3-24
3-15b Elevated contaminant concentrations in surface sediments were found near
the 106-Mile Site, PCBs 3-25 .
3-15c Elevated contaminant concentrations in surface sediments were found near
the 106-Mile Site. Ratio of silver to aluminum (Ag/Al) 3-26
3-16 Mean concentrations of total pesticides and total PCBs in tilefish livers
collected from various canyons between 1990 and 1992 3-29
3-17 Total mean concentrations of (a) DDTs, (b) chlorinated pesticides, and
(c) PCBs in lobster hepatopancreas by sample site 3-30
3-18 Sediment oxygen profiles sampled in the vicinity of the 106-Mile Site in 1992
showed a gradient of impact relative to reference locations 3-31
3-19 Sediment oxygen profiles sampled in the vicinity of the 106-Mile Site in 1993
did not show the gradient observed in 1992 3-33
3-20 Comparison of historical demersal fish abundance to abundance during
sludge disposal found no significant changes 3-34
3-21 Metal concentrations in midwater fish species collected in 1991 showed
sporadic elevations , . , , 3-36
3-22 Metal concentrations in phytoplankton collected in 1991 showed sporadic
elevations 3-37
3-23 106-Mile Site chitinoelasia study location of lobster pot hauls containing
American lobsters (Homarus americanus) with positive pathology 3-39
3-24 106-Mile Site chitinoelasia study location of lobster pot tows containing
American lobsters (Homarus americanus} with positive pathology 3-39
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring xuc
-------
1.0 INTRODUCTION
When designated in 1984 by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as an
authorized sewage sludge dump site, the 106-
Mile Deepwater Municipal Sludge Dump Site
(106-Mile Site; Figure 14) was the only
location in U.S. waters that was used for barge-
based disposal of sewage sludge. All disposal
activities were regulated by the Marine
Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act of
1972 (MPRSA). The MPRSA was amended in
1988 by the Ocean Dumping Ban Act of 1988
(ODBA) to prohibit the ocean disposal of
municipal sewage sludge and industrial wastes
after December 31, 1991.
In 1987, prior to the passage of the ODBA, EPA
had developed a monitoring plan to study and
document potential adverse effects of sludge
disposal at the 106-Mile Site on marine life and
human health (EPA, 1992a,b). This plan was
responsive to the ocean dumping regulations and
was designed to generate data for use by site
managers in making decisions about site re- or
de-designation; development of conditions to
include in disposal permits; and continuation,
termination, or modification of dumping permits.
Under this plan, EPA conducted baseline studies
and several field surveys to evaluate the
nearfield fate and short-term effects of sludge
Cape May
Former i ,
106-Mile Industrial Waste Site
ATLANTIC OCEAN
Figtire 1-1. Several ocean disposal sites, including the 106-Mile Site, were located in the New York Bight
and environs.
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
1-1
-------
Introduction
disposal at the Site (Redford et al, 1992).
Information obtained during this monitoring
phase was also used to address site management
and permitting issues.
With the passage of the ODBA, EPA, the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), and the U.S. Coast
Guard (USCG) were required to design a
monitoring program to assess the potential
impact of sludge disposal on the marine environ-
ment, with particular emphasis on living marine
organisms. To meet this requirement, EPA,
NOAA, and the USCG designed and
implemented a comprehensive monitoring,
research, and surveillance plan (joint Monitoring
Plan) for the Site and surrounding environs
(EPA, 1990a). Implementation of the joint
Monitoring Plan brought together research teams
representing EPA and NOAA hi a broad-based
program to study the physical and chemical fate
of the sludge dumped at the 106-Mile Site and
the biological effects of sludge. Overall, the
monitoring program was one of the most
comprehensive studies of its kind implemented in
U.S. territorial waters.
This report summarizes the findings of the 106-
Mile Site monitoring program as related to the
monitoring hypotheses and management actions,
and partially fulfills commitments made in the
joint Monitoring Plan to disseminate findings to
the regulatory, legislative, and scientific
communities, and interested public sectors.
Detailed presentations of results are provided in
project reports (see EPA, 1995 for a
comprehensive listing of references and data
archival locations) and peer-reviewed papers
presented at a closeout symposium for the 106-
Mile Site held in October 1993. Many of the
peer-reviewed papers have been published in
1995 and 1996 volumes of the Journal of Marine
Environmental Engineering. Other papers can
be found throughout the oceanographic and
general environmental literature.
1.1 History of Sewage Sludge Disposal in the
New York Bight and at the 106-Mile Site
Prior to the initiation of sewage sludge disposal
at the 106-Mile Site in 1986, sludge was
disposed at the 12-Mile Site, located in shallow
continental shelf waters in the apex of the New
York Bight, 12 nmi from Sandy Hook, New
Jersey (Figure 1-1). Designation of the 106-
Mile Site in 1984 resulted from the EPA
decision to end municipal sludge disposal at the
12-Mile Site.
Prior to the designation of the 106-Mile Site for
sewage sludge disposal, a larger area («5QO
nmi2), also known as the 106-Mile Site, was
located in continental slope waters «100 nmi
southeast of New Ybrk City. This site, which
had been used since 1961 for the intermittent
disposal of industrial waste (byproducts of
industrial processes, such as paint and chemical
production and petroleum processing), sewage
sludge (from the City of Camden, New Jersey,
for 12 months during 1977-1978), sewage-
sludge-digester clean-out wastes, and, on one
occasion, fly ash (a barge load dumped for
research purposes), came under EPA replation
in 1978. After 1981 and until 1986, the site was
used only for the disposal of industrial waste.
The total quantity of waste dumped at the Site
peaked in 1978 at * 800,000 wet tons per year.
1-2
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
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Introduction
After 1978, the amount of industrial waste
dumped in the site decreased steadily. Between
1981 and 1987, the annual amount of industrial
waste disposed in the 106-Mile Site (Table 1-1)
ranged between 28,000 and 245,000 wet tons
per year. All industrial waste disposal at the
106-Mile Site stopped in 1987 when the last
permit application for disposal of industrial
waste was withdrawn. The 106-Mile Industrial
Waste Site was officially de-designated in 1992.
Table 1-1. Annual amounts of industrial waste
dumped at the 106-Mile Site from
1961 through 19SS, [From: EPA,
1992c]
Year
Tons (wet)
1961 to 1977
1978
1981
1982
1913
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988 on
TOTAL
»3,500,000
800,000
245,000
193,000
(Not available)
155,000
100,000
213,000
28,000
None
=5,234,000
In 1982, EPA published its intention of formal
designation of the site for sewage sludge
disposal. However, concern that mixed dumping
of municipal sludges and industrial wastes would
complicate monitoring efforts led to the decision
to designate two smaller sites (one for sewage
sludge and one for industrial waste) within the
larger site. The resulting site for sewage sludge
disposal, known as the 106-Mile Deepwater
Municipal Sludge Dump Site (hereafter referred
to as the 106-Mile Site), was located on the east
side of the original site. The area of this Site
was »28 runi2 with boundaries at 38°40'00" to
39°00'00" north latitude and 72°00'00" to
72°05'00" west longitude. The Site was located
as120 nmi southeast of Ambrose Light and 115
nmi from Atlantic City, New Jersey. The
location was seaward of the continental slope/
shelf break, where the water depths range from
2400 to 2700 m. The Deepwater Industrial
Waste Site, also located within the larger
original site, was circular, with a radius of 3
nmi, centered at 38°40'00" north latitude and
72°20'00" west longitude.
Transfer of sludge disposal from the 12-Mile
Site to the 106-Mile Site began in 1986. During
1986-1987, nine sewerage authorities
(permittees) from New York and New Jersey
completed the transfer of their sludge disposal
operations from the previously designated 12-
Mile Site to the 106-Mile Site.
MUNICIPALITIES AUTHORIZED TO USE
THE 106-MILE SITE MOM 1986 TO 1992
Bergen: County Utilities Authority (BCUA),
New Jersey ;
Joint Meeting of Essex and Union Counties
(JMEUC), New Jersey !
LtadenpRoselle Sewerage Authority (LRSA),
New Jersey \ ' '"
Middlesex County Utilities Authority (MCU4),
New Jersey
Nassau; County Department of Public Works .
(NCDPW), New York i :
New Yprk City Department of Environmeatal
Protection (NYCDEPh New York, \
Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission (PVSC),
New Jersey
Rahway Valley .Sewerage Authority (RVSA),
New Jersey
Westchester County Department of; ;
Environmental Facilities G^CDEF), New York
106-MUe Site Research and Monitoring
1-3
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Introduction
From 1988 through 1990, the volume of sludge
dumped at the 106-Mile Site was relatively
constant (Figure 1-2), ranging between 8 to 10
million wet tons of sludge per year. Prom 1986
until August 1989 disposal operations and
dumping rates were stipulated by the conditions
of the 1981 court order (City of New York v,
EPA, 543 Supp. 1084) which regulated disposal
at the 12-Mile Site and the 106-Mile Site prior to
issuing permits. In August 1989, the nine
authorities using the 106-Mile Site were issued
EPA permits. During 1991, in response to the
ODBA requirements, the permittees began
phasing out their ocean dumping of sewage
sludge to meet the deadlines mutually agreed to
by EPA, the States of New York and New
Jersey, the sewerage authorities, and the U.S.
Department of Justice in enforcement agreements
and consent decrees signed in August 1989.
Only one permittee, the NYCDEP, exceeded the
December 31, 1991 deadline and continued
dumping operations at the 106-Mile Site during
1992. The site designation expired in December
1991. As of June 30, 1992, all sewage sludge
disposal at the 106-Mile Site ceased and the Site
was closed to ocean dumping.
Between 1986 and June 1992, =*42 million wet
tons (Figure 1-3), or LS million dry tons, of
sewage sludge were disposed at the Site. The
total wet tons of sludge dumped by each
permittee between 1986 and 1992 varied.
The largest total amount of sludge (-22 million
wet tons) was dumped by NYCDEP. Each of
the other permittees contributed less than
to-.
CD
13-Mile Ste
106-Mile Ste
1986 1987 1988 1989 1980 1991 1992
YEAR
figure 1-2. Annual disposal of sewage sludge (wet tons) at the 12-Mile Site and the 106-Mile Site from
1986 through June 1992 when sludge disposal ceased.
1-4
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
-------
Introduction
CD
45-
40-
35-
30-
t? 25-
1- 20-
15-
10-
5-
0-
1986 1887 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992
YEAR
Figure 1-3. Cumulative discharge of sewage sludge (wet tons) to the 106-Mile Site from 1986 through
June 1992.
6 million wet tons of the total load to the Site;
three permittees each dumped less than 900,000
wet tons. NYCDEP contributed «50% of the
wet tons dumped, and NCDPW and PVSC
contributed 10% and 14%, respectively (Figure
1-4). The remaining permittees contributed less
than 10% each to the total wet tons dumped.
The smallest percentage of sludge was disposed
by RVSA and LRSA.
In contrast to the wet tons dumped, the
contribution to the total dry tons dumped was
significantly larger for PVSC (Figure 1-5),
From 1986 through June 1992, PVSC dumped
450,000 dry tons compared to the 575,000 dry
tons dumped by NYCDEP (Figure l-5a). The
remaining authorities each dumped less than
130,000 dry tons; JMEUC, RVSA, and LRSA
each dumped less than 30,000 dry tons. On a
percentage basis (Figure l-5b), NYCDEP
contributed *=40% of the dry tons disposed
while PVSC contributed » 30%. Thus, more
than 70% of the total dry tonnage of sludge
dumped at the 106-Mile Site was contributed by
just two permittees.
The sludge dumped at the 106-Mile Site was
primarily biological sludge which also contained
small amounts of sand and grit, paper, and other
fibers. The sewage sludges disposed at the Site
were somewhat buoyant, generally comprising 2-
4% solid material for the majority of the
sewerage authorities and more than 7% for the
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
1-5
-------
Introduction
25-f
CO
"Z.
0 ?
LLJ
10-
NYCDEP WCDEF NCDPW JMEUC RVSA LBSA 8CUA MCUA PVSC
SEWERAGE AUTHORITY
NYCDEP WCDEF NCDPW JMEUC RVSA LRSA BCUA MCUA PVSC
SEWERAGE AUTHORITY
Kgare 2-4. Sewage sludge disposed between 1986 and 1992 at the 106-Mile Site varied by municipality.
(a) Wet Tons
(b) Percentage
1-6
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
-------
Introduction
800-f
NYCDEPV/CDEF NCDPW JMEUC RVSA LRSA BCUA MCUA PVSC
SEWERAGE AUTHORITY
NYCDEP WCDET NCOPW JMEUC SVSA LRSA BCUA MOM PVSC
SEWERAGE AUTHORITY
Figure 1-5. Sewage sludge disposed between 1986 and June 1992 at the 106-Mile Site varied by
municipality.
(a) Dry Tons
(b) Percentage
106-Mtte Site Research and Monitoring
1-7
-------
Introduction
PVSC (Figure 1-6), reflecting different
treatment levels and technologies.
The different physical and chemical
characteristics of the sludges reflected the
different mixes of domestic and industrial
activities that contributed to the influent of the
treatment plants and the varied treatment
processes by which the sludge was generated.
The total solids content and concentrations of
chemicals in the sewage jsludge reported by the
permittees during 1982~1985 varied both within
individual treatment plants and among the
various authorities (Santoro and Fikslin, 1987;
EPA, 1992d,e). Within-plant variability was
generally much lower than among the sewage
treatment plants. The sludge contained trace
levels of organic contaminants, such as aldrin,
dieldrin, chlordane, heptachior epoxide, DDT
and its degradation products, and polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs). Metals including cadmium
(Cd), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), and mercury
(Hg), were also present at trace levels.
1.2 Predictions Made During Site Designation
The 106-Mile Site was selected for waste
disposal in part because the receiving waters are
dispersive (EPA, 1980; O'Connor etal, 1983,
1985; Walker el at,, 1987, 1989), Major factors
affecting the fate of wastes disposed at the 106-
Mile Site were discussed by O'Connor in the
NOAA report, 106-Mile Site Characterization
Update, (Pearce et at,, 1983) and in O'Connor
et al. (1983). O'Connor suggested that the
initial dilution of sewage sludge in the wake of
0.08
o
NVCDEPWCDgFNCDPWJMEUC FWSA LRSA BCUA MCUA WSC Total
SEWERAGE AUTHORITY
Figure 1-6. Dry/wet ratio of sewage sludge disposed from August 1989 through June 1992 by
municipality.
1-8
206-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
-------
Introduction
the barges dumping the sludge would be rapid.
Other factors that were thought to control
dilution of the sludge included the rate of
disposal and the depth of the pycnocline.
Evidence from the disposal of acid iron waste at
the larger 106-Mile Site hi the early 1980s
indicated that, after the rapid mixing and dilution
of the waste caused by the momentum of the
barges, additional dilution by oceanic processes
would be slow. Initial dilutions in the wake of
the barges were predicted to be on the order of
5000:1 (Pearce et al., 1983; O'Connor et al,
1983), These authors also speculated that
episodic high-energy events, such as storms,
would increase the rate of dilution.
Ocean currents were predicted to cause
movement of individual plumes away from the
Site in all directions (Pearce et al.t 1983;
O'Connor etaL, 1983, 1985). However, the
long-term transport of the material was predicted
to be toward the southwest, the direction of the
net current drift in the area and deposition in the
sediments near the Site was expected to be
minimal. Sludge dilutions hi the farfleld (days
to weeks after disposal) were predicted to be on
the order of 500,000:1 or more, Because of
these great dilutions, detection of sludge particles
or constituents away from the Site was
considered to be difficult. Among the critical
factors for detecting the sludge was the
identification of parameters that could be linked
to sludge.
Many of the predictions made during the site
designation process were evaluated during the
monitoring program. Where new data were
required, the program developed study plans and
obtained the required information. Information
gathered during the monitoring program and
reported on here improved our understanding of
many of the concepts offered during the site
designation process.
lEEDICnONS MADE DUWNG THE SITE
DESIGNATION
-:,Rapid initial dilution with1 slow oceanograpbic
[dilution (5000 to 1) *
- 'Initial movement out of the Site in all
{directions '
-
-------
Introduction
according to the monitoring tiers included in the
joint Monitoring Plan,
Section 3,0 summarizes the monitoring results.
This summary is organized according to the
monitoring tiers in the joint Monitoring Plan.
Section 4.0 presents a summary of significant
Federal management actions that were completed
during the period that the 106-Mile Site was
used for sludge disposal. Management actions
include various statutory, regulatory, and permit
conditions. Also included in the section are
recommendations for future researchers and
managers relative to large multidisciplinary
monitoring programs.
Section 5.0 presents references used in preparing
this report.
1-10
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
-------
2.0 OVERVIEW OF THE 106-MILE SITE MONITORING PROGRAM
Prior to the passage of the ODBA, EPA had 1992a,b). This plan was implemented in
developed and implemented a plan to monitor response to legislative and regulatory mandates
sewage sludge disposal at the 106-Mile included in the MPRSA and the ocean dumping
Deepwater Municipal Sludge Dump Site (EPA, regulations.
MARINE PROTECTOON, RESEARCH AND SANCTOARHS ACT OF 1972 (MPSSA,; PX. 92-532)
AS AMEND1JD January 11,1977 (40 CFR 220-228,42 FR |462), j
The MPRSA is the primary legislative authority;,directly related to ocean dumping at the 106-Mile
Site. It is commonly referenced as the Ocean Dumping Act, and is the domestic legislation
implementing the London Convention (formerly ithe London Dumping Convention). '
1 ' I . ' ' I ' I ' ' i. i
EPA andMtoe USAGE administer the permit programs under the MPRSA, EPA issues .ipermits f
-------
Overview
During the development of the plan, EPA
considered regulatory requirements,
characteristics of the Site, and characteristics of
the sludge to develop a set of questions related
to compliance, transport and fate, and potential
impacts of sludge disposal at the Site, The
impact categories itemized in the ocean dumping
regulations that were used to develop predictions
of possible impacts included:
« Impingement of sludge onto shorelines
* Movement of sludge into marine sanctuaries
or shellfishery or fishery areas
Effects of sludge on commercial fisheries
* Accumulation of sludge constituents in biota
Progressive changes in water quality related
to sludge disposal
* Progressive changes in sediment
composition related to sludge disposal
* Impacts of sludge disposal on pollution-
sensitive species or life cycle stages
* Impacts of sludge disposal on endangered
species
Progressive changes in pelagic, demersal, or
benthic biological communities as a result of
sludge disposal
To guide the monitoring, a series of predictions
was developed for each of these impact
categories. These predictions served as the
conceptual foundation for formulating a series of
hypotheses for the monitoring program. The
hypotheses addressed assessment of permit
compliance as well as transport, fate, and
potential impacts of the sludge. Between 1986
and 1988, EPA conducted baseline studies and
completed several field surveys to evaluate the
nearfield fate and short-term effects of sludge
disposal at the Site (Redford et al, 1992).
Information obtained from these studies was
used in 1989 to develop permit conditions and to
modify site management plans.
OCEAN DUMPING BAN ACT (OBBA) OF
1988 (P.L. 100-688) (AMENDS MPJRSA)
This act prohibits the dumping of sewage sludge
or iiidiistrial waste in the oceans ^after December
31, !i!991. The ODBA prohibits new entrants to
ocean disposal, prohibits the dumping of sewage
sludge;or industrial waste without a permit and
eoinpliance or enforcement agreement, provides
for (Jumping fees imposed, starting 270 days ;
from the enactment of the Act and continuing
until December 31,199jl, and provides for
financial penalties for those dumping in the
oeesjii after December 3;l, 1991, The
monitoring plan included a series of studies to
determine whether (1) conditions! of permits to
dump sludge were met and (2) sludge duinping
at tie site adversely affected the environment or
nimbi health. Although permit conditions were
settp protect the environment, EPA's ]
monitoring efforts assessed not only whether
those actions were being met, but whether'the
conditions were sufficiently protective. :
i
SPECIAL MONITORING AND
SIMVT320LLANCE lU^UIREMENTS IN,
ODBA
The Ocean Disposal Surveillance System
(QDSS) was to be installed on all
barges/vessels using the Site,
EpA and NCAA were required to cany out a .
monitoring program for. the 12-Mile Site,
106-Mile Site, and potential area of influence
of disposed sewage sludge and industrial
waste. , '. . .'
» TJie agencies were aljso required to employ
advanced technologies and satellites for
monitoring.
With the passage of the ODBA, EPA, NOAA,
and the USCG were required to design a
monitoring program to assess the potential
impact of sludge disposal at the 106-Mile Site
2-2
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
-------
Overview
and in areas of potential impact. To meet this
requirement, the agencies used the EPA
Monitoring Plan as a framework Mid developed
a joint Monitoring Plan. To ensure that public,
scientific, and legislative concerns were
addressed, EPA, NOAA, and the USCG held a
workshop in March 1989 to solicit
recommendations for monitoring, research, and
surveillance of the 106-Mile Site (EPA,
1989a,b). Discussions at the workshop focused
on four questions:
1. What is the physical and chemical fate of
the sewage sludge dumped at the 106-
Mile Site?
2. What is the effect of sludge dumping at
the 106-Mile Site on living marine
resources?
3. What is the effect of sludge dumping at
the 106-Mile Site on human health?
4, Are there changes in site designation,
permits, or surveillance that can provide
better protection of the environment,
living marine resources, or human health?
EPA, NOAA, and the USCG used the
recommendations and findings from the
workshop to develop a joint strategy for
monitoring, research, and surveillance (EPA,
NOAA, and USCG, 1989) hi response to
ODBA. The agencies considered monitoring and
scientific priorities, and available resources in
developing the strategy and joint Monitoring
Plan.
The joint Monitoring Plan was published and
implemented in 1990 as the Monitoring,
Research, and Surveillance Plan for the J06-Mile
Deepwater Municipal Dump Site and Environs
(EPA, 1990a). Activities conducted under the
joint Monitoring Plan were funded partly under
the ODBA through fees imposed on the
permittees prior to the 1991 deadline for
stopping sludge disposal and by penalties for
dumpers who continued dumping after the
deadline. In addition, EPA and NOAA's
National Underseas Research Program (NURP)
supported a number of the studies with
programmatic and research funds, respectively.
The joint Monitoring Plan was constructed very
much like its predecessor. Both were organized
around a series of monitoring questions,
formulated as predictions and stated as
hypotheses that could be examined through field
and laboratory assessments. The original 23
hypotheses in the EPA Monitoring Plan (EPA,
1992a) were refined and expanded to 29
hypotheses (Table 2-1) to ensure that all
concerns raised in ODBA and at the workshop
were addressed. In the EPA Monitoring Plan,
the original hypotheses were grouped into the
following four tiers, which were structured so
that data collected in one tier could be used to
guide the monitoring activities in the next:
Tier 1: Waste Characteristics and Disposal
Operations was concerned with
monitoring of waste characteristics and
disposal operations.
Tier 2: Nearfield Fate and Short-Term
Effects focused on the nearfield fate
and short-term effects of sludge,
Tier 3: Farfield Fate addressed the long-term,
farfield fate of sludge constituents.
Tier 4: Long-Term Effects was concerned
with resultant long-term environmental
effects of the sludge.
This tiered structure was retained in the joint
Monitoring Plan, In practice, monitoring
activities planned for higher tiers were not
206-MUe Site Research and Monitoring
2-3
-------
Overview
Table 2-1, The 1989 106-Mile Site Monitoring and Research Plan contained a series of hypotheses.
Tier Hypothesis
No, Description
WASTE CHARACTERISTICS
H01: Hie physical and chemical characteristics of sludge are consistent with waste characterization
information available at the time permits for the 106-Mile Site were issued,
DISPOSAL OPERATIONS
Ho2: Disposal rates and operations are consistent with the requirements of the ocean dumping
permits.
NEARFIELD COMPLIANCE
H03: Coacentrations of sludge and sludge constituents are below the permitted LPC and WQC
outside the site at all times.
H04: Concentrations of sludge and sludge constituents are below the permitted LPC and WQC within
the site 4 h after disposal,
Ho5: Pathogens or biological tracers of sewage sludge do not exceed ambient levels 4 h after
disposal.
NEARFIELD FATE
H06: Sludge particles do not settle in significant quantities beneath the seasonal pycnoeliae (50 m) or
to the 50-m depth at any time, within the site boundaries or in an area adjacent to the site,
H07: The concentration of sludge constituents within the site does not exceed the LPC or WQC 4 h
after disposal and is not detectable in the site 1 day after disposal.
H08: The concentration of sludge constituents at the site boundary or in the area adjacent to the site
does not exceed the LPC or WQC at any time and is not detectable 1 day after disposal.
H09: The disposal of sludge does not cause a significant depletion in the dissolved oxygen content of
the water nor a significant change in the pH of the seawater in the area.
SHORT-TERM IMPACTS
H<,10; No significant biological effects in the water column are measurable within the site within 1 day
after disposal.
H011: No increase in primary productivity or any changes in planktonic biomass or species
composition occurs.
2-4 106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
-------
Overview
Table 2-1. The 1989 106-Mile Site Monitoring and Research Plan contained a series of hypotheses
(Continued).
Tier Hypothesis
No. Description
H012: Sludge constituents do not accumulate in the surface microlayer in the vicinity of the site,
H013: No evidence of short-term bioaecumulttion of sludge constituents by commercially important
species or important prey species found at or adjacent to the site will be found within 1 day
after disposal.
FARFEUJ FATE
H014: Significant amounts of sludge do not settle below the surface mixed layer outside the disposal
site.
H015a: Ocean currents do not transport sludge to any adjacent shoreline, beach, marine sanctuary,
fishery, or shellfishery.
H0lSb; Ocean currents do not transport sludge onto the continental shelf,
H016a: Recirculation of slope water through the 106-Mile Site is not significant.
H016b: Concentrations of sludge constituents dumped at the 106-Mile Site that are associated with any
recirculating slope water do not exceed EPA chronic Marine Water Quality Standards.
H017a: Significant amounts of sludge particles do not settle to the sea floor in the vicinity of the site
or in the region predicted as a plausible settling region.
H017b: Organic, inorganic, and bacterial contaminants that are present in sewage sludge discharged at
the 106-Mile Site do not measurably increase concentrations of contaminants in the sediment
within the expected dispersion area or reference areas.
LONG-TERM IMPACTS
H018: Sludge constituents have no significant long-term effect on the distribution of endangered
species in the vicinity of the site.
Hol9: Sludge constituents do not accumulate in the tissues of commercially important species
resident in the shelf and slope areas adjacent to the site.
H(,20: Benthic metabolism, populations, and/or communities do not change significantly because of
sludge disposal.
Sludge disposal has no effect on eggs and larval stages of indigenous animals.
H022: This hypotheses from the EPA Monitoring Plan is not included because lack of baseline data
makes & definitive test difficult.
Ho23: Pathogens or biological tracers of sewage sludge do not increase hi the water column or biota
as a result of sludge disposal.
106-MUe Site Research and Monitoring 2-5
-------
Overview
Table 2-1. Hie 1989 106-Mile Site Monitoring and Research Plan contained a series of hypotheses
(Continued).
Tier
Hypothesis
No. Description
H()25:
H<>26:
There are no detectable differences in the body burdens of sludge contaminants in midwater
fishes in the immediate vicinity of the 106-Mile Site compared to a broad area surrounding tiae
dumpsite.
The prevalence of shell disease exhibited by commercially important crustaceans is not
significantly different in collections of commercially valuable American lobsters and red crabs,
off New Jersey, adjacent to and downstream from the 106-Mile Site, from those in collections
off Georges Bank and southern New England.
Body burdens of trace metals, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), and polycMorinated
hydrocarbons (PCBs) and pesticides are not significantly different in collections of
commercially valuable American lobsters and red crabs, off New Jersey, adjacent to and
downstream from the 106-Mile Site, from those in collections off Georges Bank and southern
New England.
There is no difference in tbe chemical body burdens in American lobsters and red crabs
showing evidence of shell disease and lobsters and crabs without substantial shell disease
manifestations.
Body burdens of sludge-related contaminants in epibenthic megafauna are not deteetably
different in animals found in the vicinity of the 106-Mile Site and from those animals found in
reference areas,
The distribution or abundance of the dominant commercially exploited fisheries are not
influenced by sludge disposal at the 106-Mile Site.
Ho28:
Ho29:
delayed until all results were available from
lower tiers (i.e., activities in each of the tiers
were conducted simultaneously due to pressing
concerns voiced by the public). A major
emphasis of the joint Monitoring Plan was
placed on Determining the farfield transport and
fate (Tier 3) and potential long-term effects and
environmental impacts (Tier 4) of the sewage
sludge. Monitoring of sludge characteristics and
disposal operations under Tier 1 received a
similar level of attention under both plans.
To implement the joint Monitoring Plan, EPA,
NOAA, and the USCG signed a Memorandum-
of-Understanding (MOD) that defined the role of
each agency. An interagency agreement
administered the MOU. With respect to the
conduct of the joint Monitoring Plan, the agency
responsibilities were as follows:
EPA Monitoring disposal operations and
short-term effects of sludges within and in
the vicinity of the 106-Mile Site, and
monitoring the farfield fate and long-term
effects of dumped waste,
NOAA Monitoring the farfield fate and
long-term effects of dumped wastes on
living marine resources and the marine
environment.
2-6
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
-------
Overview
* USCG Conducting surveillance of
transportation of wastes under the MPRS A
Permit Program and reporting violations to
EPA.
2.1 Summary of Monitoring Program Design
This section presents an overview and schedule
of the major studies conducted under the four
tiers of the monitoring program. Details of the
studies are contained in quality assurance project
plans, survey plans and reports, technical
reports, and peer-reviewed papers (see EPA,
1995 for a comprehensive listing of references
and data archival locations). Figure 2-1
summarizes the major study elements and time
periods when field studies were conducted.
Monitoring sludge characteristics was an
ongoing activity required of all permittees using
the 12-Mile She and the 106-Mile Site. Sludge
characterization data from 1982 to 1985 were
summarized in Santoro and Fikslin (1987).
Other data, submitted in 1988 as part of permit
applications for continued dumping of sludge at
the 106-Mile Site, were summarized by EPA
(1992f), Monitoring at the 106-Mile Site began
in 1984 with surveys designed to collect baseline
information in support of the site designation
process. Additional baseline data were collected
during 1985 and 1986. Dumping at the Site had
already begun when the 1986 data were
collected; however, stations were selected to
avoid contamination from sludge plumes.
Monitoring nearfield fate and short-term effects
at the Site was initiated after the commencement
of dumping in 1986 and continued through 1989.
Beginning in 1989 and continuing through 1993,
extensive farfieid fate and long-term impact
studies were conducted.
2.2 Tier 1: Sludge Characteristics and
Disposal Operations
Tier 1 monitoring activities were designed to
assess sludge characteristics and disposal
operations to determine if the assumptions used
in setting permit conditions were> correct or if
sludge quality was changing. Tier 1 also
provided for surveillance of disposal operations
to ensure that dumping occurred within the Site
boundaries and at permitted rates. These
requirements were addressed through the specific
monitoring and surveillance activities contained
hi the ocean dumping permits.
Studies of Sludge Characteristics
Prior to 1989 when permits for the 106-Mile Site
were issued, municipalities using the 12-Mile
Site and 106-Mile Site for sludge disposal were
required to report data on sludge qualify and
characteristics to EPA Region II on a quarterly
basis (Santoro and Fikslin, 1987). These data
included measurements of priority pollutants,
toxicity to representative marine organisms, and
standard measures of sludge characteristics. In
addition, EPA Region n required permit
applicants to submit additional sludge
characterization data in support of the
applications. A detailed review of the sludge
characteristics data (EPA, 19921) found the data
to be questionable due to the lack of adequate
quality control information, exceedance of
holding times prior to analysis, inconsistent
identification of measurement units, or poor
identification of analytical methods used to
obtain the data. As a result, EPA conducted an
independent characterization study hi 1988 to
obtain more reliable information regarding
sludge characteristics (EPA, I992d),
106-Mtte Site Research and Monitoring
2-7
-------
Overview
Study Areas
Schedule of Activities
Public Awareness
Blue Ribbon Panel
Sludge Characteristics
Ongoing Monitoring
Disposal Operations
Ongoing Surveillance
Near-field Fate
Water Column Measurements
Plume Studies
Current-Meter Deployment
XCP Deployment
MWDAS Station
Short-Term Effects
Short-Term Effects Studies
Fartield Fate
Drifter Studies
SST imagery
XBT Deployment
Sediment-Trap Deployment
Modeling
Hyrographic Studies
Seasonal Drifter Deployment
Sediment Studies
Long-Term Effects
Endangered Species Studies
Bioaccumulation Studies
Chitonoclasia Studies
Benthic Studies
Ichthyoplankton Studies
Data Synthesis
J
m
M
HI
m
m
m
m
m
m
m
-
.
-
m
m
-
M
H
-
MM
M
-
tm
i
I
I
mam
-
i
m
\
m
m
mm
MM
1
Ml
HI
Mi
mm
MB
OJAJOJAJOJAJOJAJ.OJAJOJAJ O
1986 1S87 ' 1988 ' 1989 1990 1991 ' 1992
XCP - expendable current profiler
MWOAS = Marine Weather Data Aquisition System
SST = sea surface temperature
XBT - expendable bathythermograph
Figure 2-1. Major study elements of the 106-Mile Site joint monitoring program.
3-5
188-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
-------
Overview
EPA sampled and analyzed sludge from the nine
sewerage authorities for a variety of parameters
including toxicity to representative marine
species (the fish Menidia beryllina and the mysid
shrimp Mysidopsis bahia), organic priority
pollutants, metals, and other characteristics
(settleable matter, total suspended solids, total
solids, wet-to-dry-weight ratio, density of solid
matter, and specific gravity). Samples were
collected as one-time grab samples or composites
during barge-loading operations in August 1988,
These data, in combination with quality control
data from the sewerage authorities, were used to
develop more stringent analytical requirements
than previously required for monitoring sludge
characteristics (EPA, 1989c). These new
requirements were implemented in the permits
issued by EPA in 1989.
A second sludge characterization study was
conducted by EPA in 1991 to coincide with
farfield monitoring activities (EPA, 1992e).
Sludge samples were collected from seven
permittees in March 1991 and analyzed for
selected metals, organic compounds, pesticides,
polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), linear
alkylbenzenes (LABs), coprostanol, and other
sterols to produce a set of the chemical data for
the sludge that matched the sludge signature
tracers used in fate and transport studies at the
Site,
Disposed Operations
Disposal operations were monitored through
surveillance of all ocean disposal activities.
Several surveillance mechanisms were used,
including a sludge manifest system designed to
track sludge transfers from treatment plant to
holding areas to barges, placing a shiprider on
barges transporting sludge hi the Harbor and
barges transporting sludge to the 106-Mile Site,
and by electronically monitoring disposal with
the computerized ODSS developed by the USCG
(EPA/NOAA, 1991).
2.3 Her 2: Nearfidd Fate and Short-Term
Effects
Nearfield assessments of permit compliance and
short-term environmental impacts were addressed
under this tier. In the context of the joint
Monitoring Program, marfield refers to
locations within the Site. The ocean dumping
regulations require adherence to marine water
quality criteria (WQC) and, where WQC do not
exist, require that waste concentrations not
exceed a factor of 0.01 of the concentration
known to be acutely toxic to marine organisms
after initial mixing (i.e., the limiting permissible
concentration or LPC), Concentrations of
sludge and/or sludge constituents may not exceed
these limits 4 h after dumping in the Site, and
may not exceed these values outside the Site at
any time.
To address whether these requirements were
met, Tier 2 monitoring focused on understanding
the short-term behavior of sludge plumes
(dilution and settling characteristics); transport in
and near the Site; and short-term effects of the
sludge during initial dilution. Tier 2 monitoring
was initiated with preliminary observations of
sludge plumes in the summer of 1986 (EPA,
1988). More sophisticated plume tracking that
included collection of water samples for
laboratory analysis, was conducted in the
summer of 1987 (EPA, 1992g), In addition,
whiter and summer measurements of plume
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
2-9
-------
Overview
behavior were made in 1988, and summer
measurements were repeated in 1989 (Hunt et
aL, 1992). Short-term biological assessments
were made during the summer 1988 survey.
During 1987 and 1988, samples of sewage
sludge were collected from barges before they
departed for the Site. The barge samples were
analyzed for selected physical parameters, trace
metals, and other tracers of sludge. Spores of
the microbe, Clostridium perfringens (a
microbial tracer used to indicate the presence of
sewage sludge), were also enumerated. Samples
from 10 sludge plumes were obtained during
1987 and 1988 (EPA, 1992g,h,i; Redford & aL,
1992). For these pre-charaeterized sludges,
sludge plumes were tracked and sampled at the
Site for up to 12 h following disposal. The
plume samples were analyzed for the same
parameters used to characterize the barge
samples. The immediate fate of the disposed
sludge was estimated by a variety of plume-
tracking observations, including monitoring the
movement of surface drogues deployed directly
into sludge plumes to determine the direction of
transport; marking the surface expression of the
plume with dyes to examine dilution
characteristics; collecting in-situ data including
salinity, temperature, and beam transmissometry
to evaluate sludge dilution behavior, and direct
sampling for laboratory measurements of
chemical and biological tracers of sludge; and
visually monitoring the plume movement from
survey vessels and from an airplane.
Samples were also collected in the seasonal
pycnocline to determine if sludge could be
located in this biologically important oceanic
feature. All surveys included sampling reference
stations upstream of the 106-Mile Site. Data
from these stations were used to evaluate
changes in receiving water quality in the disposal
site.
Short-term effects monitoring was conducted in
September 1988 (EPA 1992h,i; Redford et al,,
1992). These activities included rapid chronic-
toxicity tests using sea urchin sperm and eggs,
and acute-toxicity tests using the mysid shrimp
M, bahia and indigenous zooplankton
(copepods). In addition, fish eggs were
examined for genetic mutations and other
potential developmental abnormalities. Ambient
conditions indicative of biological function,
specifically phytoplankton biomass, dissolved
oxygen, and pH, were also monitored.
Chlorophyll a was measured in surface seawater
both within plumes and at locations within
20 km of the Site.
As part of both Tier 2 and Tier 3 studies, a
long-term mooring to measure near-surface
currents (30 m) and meteorological conditions
was deployed in 1989 (EPA, 1992J) adjacent to
the 106-Mile Site (Figure 2-2). The data from
this mooring were transmitted to shore via
satellite in near-real time. The current data from
the mooring were used during plume-tracking
measurements made during the summer of 1989
to aid hi plume tracking and to allow estimates
of sludge dispersion and transport (Hunt et aL,
1992). In addition, the continuous record of
currents from the mooring was used in
conjunction with the seasonal plume tracking
data to estimate the inter-seasonal behavior and
nearfield fate of sludge plumes (EPA, 1992J),
EPA Region II used the meteorological and wave
data in near-real time to monitor permit
2-10
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
-------
Overview
42°N
41'-
40 -
35
76 W 75
71°4S'
Figure 2-2, The locations of long-term, real-time mooring deployments at the 106-Mile Site during the
106-Mile Site monitoring studies. Information from the moorings was used by EPA to determine wind
and wave conditions, and to validate dumping reports.
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
2-11
-------
Overview
compliance under emergency dumping
conditions. From August 1990 through Site
closure in 1992, no specific studies were
conducted to address nearfield fate or short-term
effects hypotheses under Tier 2.
2.4 Tier 3: Farfield Fate
The studies conducted under Tier 3 were
designed to provide information on the transport
and fate of sewage sludge once it left the
disposal site. This information was needed to
evaluate whether the sludge was transported to
sensitive areas noted in the ocean dumping
regulations, and to understand locations where
the sludge could accumulate. The Tier 3
information was also critical in interpreting the
results from the Tier 4 long-term effects studies.
Farfield fate information provided linkage
between the potential sources of impact (i.e.,
sludge disposal at the Site, transport off the
continental shelf) and defensible conclusions
regarding farfield, long-term effects.
Tier 3 monitoring activities were initiated in
1986 with the deployment of the real-time
current meter mooring deployed adjacent to the
Site (EPA, 1992J), Transport of sludge away
from the 106-Mile Site in the surface waters (0
to 75 m) was evaluated in October 1989 through
an extensive water column sampling program
(Hunt et fll., 1992). This study was coupled
with the deployment of four satellite-tracked
drifting buoys in the Site (EPA, 1991a) to
evaluate their utility for tracking the long-term
movement of sludge from the 106-Mile Site, and
to reveal information about the regional
circulation and probable transport of sludge in
near-surface waters. The drifter study was
continued from December 1989 through June
1991 with weekly deployment of the drifters by
EPA or the permittees (Dragos, 1993). This
study was complemented by seasonal,
simultaneous deployment of multiple drifters on
the continental shelf and in the Slope Sea
(Dragos et al, 1995). Each of these studies was
conducted in conjunction with sea-surface
temperature (SST) studies designed to evaluate
sludge interactions with major water masses in
the region (EPA, 1992k,l,m).
In addition to these studies, a major deep-water
current-meter mooring and sediment trap
program was implemented between May 199O
and June 1991 (EPA, 1992n; Hunt et al, 1993).
This study was complemented by a number of
surveys designed to evaluate sludge transport to
and accumulation within sediments of the
continental slope and outer continental shelf.
The specifics of these and other studies that were
conducted to determine the farfield fate of the
sludge are described below.
Satellite-Tracked Drifter Studies
The four satellite-tracked surface drifters
deployed in October 1989 revealed valuable
information about the regional circulation and
probable transport of sludge ia near-surface
waters. EPA determined that continued
deployment of these drifters would provide
valuable information about sludge transport onto
the continental shelf and recirculation of surface
waters through the Site. Thus, EPA resumed
weekly drifter deployments in December 1989
and, in March 1990, permittees took over the
drifter program as mandated hi their disposal
permits. The drifters were each tracked for four
months. Between October 1989 and June 1991,
2-12
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
-------
Overview
39 OO.ON
38 5Q,ONj
38 40.0N
38 30.0N:
106-Mile Site
A
A
A
A £
A
A A
A
AA
72 20.0W
72 iaOW
72 OO.OW
71
Figure 2-3. Drifter deployment positions based upon first satellite-
derived position for all drifters deployed at the 106-Mile Site between
October 1989 and June 1991.
42°N
76"W 75" 74" 73" 72" 71° 70° 69° 68° 67°
Figure 2-4. Regional circulation in the Mid-Atlantic Bight.
EPA and the permittees released
a total of 66 drifters at the Site
(Figure 2-3; Dragos, 1993).
Seasonal deployments of surface
drifters were completed by the
NOAA National Ocean Service
(NOS) ia August 1990 (eight
drifters), followed by seasonal
cross-shelf break deployments of
four drifters each in February,
May, and August 1991 (Aikman
andEmpie, 1991). NOAA
NOS deployed the final set of
four drifters in October 1991
(Aikman and Empie, 1992).
The simultaneous seasonal
deployments were designed to
examine the large-scale
southwest drift and recirculation
of the Slope-Sea gyre; the
existence and role of
convergence at the shelf break;
movement of surface waters
onto the continental shelf; and
modes of entrainment by the
Gulf Stream versus possible
transport to the South Atlantic
Bight (Figure 2-4). The drifter
studies were also designed to aid
in estimating the effects of
features such as wind, warm-
core rings, Gulf Stream
meanders, and meso-scale shelf-
break eddies on the dispersion
of the sludge. The drifters,
deployed in the upper layer (10
m) of the ocean, tracked the
likely movement of dissolved
106-Mtte Site Research and Monitoring
2-13
-------
Overview
constituents and suspended sludge particles that
move with the upper ocean.
Sea-Surface Temperature Studies
Composite weekly SST maps were prepared by
NOAA from Advanced Very-High Resolution
Radiometer (AVHKR) SST imagery from
satellite-based sensors (EPA, 1992k,l,m). These
measurements were made in conjunction with the
drifter studies. Satellite imagery data on surface
temperature were used to identify the water
masses in the study area over time and to
determine other features such as the shelf/slope
and Gulf Stream fronts, and the presence of
meanders, eddies, and rings associated with the
Gulf Stream, Weekly composite images of the
study area (including the 106-Mile Site) were
produced and overlain with drifter tracks to aid
in interpreting drifter interactions with the major
water masses in the study region.
In addition, the NOAA National Marine
Fisheries Service (NMFS) used daily sludge
disposal information and water mass type (shelf
water, slope water, warm core rings) derived
from SST data to determine the frequency of
dumping into each water mass type. Results
from the start of dumping in 1986 through June
1992 were complied (Ruhsam, 1995).
Expendable Current Profiler Deployments
The permits issued for sludge disposal at the
106-Mile Site required the permittees to deploy
an expendable-current-profller (XCP) at the Site
approximately once per week. The XCPs
continuously recorded water temperature and
current speed and direction, in relation to depth.
From March 1990 to March 1991, the XCPs
were deployed from the permittee barges. In
April 1991, after the New Jersey authorities
responsible for the deployments stopped ocean
dumping, deployment responsibility was
transferred to New York City. EPA Region DL
approved deployments from aircraft flying over
the Site as a substitute for barge deployments.
The aircraft deployments continued until June 1»
1991, when the XCP program was formally
terminated (EPA, 1992o,p,q).
Expendable Bathythermograph Deployments
In 1990 and 1991, NOAA NMFS's Atlantic
Regional Group increased the frequency of ship-
of-opportunity temperature profile acquisition
along a transect from New York to Bermuda.
Surface temperatures (taken with a thermometer)
and temperature profiles to about 500 m
(obtained using expendable bathythermographs
or XBTs) were obtained from the apex of the
New York Bight (shoreward of the shelf break)
to the north (cold) wall of the Gulf Stream.
These data were supplied to project scientists to
aid in interpreting water-mass, drifter, and
moored current-meter studies. Data from 48
transects, collected between March 1990 and
June 1991, are available from EPA (EPA,
1990b; 1991b,c). NOAA NOS continued to
acquire XBT data through December 1991.
CTD Transnussomtter Surveys
During the October 1989 farfield survey (Hunt
et al., 1992), two methods were used to search
for evidence of sludge in surface waters outside
the Site. In one method, the distribution of
particles was measured by using a real-time
conductivity, temperature, density and
transmissometer (CTD/TR) system towed tt a
depth of 10-15 m along three transects of
2-14
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
-------
Overview
stations downcurrent of the Site
(Figure 2-5; Hunt et aL, 1992). In
the second method, hydrographie
profiles were made to a depth of 75
m at a series of stations located to
the southwest of the 106-Mile Site
(Figure 2-6). Water samples were
obtained from three depths at these
same stations and examined for the
presence of various sludge tracers
(xylem tracheids or plant cells that
conduct water in plant stems; spores
from the bacterium C. perfiingens;
and trace metals such as cadmium,
copper, chromium, and mercury).
This survey focused on (1) detecting
the presence of large particles that
may settle rapidly, (2) determining
if sludge could be detected in
surface waters away from the Site,
and (3) determining if WQC were
exceeded outside the Site,
Traditional hydrographie surveys hi
the vicinity of the 106-Mile Site
were conducted by NOAA NOS in
1990 (Delaware II Cruise 90-08;
Aikman and Empie, 1991) and 1991
(Delaware II Cruise 91-09; Aikman
and Empie, 1992). The CTD/TR
and XBT profiles were collected to
a depth of 500 m. The CTD/TR
data and XBT data from the first
survey (Figure 2-7) provided a
description of the water-mass
structure which helped in the
identification of the water-mass type
for a NMFS midwater fish study
(see Tier 4), and provided a
39°30'
39W
13
2
3830"
38°00'
105-Mile Site
BK2
/SSA7A6A5A4A3A2A1
* * ' C2ei
B1 C4C3. D2
C6C.5 ' °.4 I
C7 » Ii
BK3
D8
D10
*
73W
72:30*
71°30%
72W
Longitude fW}
Figure 2-5, Location of the discrete stations along three transects
sampled during the October 1989 survey to the 106-Mile Site.
Samples collected from these stations were used to evaluate
transport of sludge in surface waters from the 106-Mile Site.
39 10'
39 00'
38 SO'
§ 38 "40'
38-30'
38 20'
3810*
200m
106-Mile sue
A? AS AS A4 A3 A2 A1
D10/
A
71 50
72"50' 72*40' 72*30' ?2'20" 72 10* KM"
Longitude (°WJ
Figure 2-6, October 198° survey study area west of the 106-Mile
Site indicating locations where horizontal transects of near*
surface turbidity were acquired (dashed lines). Sewage sludge
plumes were observed only along transects that are indicated by
bold lines.
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
2-15
-------
Overview
42°
37* -
36*
76° 75° 74* 73" 72° 71' 70" 69' 68
Figure 2-7. Location of CTD/TR, XBT, and drifter deployment
sites in the Mid-Atlantic Bight from tbe Delaware II Cruise 90-08
of 6-18 August 1990. The 106-Mile Site is represented by the
rectangle outlined in the center of the figure with its upper right
corner at 39°N, 72°W. 41
synoptic description of the three-
dimensional structure in the vicinity
of the 106-Mile Site.
The second hydrographic survey of
the Mid-Atlantic Bight and the 106-
Mile Site was work was conducted
during a NOAA NMFS midwater
fish survey. The hydrography
consisted of 66 CTD/TR profiles
and 45 XBT drops (Figure 2-8).
Survey activities were concentrated
to the southwest of the Site in an
effort to collect multiple samples of
midwater fish in the region most
likely to be impacted by sludge
contaminants.
Real-Time Current Meter Studies
The EPA real-time current-meter
mooring, deployed 1 nmi west of
the Site, was used to obtain
statistical information on the near-
surface currents (30 m),
temperature, and meteorological
conditions at the Site. Current data
from the mooring were transmitted
to EPA in real time via ARGOS
satellite and were used, in
association with other Tier 3
studies, to evaluate farfield
movement of the sludge. The initial
deployment was made hi January
1989, and four re-deployments were
made through October 1990 (EPA,
1992J) with recovery of the system
in July 1991.
DELAWARE It CRUISE 91-09
+ ciwrft RATIONS
O
* X8TSTAT1ONS
74- 73" 72" 71° 70° 69
Figure 2-8. Station map of the Delaware II Cruise 91-09 of 5-16
August 1991. Only the original 37 CTD/TR stations are
numbered on the map and repeat locations are as indicated. The
106-Mile Site is represented by the rectangle in the center of the
figure.
2-16
106-Mile Site Research an! Monitoring
-------
Overview
A major current meter measurement program
was conducted from May 1990 through June
1991 as part of the sediment trap program. The
sediment trap program is described below.
Sediment Trap Studies
EPA Studies. In the spring of 1990, EPA
designed and implemented a deep-water mooring
program to obtain data on oceanographic
currents and to collect information on the flux of
sludge particles falling through the water
column. Between May 1990 and June 1991, 10
deep-water moorings (Figure 2-9), instrumented
with internal-recording current meters and
sediment traps, were deployed in the vicinity of
the 106-Mile Site (Hunt et al, 1993; EPA,
1990c,d,e; 1991d). Six moorings were
positioned on an along-slope transect. One of
these was a reference mooring
located upstream of the 106-Mile
Site away from any influence of
sludge disposal. Three moorings
were positioned across the
continental rise to the west and
southwest of the Site; these
moorings intersected one of the
along-slope moorings to form a
transect of four moorings positioned
across the continental slope. An
additional mooring was located in
the mouth of the Hudson River
Canyon.
The objectives of the sediment-trap
program were to determine whether
sludge was (1) deposited in .
significant quantities on the seafloor
at or near the 106-Mile Site; (2)
transported toward the continental
shelf and deposited in regions of significant
marine resources; or (3) suspended in the water
column for months, such that it was carried into
the central North Atlantic by the Gulf Stream or
recirculated with the Slope Sea gyre. The
sediment trap program was designed to obtain
direct evidence of sludge-transport pathways,
and to acquire sufficient information on particle
flux and current velocities to allow better
predictions of post-disposal transport and fate of
the sludge. Towards this end, the moorings
were designed (Figure 2-10) with sediment traps
located at «100 m (surface) and 1000 m (mid-
depth) below the ocean surface, and »250 m
above the sediment (bottom). Mooring locations
and the deployment depths of the sediment traps
were chosen to resolve expected horizontal
gradients in sludge deposition near the seafloor
37"00'
36°00'
76W
75*00
Figure 2-9. Locations of the sediment trap moorings deployed in
the vicinity of the 106-Mile Site between May 1990 and June
1991.
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
2-17
-------
Overview
B
Km
C
-^
D
isobath variability in current
100m
150 m
200 m
1000 m
1 750 m
2000m
Current
tttter .
Trap
2300 m
2350m
2600m
*2S50 m
2800 m M"^
Figure 2-10* Configuration of the deep sea mooring
deployed at the 106-Mile Site showing sediment trap
meter depths.
and vertical gradients in the water column.
Because there was abundant historical
information on currents near the disposal site,
current meters were not located on all moorings;
rather, current meters were clustered on several
of the moorings to maximize data return on
information necessary to refine predictions of
sludge transport and fate. Specifically, the
current meter program was focused on
developing information on vertical shear
downcurrent of the disposal site and cross-
The sediment-trap moorings were
first deployed in May 1990,
recovered and redeployed in
September and November 1990, and
recovered again in June 1991.
Details of deployment, recovery,
and servicing are given hi a series
of EPA reports (EPA, 1990c,d,e;
1991d; Hunt et al, 1993; 1995a).
The material collected in the
sediment traps was analyzed for
chemical, microbiological, and
physical characteristics, including
* Mass (wet, dry, carbonate-free,
organic matter, and ash
weights)
* Physical characteristics of the
particles (visual observations
and xylem tracheid
enumeration)
* Trace metals {e.g., copper,
cadmium, chromium, mercury)
* C. perfringens spores
Stable isotopes of carbon,
nitrogen, and sulfur
Organic contaminants (PAHs, LABs, cyclic
alkanes, and sterols).
Results from these analyses were used to
calculate the flux of the various sludge tracers
through the water column at each trap location.
NOAA National Underwater Research
Program (NURP) Studies. The transport of
sludge from the Site was also studied by a
consortium of Federal and university researchers
with funding from the NOAA NUKP program.
array
and current
2-18
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
-------
Overview
This research was conducted relatively close to
the 106-Mile Site, and included collection of
sediment samples and deployment of sediment
traps (within 10 to 100 m of the seafloor) and
current meters for one year (July 1989 through
June 1990) at two locations near the western
boundary of the Site (Takada et al., 1994).
Samples from these sediment traps and the
sediments (both surface sediments and cores)
were analyzed for chemical tracers of the sludge.
Sediment Studies
The potential accumulation of contaminants in
sediments due to sludge disposal was further
evaluated by NOAA through the analysis of
sediment samples collected during a survey on
the R/V Oceanus in October 1991 (White et aL,
1993). Samples were obtained within and near
the 106-Mile Site (figure 2-11),
from locations removed from the
Site but in areas where sludge could
be transported based on transport
models, and from reference areas
located beyond any significant
influence from the Site. Sediment
box cores were obtained from 34
stations. From these samples, sub-
cores were taken for analysis of
trace metals, organic contaminants,
total organic carbon, and sediment
grain size. In addition, the top
layer of each core was sampled for
spores of C. perfiingens.
Modeling Studies
Several modeling studies were
completed to address the distribution
of sludge concentrations in the water
column, to estimate the areal extent
of sludge deposition in the sediments and the
fraction of the sludge reaching the sediments,
and to assess the transport of sludge from the
slope towards and onto the continental shelf.
Fry and Butman (1991) developed the first post-
disposal model of the sludge fate. In addition, a
number of modeling exercises were completed as
part of the site designation study (O'Connor et
al, 1983, 1985; Walker et al., 1987, 1989).
These studies, however, were constrained by the
lack of current meter data and information on
the settling characteristics of the sludge. The
Fry and Butman model improved on the earlier
models by using more recent current meter
results from the vicinity of the 106-Mile Site and
updated sludge settling rates published by
Lavelle et al. (1988).
1 71°
Figure 2-11. Sediment samples collected during the October 1991
NOAA survey on the R/V Oceanus covered the area of potential
impact from sludge dumping.
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
2-19
-------
Overview
In 1990, NOAA NOS evaluated the suitability of
several modeling approaches, such as
hydrodynamie, particle transport, dispersion, and
deposition models, to determine their utility in
predicting the fate of sewage sludge originating
at the 106-Mile Site (Aikman et al, 1991).
Nearfield and farfield conditions were
considered, as was the suitability of both
historical and contemporary data that could be
employed by the models. The models were
analyzed according to their potential for
addressing the question of suspended sludge
concentrations, estimating sludge depositional
areas, and assessing the transport of sludge from
the slope to the shelf.
For the 106-Mile Site program, an approach was
chosen that combined several different models,
including (1) a numerical sludge dispersion
model that examines the transport and farfield
fate of sludge (Isaji et al, 1995); (2) a statistical
model that addresses suspended sludge
constituents and the probability of transport in
the upper ocean (Churchill, 1990; Churchill and
Aikman, 1995); and (3) a hydrodynamie model
that simulates the three-dimensional velocity,
sludge concentration, and deposition fields for
the entire farfield region (Patchen and Herring,
1995).
Results from the numerical dispersion model and
the sediment trap program were used to
complete estimates of transport from mass
balance considerations (Burch et al, 1993, Hunt
et al, 1993, 1995b). Two approaches were
used. The first examined the transport of the
sludge by accounting for the mass of sludge
distributed into a number of possible
compartments in the water column and sediments
(Burch et al, 1993). The second approach
evaluated the deposition of sludge to the
sediments based on specific chemical tracers in
the sludge and the input of these tracers at the
Site (Hunt et al, 1993, 1995b).
Special Studies
NOAA NURP Outer Shelf/Canyon Study.
The University of Connecticut, with funding
from NOAA NURP, conducted a series of
studies that focused on the potential transport of
sludge from the 106-Mile Site to undersea
canyons located on the outer continental shelf.
The study, which was conducted between 199O
and 1992 in the heads of eight canyons in the
outer New York Bight, evaluated whether
contaminant gradients in the sediments from
heads of these canyons (200-700 m depth) could
be detected and related to dumping at the 106-
Mile Site. Submersible craft were used to
conduct video surveys of the bottom community
and sediment substrates, and to collect
representative sediments for analysis of
contaminants and other sewage tracers.
Sludge Degradation Studies. Degradation rates
of organic matter in the sediments of the
continental margin near the 106-Mile Site were
investigated to ascertain the impact of sludge
disposal in the surface waters upon benthic
processes (Sayles and Martin, 1991; Sayles et
al, 1995). Nutrient profiles for pore waters of
sediments within the disposal area, as well as
from regions not influenced by disposal
activities, were assessed to determine the impact
of sludge on metabolic rates. Estimates of the
oxygen flux were also made from a free-vehicle
benthic lander deployed in the area of the Site.
2-20
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
-------
Overview
The lander data were used to assess the existence
of non-diffusive transport, as well as the fluxes
of nitrate and carbon resulting from benthic
metabolism. Physical processes of mixing were
studied through analysis of ^Th in the top 5 cm
of sediment.
Stable Isotope Transfer into Organisms. As
part of the NOAA NURP studies, the stable
isotopes of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur were
measured in the sea urchin Echinus qffinis, an
opportunistic deposit-feeder that is attracted to
local aggregates of plankton-derived organic
material (Van Dover et al, 1992).
Measurements of these isotopes were made to
determine if the sewage-derived organic material
reaches the seafloor and enters the benthic food
web, specifically through the surface-deposit
feeding activities of B. qffinis.
2.5 Tier 4: Long-Term Effects
Numerous studies were conducted to evaluate the
effects of sludge disposal on the receiving
environment. These studies included
observations of endangered species, contaminant
uptake studies using midwater and benthic
organisms, and benthic commumty assessments
in canyons and on the continental shelf. In
addition, a series of studies was conducted on
the continental shelf to evaluate potential impacts
on important commercial fisheries.
Endangered Species Studies
The occurrence of endangered species in the
vicinity of the 106-Mile Site was assessed
throughout the EPA monitoring program
conducted between 1986 and 1989. During this
period, trained observers of marine mammals,
turtles, and seabirds were included on all EPA
surveys to the 106-Mile Site. The observers
recorded the presence, number, and behavior of
all endangered species sighted along the survey
tracks.
Midwater Fish Studies
In 1989, the Northeast Fisheries Center of
NOAA's NMFS conducted a pilot study to
evaluate the feasibility of collecting midwater
fish in the vicinity of the Site and their utility for
detecting uptake of contaminants associated with
the sewage sludge. The midwater fish were
selected because they live in the upper water
column and are a major component of the food
web in the upper water column in the region of
the Site. Certain midwater fish, mainly lantern
fish (MyctopMdae) and hatchet fish
(Sternoptyehidae), are also relatively abundant
throughout the upper layers of the offshore
waters of the northwestern Atlantic. The dally
pattern for these fish is to migrate vertically
from a depth of 200-700 m, where they spend
daylight hours, and back to the upper layers
where they spend the night. This behavior
increases the likelihood that some of the fish
would encounter water or food sources that had
been in contact with sewage sludge dumped at
the surface, and thus they could be used as
sentinel organisms for the presence of sludge
contaminants.
Based on the success of the pilot feasibility
study, NOAA NMFS conducted a second survey
in August 1990 (NOAA, 1992). During this
study, samples of midwater fish, plankton, and
micronekton were collected from 32 stations
near the 106-Mile Site and along transects over a
broad area around the Site (Figure 2-12).
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
2-21
-------
Overview
Stations were selected to provide
samples of water from the outer
shelf, the slope, and Gulf Stream
rings (if present). Statiom in the
Sargasso Sea were chosen for
comparison, and to provide samples
indicative of background levels of
contamination. A total of 1311
mid-water fish specimens from 42
species and 32 plankton samples
was collected. Samples of these
organisms were analyzed for metals
and organic contaminants.
A third midwater fish survey was
conducted in August 1991
(Zdanowicz et al., 1995). This
effort focused on collecting samples
of midwater fish and their prey
from the area southwest of the
106-Mile Site in the region most
likely to be affected by the sludge
disposal (Figure 2-13). Seventeen
stations were each sampled two or
three times to increase the
probability of detecting a sludge
signature. A total of 3761
midwater fish from 25
representative species and plankton
samples from 17 stations was
obtained for contaminant analysis.
EpibentUc Organisms - Bottom
Fish Studies
In September 1989, bottom fish
from the vicinity of the 106-Mile
Site (EPA, 1992r) were collected as
part of the NOAA NURP studies.
Fish collected in two trawls from
Figure 2-12. Station locations for the August 1990 NOAA/NMFS
midwater fish survey covered a broad area around the 106-Mile Site.
Mgure 2-13. Station locations for the August 1991 HOAA/NMFS
midwater fish survey primarily covered the area southwest of the
l(kS-MHe Site.
2-22
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
-------
Overview
Successful Botuim Tow
3 Mesodaiic Caleb
O Water Tow
Figure 2-14. Dining the 1990 and 1991 NOAA surveys, trawl
collections of epibenthic megafauna for analysis of chemical
contaminants were made at 21 stations in and around the 106-Mile
Site in the area of expected sludge dispersion.
cytochrome inducement were
also evaluated (Steinhauer et al, ,
1995).
In August 1990 and 1991,
NOAA used deep-sea trawling
to collect epibenthic megafauna
for analysis of chemical
contaminants (NOAA, 1992).
These collections included many
of the same bottom fish sampled
in 1989. Samples were taken at
stations in the area of expected
sludge dispersion and in
surrounding areas (Figure 2-
14). In 1990, a total of 817
finfish and invertebrates was
collected for potential chemical
analysis. Nine species of finfish
were collected in sufficient
quantities for analysis. Of
these, three species (C. armatus,
S, kaupi, and A, rostrata)
the northern end of the 106-Mile Site were split
for histopathological/ biochemical analysis and
trace metal and organic analysis. These analyses
were made to (1) provide an initial assessment of
the impact of sewage sludge disposal on bottom
fish in the vicinity of the 106-Mile Site and (2)
evaluate the feasibility of monitoring the
bioaccumulation of sludge-related contaminants
in these fish. Fish liver and muscle samples
from three blue hake (Antimora rostrata), two
rattail (Coryphaenoides armatus), and one
cutthroat eel {Synaphobranchus kaupi) were
analyzed for PCBs, halogenated pesticides
(including DDT and its metabolites), polynuclear
aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and trace
metals, Histopathological condition and P450
obtained from at least five stations and were the
dominant megafauna. In August 1991, NOAA
collected more than 500 mega-invertebrates from
28 stations (Figure 2-15) for analysis of heavy
metals and organic contaminants. Thirteen
species of finfish and two shrimp species were
collected. Between the two collection periods,
more than 900 organisms were subjected to
chemical analysis (Sennefelder et al,, 1995).
NOAA NMFS also commissioned commercial
long-line fishers to collect tilefish (Lopholatilus
chamaeleonticeps) from submarine canyons
located between Lydonm and Wilmington
Cany ons (Steimle etal, 1995). Between the
fall/winter 1990 and winter 1992, 90 fish were
ile Site Research and Monitoring
2-23
-------
Overview
Successful Bottom Traw
9 Mesopelagic Catch
O
Figure 2-15, More than 500 mega-invertebrate samples, for heavy
metal and organic contaminant analysis, were collected by NOAA
from 27 stations during an August 1991 survey.
obtained from 6 canyons. Two canyons
(Atlantis and Hudson) were sampled on three
occasions over this tune period. Animals
between 50 and 70 cm in length were analyzed
for metals and organic contaminants.
Lobsters collected as part of the chitinoclasia
shell disease study (see below) were also
analyzed for metals and organic contaminants.
Where possible, equal numbers of lobsters with
and without shell disease were analyzed. Both
the tail muscle and hepatopancreas (liver) were
analyzed.
Contaminant levels in commercially important
fish (tilefish, flounder) and shellfish (red crabs
and lobsters) were also
measured. Between 1990 and
1992, more than 1000 red crabs
were collected from the heads of
11 submarine canyons on the
outer continental shelf. In
addition to assessing the general
condition of these organisms,
the concentrations of metals and
PCBs were measured.
Fisheries Bottom Trawl Surveys
From 1963 through the present,
the NOAA NMFS Northeast
Fisheries Center has conducted
bottom trawl surveys on the
Northwest Atlantic Shelf and
upper slope between Cape
Hatteras and the Scotian Shoals
(Chang, 1993). These studies
continued during the period
when sludge was being dumped
at the 106-Mile Site. Data from
the spring of 1982 through the spring of 1986
(pre-dumpmg period) were evaluated and
compared with data from the autumn of 1986
through the spring of 1990 to determine if
dumping had any effect on 11 economically
important fish species from this area.
Benthic Community Studies
The NOAA NURP program initiated long-term
benthic community effects studies in 1989.
These studies continued through the summer of
1992. In addition to these studies, the NOAA
NMFS sampled 18 stations for benthic infaunal
community structure in October 1991.
2-24
106-Mtte Site Research and Monitoring
-------
Overview
Bacterial Studies
The autochthonous bacterial community in water
overlying core samples collected from the 106-
Mile Site was tested for its ability to grow under
in-situ conditions of temperature and pressure.
Responses of the bacterial community at this Site
were compared to those of a community
collected in the same manner and depth at a
control site (Straube et al, 1991). In addition,
the NOAA NURP Outer Shelf/Canyon study
(Sawyer et al., 1995) examined the sediment-
water interface along transects in the canyon
heads for bacterial communities and the presence
of sewage indicators such as Clostridium
perfringens, cyst-forming amoebae, and
bacterivorous ciliates and flagellates,
Chitmodastic Shell Disease in Lobster
Prior to the passage of ODBA, fishermen
catching lobsters in offshore waters of the mid-
Atlantic Bight reported high prevalence of
chitinoclastic shell disease and declining catches,
which they associated with sludge dumping at
the 106-Mile Site. In 1989, a joint NOAA/EPA
Working Group examined available information
and reported "no conclusive evidence to
associate shell disease in offshore (crustacean)
populations with sludge dumping activities at the
106-Mile Site" (NOAA and EPA, 1989).
However, the Working Group also pointed out
the scarcity of data from offshore populations,
and recommended monitoring and research that
would address such information gaps.
» Commercial Catch Inspections. This NOAA
NMFS study (NOAA, 1992) was designed to
determine the prevalence and severity of shell
disease in commercially collected lobster from
canyons along the Atlantic continental shelf
from Georges Bank to Virginia (Figure 2-16).
Beginning in July 1990 and continuing
through the summer of 1992, 15,004 legal-
size American lobsters (Homarus americanus)
from 185 commercial catches from 9 canyons
were examined for signs of chitinoclasia
(Ziskowski et aL, 1995). Samples were
40° -
',, /""
LYDONIA CANYON
HYDHOGRAPHER CANYON
ATIANTIS CANYON
HUDSON CANYON
/\ I 106-Mile Site
TOMS CANYON .
WILMINGTON CANYON
38° ;
76° 74° 72°
Figure 2-16. Canyons sampled by commercial lobster and/or tilefish vessels during the NOAA canyon
studies along tbe Atlantic continental shelf.
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
2-25
-------
Overview
obtained through the cooperation of a group of
lobster-boat operators who allowed regular
inspection of a portion of their catches.
Although weather and equipment problems
made it impossible to conform to an ideal
sampling schedule, one or two samples from
each canyon were obtained during each season
from July 1990 through August 1992,
providing estimates of seasonal changes in
prevalence and variance of chitinoclasia.
» NOAA NMFS Groundfish Survey. Results
from commercial catch inspection were farther
supplemented with data collected during five
groundfish surveys conducted by NOAA
NMFS in 1990 (fall) and 1991 (spring and
fall) (NOAA, 1992; Ziskowski et al, 1995).
The randomly stratified trawls provided an
independent database for comparison with the
data obtained from commercial vessels. In
addition, because the trawls permit
examination of animals below the legal catch
limit, determination of the prevalence of shell
disease in juvenile lobster was possible.
Trawls were made at shelf stations from Cape
Hatteras to Nantucket Shoals and on Georges
Bank. More than 460 specimens were
examined during the two years of this study.
Commercial Catch Observer Program, In
. support of the 106-Mile Site monitoring
program, the ongoing NOAA NMFS
Northeast Fisheries Center commercial catch
observer program extended observations on
chitinodastic shell disease in lobster over the
entire continental shelf from Cape Hatteras to
the Gulf of Maine (NOAA, 1992). From
January 1989 to December 1991, observers
made 461 trawl trips (Figure 2-17) and 24 pot
trips (Figure 2-18), providing information
from 1449 trawls and 485 pot hauls (Wilk et
al., 1995). A total of 3420 lobsters, obtained
from 60 trawls and 186 pot hauls, was
examined for chitinoclasia prevalence and
severity.
» NOAA NURP Outer Shelf/Canyon Studies.
Chitinoelastic shell disease observations on
both red crabs and lobsters were also made
during the NOAA NURP studies in the heads
of submarine canyons (Feeley, 1993),
2-26
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
-------
Overview
Figure 2-17. Observations relevant to the 106-Mile Site American lobster (Homarus americtuuts)
chitinoclasia studies made between January 1989 and March 1991 by sea samplers while on board
trawlers.
(a) Location of aU *ows monitored.
(b) Location of tows where American lobster occurred.
(c) Location of tows where observations for the incidence and severity of chitinoclasia were made.
106-MUe Site Research and Monitoring
2-27
-------
Overview
Figure 2-18, Observations relevant to the 106-Mile Site American lobster (Homams americanus)
chitinoclasia studies made between January 1989 and March 1991 by sea samplers while on board lobster
pot fishing vessels.
(a) Location of all hauls monitored.
(b) Location of hauls where American lobster occurred.
(c) Location of hauls where observations for the incidence and severity of chitinoclasia were made.
2-28
106-Mtte Site Research and Monitoring
-------
3.0 MONITORING RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS
The 106-Mile Site monitoring program produced
an extensive data set on sewage sludge
characteristics plus transport, fate, and effects in
the receiving waters. This section summarizes
the major results and conclusions of the
program. Readers are referred to the numerous
papers published in the peer-reviewed literature
and in EPA and NOAA reports generated during
the program (EPA, 1995) for more detailed
information. The presentation is organized by
monitoring tier. Each hypothesis is stated,
followed by a brief summary of the major
conclusions, and supported by relevant study
results. In some instances, several hypotheses
are grouped together because information from
the various studies are related to these
hypotheses. A complete summary of reports and
papers published through 1995 and data archival
locations can be found in EPA (1995),
3.1 Tier 1: Sludge Characteristics and
Disposal Operations
The objectives of Tier 1 monitoring were to (1)
assess sludge characteristics to determine if the
sludge quality was changing, and to verify if the
assumptions made in setting permit conditions
were correct and valid throughout the period
when the Site was in use, and (2) to provide
surveillance of disposal operations to ensure that
dumping occurred within the 106-Mile Site
boundaries and at permitted rates. These
objectives were addressed by activities directed
at hypotheses H01 and 1^,2. In addition, the data
were used hi several of the other evaluations
examining the fate and transport of the sludge.
Several of the key results are summarized below.
H01: The physical and chemical
characteristics of sludge are consistent
with waste characterization information
available at the time the permits for the
106-Mile Site were issued.
Sludge characteristics were generally similar to
results from the waste characterizations
performed in the mid-1980s. Physical and
chemical characteristics were highly variable
both within permittees and among the various
treatment facilities.
Sludge Characterization
* The physical characteristics of sludges
examined by EPA in 1988 (EPA, 1992g)
were generally similar to those reported by the
sewerage authorities between 1985 and 1987.
Metal concentrations were slightly lower than
reported by the sewerage authorities. Organic
contaminant concentrations were substantially
lower than the rninimurn detection limits of
standard EPA methods. The toxicity to
representative test species was variable among
the sewerage authorities and was generally
similar to previous results.
An EPA review of sludge characterization data
in 1988 found that bioassay and chemical
results, although variable, were generally
consistent with waste characterization
information supplied with the permit
applications (Table 3-1). However, applicants
were neither using the most appropriate
methods nor conducting analyses under rigid
quality assurance plans.
* Sludge bioassay results submitted by the
permittees during 1990-1991 were variable
both within and among sewerage authorities.
Sludges were frequently more toxic to
representative marine species (M, beryllina
and M. bahia) than when the permits were
established in August 1989. Thus, sludge
quality during the 1990-1991 period was
generally lower than in August 1988.
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
3-1
-------
Results and Conclusions
Table 3-1, Comparison of sludge toxicity in August 1988 to information provided in permit applications
[From EPA, 1992gJ. The LCM (concentration at which 50% of the test organisms do not
survive) results are reported as the percentage of the whole sludge.
Menidia beryllina
Mysidoosis bahict
Authority
PVSC
MCUA
BCUA
LRSA
RVSA
JMEUC
NYCDEP
NCDPW
WCDEF
August
1988
Application
0,49
5,95
1,55
0.53
1,49
1.92
1.59
2.33
0.91
Permit
Application
0.63
1.95
1.95
0.96
1.60
1.35
1.30
2.87
1.47
August
1988
0.17
2.11
2.10
0.06
0,88
1.68
2,25
0.92
1.17
Permit
0.09
2.80
O.66
O.20
O.ll
1.50
1.41
1.40
1.16
PVSC; Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission, NJ
MCUA: Middlesex County Utilities Authority, NJ
BCUA: Bergen County Utilities Authority, NJ
LRSA: Linden-Roselle Sewerage Authority, NJ
RVSA: Rahway Valley Sewerage Authority, NJ
JMEUC: Joint Meeting of Essex and Union Counties, NJ
NYCDEP: New York City Department of Environmental Protection, NY
NCDPW: Nassau County Department of Public Works, NY
WCDEF: Westchester County Department of Environmental Facilities, NY
Improved sludge quality was noted for two
authorities after April 1991.
* Very low concentrations of several priority
pollutant chemicals and other compounds that
are good tracers of sewage in the marine
environment were found in the March 1991
sludge characterization {EPA, 1992e). This
study showed that
(1) Total PAH concentrations ranged from
1.95 pg/g to 14.3 figJg dry weight. Among
the PAH compounds measured, fluorene,
phenanthrene, fiuoranthene, and pyrene were
present in the highest concentrations in most
sludge samples.
(2) Total linear alkyl benzenes (LABs),
compounds that are not priority pollutants but
that have been found to be extremely useful
tracers of sewage-related material in the
oceans, were detected in all sludge samples
analyzed. Concentrations of LABs ranged
from 39,8 ftg/g to 145 /ig/g dry weight.
(3) PCBs and several chlorinated pesticides
were found in low concentrations in every
sludge sample. The lower-chlorinated PCB
congeners (C13-CI4) dominated the PCB
distribution. Aroclor 1242 provided the
closest match to the PCB patterns detected.
Total PCB concentrations differed by less than
a factor of 2,5 among the sludges analyzed
and ranged from 0.190 jtg/g to 0.450 pg/g dry
weight. Of the chlorinated pesticides, DDT
and its metabolites DDD and DDE, dieidrin,
and cw-ehlordane were most often detected.
(4) Coprostanol, a sterol common to
mammals and useful as a tracer of sewage in
3-2
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
-------
Results and Conclusions
receiving environments, was present in higher
concentrations than all other sterols. The
concentration varied widely, ranging from
62.8 jig/g to 3980 /ttg/g dry weight.
(5) The metal silver (Ag), another useful
tracer of sewage sludge, was found in all
samples. Concentrations ranged from 23.0
^tg/g to 156 figfg dry weight. Aluminum (Al)
concentrations ranged from 9600 j*g/g to
50,300 ftg/g dry weight. Copper (Cu)
concentrations ranged from 520 jig/g to
2030/*g/g dry weight. Other
metals were found in varying
concentrations.
(6) Stable isotope values in the
sludge were typical of terrestrial
- plants and varied among the
treatment plants.
Sludge Input to the Site
* Beginning in August 1989,
permittees were required to
provide EPA Region U with
monthly information on the total
dry and wet tons of sludge
dumped at the Site. Each
permittee reported annual data
from January 1986 through
August 1989.
(1) From 1988 through 1990, the
volume of sludge dumped at the
106-Mile Site was relatively
constant, ranging between 8 and
10 million wet tons of sludge per
year (see Section 1.0). Between
1986 and June 1992, a total of
«42 million wet tons (1.5 million
dry tons) of sewage sludge was
disposed at the Site.
Approximately 50% of the total
wet tons dumped (SS22 million
wet tons) was dumped by
NYCDEP. Each of the other
permittees contributed less than 6
million wet tons to the total load
to the Site; three permittees each
dumped less than 900,000 wet tons. On a dry
weight basis, NYCDEP and PVSC.contributed
«40% and -30%, respectively, of the dry
tons disposed at the Site.
(2) Representative estimates of the input of
sludge were derived for the period that
sediment traps were deployment near the Site
(May 1990 through June 1991). During this
period, » 322,000 dry tons of sludge were
(
*L 40-
Ul
3. . .
3
O
"5
I2 20"
0-
60 n
!
L 40-
a
CL
"«
|S 20-
0-
0
DB3 . » 6m
-0.488X O10m
> y = 41.99e u 1 y = 47.5 e ° 10m
\
V
Vv Left Site
\ I
Ss» I
v v? WQC
se^o |
° 2.0 4.0 6.0 8.0 1
0.0
Time alter disposal, h
Figure 3-1. A decrease in (a) copper (Cu) and (b) lead (Pb)
concentrations was evident in plumes tracked in September 1987.
Concentrations in the plume when it crossed the Site boundary
are shown, as are the EPA chronic marine water quality criteria
(WQC) for these metals.
106-MUe Site Research and Monitoring
3-3
-------
Results and Conclusions
dumped at the 106-Mile Site (Table 3-2).
This represents about 22% of the 1,5 million
dry tons of sludge dumped at the Site between
1986 and 1992. Contaminant concentrations
in the sludge during this period were used to
calculate the input of selected sludge tracers
from the dumping activity. The total input
during the sediment trap period ranged from a
low of 85 kg for total PCBs to « 465,000 kg
of coprostanol, a natural mammalian sterol. It
was estimated that about 277,000 kg of zinc
(Zn), 275,000 kg of copper (Cu), 22,600 kg
of silver (Ag), and 71,000 kg of lead (Pb)
were dumped during this period. These data
were used to estimate the total metric tons of
these sludge tracers dumped between 1986 and
1992.
H02: Disposal rates and operations are
consistent with the requirements of the
ocean dumping permits.
As part of the process to develop conditions for
the permits required by the ODBA, EPA
evaluated whether the dumping rates, in effect
prior to the ODBA, would result in compliance
with the requirements of the ocean dumping
regulations. Based on the-results presented
below, EPA determined that disposal operations
did result in compliance with the water quality
requirements set forth in the ocean dumping
regulations (Figure 3-1). As a result, new
Table 3-2. Summary of total monthly and cumulative loading of sewage sludge (dry tons) to the 106-Mile
Site during two EPA sediment trap deployment periods, May to October 1990, and November
1990 to June 1991.
MONTH
Year
05/90
06/90
07/90
08/90
09/90
10/90
11/90
12/90
01/91
02/91
03/91"
04/91
05/91
06/91C
MONTHLY
Tons
6,057*
31,195
29,194
31,529
29,301
32,794
30,983
28,988
27,488
25,272
16,388
12,912
13,393
6,454
CUMULATIVE
Period 1 Period 2
6,057
37,252
66,446
97,975
127,276
160,070
30,983
59,971
87,459
112,731
129,119
142,031
155,424
161,878
"Partial month; total for the month was 30,280
bSix New Jersey authorities stopped dumping by March 30, 1991
Tartial month; total for the month was 12,908
TOTAL FIRST PERIOD
TOTAL SECOND PERIOD
TOTAL BOTH PERIODS
160,070
161,878
321,948
3-4
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
-------
Results and Conclusions
permit conditions
were established by
EPA. In general,
disposal operations
were conducted in a
manner that was
consistent with the
ocean dumping
regulations and
permits. The Ocean
Dumping
Surveillance System
and shipriders were
effective in ensuring
that dumping rates
and locations were
as specified in the
permits. In
addition, the
shiprider program
effectively ensured
1 onn onn
c
o
H3 mn nno
5 :
"O
o>
* it f\ nr\r\
3 IU,UUU -s
cr :
0) -
DC
1 ODD
366 gal/min
3 kn 6 kn 9 kn/
\ W
f ^xVs. 4479 Sal/min
122 gal/min \^XV J
/^^
1493 gal/min
1 I »-' VJ w I llinil| 1 iljilllj 1 i 1 1 i 1 H| t Illilll
10 100 1,000 10,OOO 100,OOO
Sludge Dumping Rate (gal/min)
figure 3-2. Nomograph of sludge dumping rates (in gal/min) vs. sludge dilutions
4 h after dumping at the 106-Mile Site used to control dumping rates at the Site.
Separate curves are given for the barge speeds of 3, 6, and 9 kn.
that all sludge transfers made in the Harbor and
in coastal waters, and that all dumping
operations were conducted as required by the
ocean disposal permits.
Dumping Rates
* Information on sludge dilution rates and vessel
operations was used to develop a nomograph
(EPA, 1992s) which showed the relationship
between dumping rates and ability to meet the
limiting permissible concentrations (LPC;
Figure 3-2). According to the calculation, the
disposal rate was to be less than 1000 gal/min
for three of the permittees and less than 5000
gal/min for the remaining six permittees.
Quarterly review of the permittee sludge
characterization data and recalculation of
allowable disposal rates ensured that dumping
at the Site complied with EPA water quality
criteria (WQC).
» In 1990-1991, following evaluation of the
sludge bioassay results, EPA modified the
discharge rates (established in August 1989) of
several permittees (Figure 3-3). The lowest
discharge rates were required of the LRSA
and PVSA. MCUA had the highest allowable
discharge rates. Except for WCDEF in New
York and MCUA, PVSA, and LRSA in New
Jersey, new discharge rates established in
December 1990 were lower than the rates
specified in the permits,
* The initial dilution (that was caused by the
physical action of the wake during dumping)
is an important parameter needed to set
disposal rates in permit conditions. The
permittees were required to determine these
initial dilution rates for the different barge
types that used the 106-Mile Site. A survey
conducted by New York City found BO
difference in the initial dilution rate for barges
that employed different dumping mechanisms
and verified the initial dilution used to the
permits (EA Engineering, Science, and
Technology, Inc., 1991). Had the field
studies verified that initial wake-induced
dilution was, in fact, different, the permit
condition would have allowed higher disposal
rates for some types of barges.
Disposal Operations
During the period that all nine permittees were
discharging sludge at the 106-Mile Site,
between 50 and 65 dumping missions were
conducted each month. In December 1991,
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
3-5
-------
Results and Conclusions
New Jersey
Sewerage
Authorities
16
c
1 J2
0* o
5) E
bfi
id
O 4
w *
08/89
:: Joint Me«iting: of Essax and Union:Counti e s
_:"-Q?i?;WKl|^^;j^i(^:Si^eM^;^t^O^
.-<:#::'/ -:-p^Bft;toslftiC§,|^W!B!B:^WNpri|yi;: ' ,.".: ."'
i^^^lStf^ljji^l^w'OrBijp^Ji^^yAuthprity".-
''' '---:- -- -"jg,-
10-
New York
Sewerage
Authorities
f
a
41 fc,
4-
12/90
Date
02/91
0J r
OB/8§
02/91 06/91 09/91
04/91 07/91 10/81
Date
Figure 3-3. EPA used the three-month averages of bioassay results to continuously adjust the dumping
rates, for a vessel speed of 6 kn, specified for each sewerage authority.
3-6
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
-------
Results and Conclusions
when ocean disposal of sewage sludge was
terminated by the New Jersey permittees, the
number of dumping missions was reduced to
approximately 40 per month.
Surveillance procedures were effective in
identifying violations of the ocean dumping
regulations and permit conditions.
Administrative penalties issued by EPA to the
permittees or towing companies ranged from
$5,000 for discharging sludge outside the
disposal site to $106,500 for a violation
involving a sludge spill combined with lack of
inspection and reporting. Settlements ranged
from $4,000 to $50,000. Settlements
subsequent to permit issuance totaled
$214,200 against penalty assessments totaling
$445,000.
Dumping operations were consistently
completed at the 106-Mile Site. The permits
issued for the 106-Mile Site allowed for
emergency dumping in certain operational
situations or under certain atmospheric
conditions (specifically, sustained winds of
force 5) to provide equipment and barge crew
safety. From August 1989 through May
1990, while the force-5 permit condition was
in effect, 161 emergency dumps were
attributed to such conditions. From June 1990
through June 1992, a total of 153 other
emergency dumps occurred. These were
primarily related to weather conditions at the
106-Mile Site. Illegal dumping was detected
outside of the 106-Mile Site on one occasion.
3.2 Tier 2: Nearfield Fate and Short-Term
Effects
Tier 2 monitoring included nearfield compliance,
nearfield fate, and short-term effects studies.
Monitoring at this level was intended to assess
the short-term behavior, transport, and impact of
sludge within the 106-Mile Site and in the area
immediately surrounding the Site, Hypotheses
H03 through HolS addressed the nearfield
compliance, nearfield fate, and short-term effects
of sludge disposal. Short-tetm effects were
defined as those which occur within one day of
sludge disposal. However, some hypotheses
refer to a time period of 4 h because this is the
initial mixing time allowed in the ocean dumping
regulations. Tier 2 data were also used to
develop and refine monitoring activities for
farfield fate (Tier 3) and long-term effects (Tier
4) studies.
The major activities under Tier 2 were
conducted between 1986 and 1990. After
August 1990, no specific studies addressed
hypotheses related to nearfield fate or short-term
effects. After 1990, in response to public
concerns, emphasis shifted to the farfield fate
and potential long-term effects of the sludge.
3.2.1 Nearfield Compliance
H03;
H04:
Concentrations of sludge and sludge
constituents are below the permitted
limiting permissible concentrations and
water quality criteria outside the Site at
all times.
Concentrations of sludge and sludge
constituents are below the permitted
limiting permissible concentrations
and water quality criteria within the
Site 4 h after disposal.
Pathogen or biological tracers of
sewage sludge do not exceed ambient
levels 4 h after disposal.
Early in the monitoring program, data indicated
that sludge or sludge tracers were detected above
relevant WQC outside of the Site boundaries
and, on occasion, within the Site 4 h after
H05:
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
3-7
-------
Results and Conclusions
disposal. To ensure that the WQC were met,
EPA reduced barge dumping rates.
* EPA marine WQC for copper (Cu) and lead
(Pb) were exceeded, thereby violating the
requirements of the ocean dumping
regulations, both within the Site 4 h after
disposal and outside of the Site boundaries
during the August/September 1987 survey
(Figure 3-1) (EPA, 1992g) and during the
September 1988 survey (EPA, 1989d; 19921)
(Figure 3-4), Overall, WQC were exceeded
in approximately 50% of the plumes surveyed.
These data established that the dumping rate
of 15,500 gal/min initially set for sludge
disposal resulted in concentrations of sludge
constituents that frequently did not meet
regulatory requirements (i.e., exceeded marine
WQC outside of the Site or 4 h after
disposal).
50
40
Ǥ" 30
f~"
20
* October 1987
<> October 1S88
v
*\
246
Time after disposal, h
Vertical profiles of turbidity in the area of the
Site showed a consistent particle maximum IB
the pyenocline, resulting either from natural
processes or from sludge disposal. This
finding, combined with observations from the
winter 1988 survey, prompted EPA to sample
the pyenocline during the summer 1988 survey
(EPA, 1992i). However, indications of sludge
in the pyenocline particle maximum were not
conclusive even though, during the survey,
remnants of plumes, that had high
concentrations of metals (Figure 3-5) and
detectable concentrations of C. perfringens r
were observed above the pyenocline in the
Site, and to the southeast and northwest of the
Site. Generally, neither the LPC nor WQC
were exceeded unless the samples were
obtained from within dispersing plumes,
" An increase in turbidity with associated
increases in C. perfringens and metals
concentrations at distances of 30 km southwest
of the Site was observed during an October
1989 survey (Hunt et al., 1992). Exeeedances
of marine WQC were not found.
3.2.2 Nearfield Fate
H06: Sludge particles do not settle in
significant quantities beneath the
seasonal pyenocline (50 m) or to the
50-m depth at any time within the Site
boundaries or in an area adjacent to
the Site.
Figure 3-4. Comparison of copper (Cu) dilution as a
function of time for plumes surveyed in September
1987 and 1988. The EPA water quality criterion
(WQC) for copper is included for comparison.
« The August/September 1987 and September
1988 surveys established that the pathogen
indicator C, perfringens exceeded ambient
concentrations 4 h after dumping and also
outside of the Site when sludge was dumped at
a rate of 15,500 gal/min.
In 1987, observations of sludge plume behavior
suggested that sludge particles did not settle in
significant quantities beneath the seasonal
pyenocline. However, in 1989, more detailed
studies determined that sludge particles settled
below the pycnociine. Furthermore, direct
measurements of sludge settling behavior from
the deep-sea sediment trap program
demonstrated unequivocally that a fraction of the
sludge was reaching the seafloor within and near
the Site.
3-8
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
-------
Results and Conclusions
39°20
39° 10
39°00
38°50
38°40
38°30
38°20
BG22
Farfield
Transect
C
BG21
106-Mile Site
FarfieW
Transect
A
Farfield
Transect
B
72°30 72°20
72°10 72°00 71°50
Pb, dissolved
1
71°40 71°30
Figure 3-5. Contour plot of dissolved lead (Pb) at the shallow particle maximum on tbe farfield
transects Summer 1988.
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
3-9
-------
Results and Conclusions
Sediment Trap Program
Initial observations made during 1987 and
1988 (EPA, 1992g,i; 1989c) indicated that
most of the sludge particles did not settle
rapidly and did not appear to penetrate the
summer pycnocline in significant quantities
during the first 8-12 h after dumping. Sludge
generally remained in the upper 25 m of the
water column. Profiling operations conducted
in the summer of 1988 (EPA, 1992i) within
and near the 106-Mile Site, but away from
known plumes, detected evidence of sludge
plumes at depths above 25 m. Settling of
sludge particles below the pycnocline was
clearly demonstrated during an October 1989
survey (Hunt et al., 1992) and by the
sediment trap program where sludge was
detected in sediment traps located at 1000 m
and within 250 m of the seafloor to a distance
of at least 60 nmi (110 km) southwest of the
Site (Hunt etat., 1993; 1995a).
Comparison of the sludge plume behavior in
winter and summer indicated that sludge
settling was not affected by seasonal factors
(Redford et al, 1992). As a result, dilution
rather than settling appeared to be the major
factor controlling the short-term dispersion of
the sludge,
* All of the sewage sludge tracers measured
during the sediment trap program showed
similar trends with distance from the Site
(EPA, 1992n). The decreasing gradients (at
all three depths) for both concentration and
flux with increasing distance from the Site
(e.g., LABs as presented in figure 3-6)
indicated that some of the sludge dumped at
the Site settled through the water column and
reached the sediments,
Laboratory Studies
* Because laboratory studies (Lavelle et aL,
1988) suggested that a fraction (<20%) of the
sludge could settle at rates in excess of 0.3
cm/s, EPA conducted a study (Hunt et aL,
1992) as part of the sediment trap program to
determine whether a rapidly settling
component of sludge could be observed
directly under the sludge plume shortly after
disposal. Results showed that some compon-
ents of sludge can settle at a rate on the order
of m/h. Estimated settling rates (18-180 m/h)
of large particles implied that these particles
were likely to reach the seafloor within 1-13
days of disposal. Laboratory studies indicated
that * 13-20% of the sludge may be
comprised of these large particles that are
likely to rapidly settle to the seafloor.
* Data from EPA laboratory settling rate studies
(Albro et aL, 1995; Borrner et al., 1992)
indicated that the bulk of sludge particles
settled at rates of 1-2 m/day* These rates are
too slow for this material to reach the seafloor
in the vicinity of or to the southwest of the
Site because water depths were generally
greater than 2000 rn and water advection
would remove the particles from the area
before they reached the seafloor.
« Using a 1:500 initial dilution, Bonner et al.
(1992) predicted that 85% of the sludge would
settle from the water column in 160 days
(Figure 3-7). At a dilution of 1:500,000,
more than 200 days passed before any sludge
reached the benthos. Under the latter
scenario, 95% of the sludge reached the
bottom in 1100 days (3 years).
H07: The concentration of sludge
constituents within the Site does not
exceed the limiting permissible
concentration or water quality criteria
4 h after disposal and is not detectable
in the Site 1 day after disposal.
Based on the results of surveys conducted at the
Site, sludge dumping at the rate of 15,500
gal/min resulted in violation of certain WQC
levels 4 h after disposal. Revised dumping rates
ensured that WQC were met at all times.
* Evidence from plume tracking studies
conducted in 1987 and 1988 (EPA, 1988;
1992g; Redford et al., 1992) showed that
3-10
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
-------
Results and Conclusions
25
X
uZ
3
20-
15 H
10-
5-
25
20-
15-
10-
a
100 120 140
G Mooring
Distance from 106-Mile Site (nml)
UPPER
MID
LOWER
Figure 3-4. Total LAB flux from the along-slope moorings. LAB flux decreased with distance from the
106-Mile Site,
(a) Mrst deployment period (May 1990 to November 1990)
(b) Second deployment period (November 1990 to June 1991)
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
-------
Results and Conclusions
m
O
c
V
DD
Qfi
o
td
13
03
O
O
C
o
I*J
u
to
H08:
30O
600
900
1200 1500
Time (days)
Figure 3-7. Fraction of dumped sludge reaching the sediments as
a function of time under various sludge dilution scenarios. The
curves represent various dilutions of the sludge, from Bonner
et at. (1992).
= 1:500
.. = 1:500,000
- 1:500,000 (discrete)
..... = 1:5,000,000
exeeedances of WQC for selected parameters
were occurring 4 h after disposal.
Samples collected from within the seasonal
pyenocline in the Site showed high
concentrations of selected metals that
approached or exceeded the EPA marine
WQC (EPA, I992h) during this period.
Vertical profiles of turbidity exhibited a
subsurface maximum situated within the
seasonal pycnocline. It could not be
determined if this particulate maximum
resulted from natural processes or was related
to the disposal activities. Specific monitoring
to determine if sludge could be found in this
particle maximum was inconclusive.
The concentration of sludge
constituents at the Site
boundary or in the area
adjacent to the Site does
not exceed the limiting
permissible concentration
or water quality criteria at
any time and is not
detectable 1 day after
disposal.
Exceedances of WQC at the Site
boundary were found during the
1987 and 1988 surveys. Dilution
processes generally decreased
concentrations to within two times
the background levels in less than 1
day.
Plume Tracking Studies
* Data from the plume tracking
operations (EPA, 1992g,h,i)
snowed that sludge may be
transported out of the Site within
a few hours of disposal and that
the transport may be in any
direction, depending upon the
local current regime at the time of
disposal. Data from the real-time
current meter indicated that at
least 90% of the time, surface
currents were strong enough to
transport sludge out of the
disposal Site within 1 day.
A 1988 EPA survey determined that, even
though plumes may be transported out of the
Site quickly, contaminant concentrations were
not generally elevated in this region (EPA,
1992i). As described under hypotheses H03,
H04, and H,,5, indications of sludge
contamination were found several kilometers
southeast and northwest of the Site during the
various studies. The strongest indications of
sludge in the area were associated with
turbidity peaks located above the seasonal
pycnocline.
3-12
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
-------
Results and Conclusions
* Studies conducted southwest of the Site in late
summer 1989 (Hunt et al., 1992) found
evidence of elevated turbidity and detectable
quantities of C perfringens in samples from
the surface and the pycnocline up to 40 tan
from the Site (Figure 3-8), However, WQC
for metals and organic compounds were not
exceeded in any of the samples. Concentra-
tions were no more than two times the
background for these samples (Hunt et al.,
1992). i 15 Meter Depth
39-4 ' K
39.2
38.2
-72,8 -72.6 -?2.4
39.4
39.2
39.0
0
2 38.8
38.6
38.4
38.2
-72.2 -72.0 -71.8 -71.6 -71.4
Longitude
35 Meter Depth
-72.8 -72.6 -72.4
-71.8 -71.6
-71.4
-72.2 -72.0
Longitude
Figure 3-8, Distributions of Gostridium petfringem
in surface water near the 106-Mile Site in October
1989. Elevated turbidity and detectable quantities of
C, perfringens were observed in samples from (a) the
surface and (b) the pycnocline up to 40 km from the
106-Mile Site.
H09: The disposal of sludge does not cause a
significant depletion in the dissolved
oxygen content of the water nor a
significant change in the pH of the
seawater in the area.
No depletion in the dissolved oxygen content of
seawater and no significant change in the pH of
the seawater were observed.
« No significant depression of the dissolved
oxygen content of seawater within plumes was
observed during the fall 1987 survey (EPA,
1992g). Following disposal, minor decreases
in dissolved oxygen were found within the
plumes. The observed depression of oxygen
was predicted by simple mixing models and
was not the result of depletion caused by
chemical or biological oxygen demand.
* The pH of seawater was not significantly
altered in any of the plumes surveyed during
the late summer of 1988 (EPA, 19921).
Evidence from the survey showed that the pH
of seawater was not detectably altered in two
of the three plumes surveyed. The pH in the
third plume decreased by =*0.2 immediately
following disposal and rapidly recovered to
ambient levels.
3.2.3 Short-Term Effects
H010: No significant biological effects in the
water column are measurable within
the Site within 1 day after disposal.
H.,11: No increase in primary productivity or
any changes in planktonic biomass or
species composition occurs,
H012: Sludge constituents do not accumulate
in the surface microlayer in the
vicinity of the Site.
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
3-13
-------
Results and Conclusions
No evidence of short-term
bioaccumulation of sludge constituents
by commercially important species or
important prey species found at or
adjacent to the Site will be found
within 1 day after disposal.
The data from the September 1988 survey (EPA,
19921) were used to evaluate the short-term
effects of sewage sludge disposal.
Water samples taken in sludge plumes were
toxic to sea urchin gametes from 0 to 3 h after
disposal, but not 4 h after disposal (Figure 3-
9). Sludge plumes were not observed to be
toxic to calanoid copepods collected at the Site
or to mysid shrimp 4 h after disposal.
« Observations of zooplankton and fish eggs for
generic abnormalities revealed no effects that
could be attributed to sludge. However, the
collection period was near the end of the
reproductive season, thereby limiting the
ability to determine effects.
100
The samples
collected for
zooplankton and
fish eggs
unexpectedly
contained floatable
debris, including
paper mulch, ear
balls, and plastic
pieces, pellets,
spherules, and
filaments. Ocean
disposal of such
debris is not
permitted. After
evaluating the
characteristics of
the material and
information on the
water masses in
the area at the
time of sampling,
EPA could not
the debris originated from sewage sludge or
was associated with a streamer of continental
shelf water intruding the Site. These results
provided feedback to Tier 1 monitoring
prompting EPA to initiate additional studies on
floatable transport. EPA Region II developed
methods for permittees to monitor floatable
debris in sludge.
3.3 Tier 3: Farfleld Fate
Tier 3 monitoring provided information about
the transport and fate of sewage sludge after
leaving the disposal site. The information was
needed to predict and measure any potential
transport of sludge constituents to shorelines,
fisheries areas, or other biologically sensitive
regions and to design studies of the long-term,
farfield effects of sludge disposal (Tier 4). The
null hypotheses H014 through 1^,17 addressed
Tier 3 monitoring.
~ 40
123
Time after disposal, h
Plume samnle -«- Control water
determine whether
Figure 3-9. Results from sea urchin fertilization tests conducted in October 1989.
Control waters were obtained approximately 10 nm (19 km) north of the 106-Mile
Site, Samples taken in sludge plumes were toxic to sea urchin gametes up to 3 h
after disposal, but not 4 b after disposal.
3-14
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
-------
Results and Conclusions
as
I
Bi
3
L_
H014: Significant amounts of sludge do not
settle beneath the surface mixed layer
outside the disposal site.
Evidence from the sediment trap program
showed that sludge settled below the surface
mixed layer outside the Site. Sludge was
detected in sediment traps located at 1000 m and
within 250 m of the seafloor to a distance of at
least 60 nmi (110 km) southwest of the 106-Mile
Site.
o.o
5.0-
4.0
3.5-
3.0
0.5-
0.0
2.5-
2.0-
1,5
1.0-
-40
-20
20
C
40
60
80
too
E F
Distance from 106-Mile SHe (nml)
- UPPER
MID
LOWER
Figure 3-10. Silver (Ag) flux from tbe moorings located along
the continental slope. Silver flux decreased with distance from
the 106-Mile Site during both deployment periods. Mooring I is
a control mooring upstream of the 106-Mile Site,
(a) First deployment period (May 1990 to November 1990)
(b) Second deployment period (November 1990 to June 1991)
During the sediment trap program, silver,
copper, lead, and chromium, and organic
compounds (LABs, sterols, and PAHs) were
found to be effective tracers of sludge fate,
and showed similar patterns and trends with
distance from the Site (Figure 3-6 and
Figure 3-10). Decreasing concentration and
flux gradients with increasing distance from
the Site were observed at all three trap depths
(Hunt etal., 1993). The highest flux of these
tracers was found at the moorings located
within 20 nmi of the Site; decreasing flux was
observed with distance from the
Site. Elevated concentrations of
metals and organic compounds were
found as far as 60 nmi downcurrent
of the Site.
The stable isotope ratios of
carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur were
also good tracers of the sludge.
Each of these tracers showed that
sludge was transported to depth in
the ocean and that the fraction of
sludge in the sediment traps
decreased with distance from the
Site (Figure 3-11) (Hunt et aL,
1993, 1995a; EPA, 1992n).
Isotope ratios from the three
moorings within 28 nmi of the
Site approached the isotopic ratio
of the sludge dumped at the Site.
Contaminant concentrations and
isotope ratios returned to
background levels at distances
greater than 60 nmi from the Site.
Relative to background
concentrations, the chemical
tracers in the sediment traps
downcurrent of the Site showed a
range in enrichment caused by the
sludge disposal (Hunt et aL,
1993). The maximum
enrichments were between 50 and
100 times the background for
silver and total LABs,
respectively. Maximum
enrichments factors for copper,
120 140
3 Mooting
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
3-15
-------
Results and Conclusions
0.50
a.30
g 0.10
a
-s,so
-100
CO
im
too
ago
1.80
§
i
0.50
g. 0.00
f ----
_J
8
t *
"
-100
-90
90
100
150
200
250
1.UC
fl.SO
tc
s
is
Z
° o.«o
S
m 0*0
z
u-
OJO
a^o .
c «
«
.
T
U
B
y
i SM^SSSSS^SS
1-
u
L U
I.
* l L
M t
U «& fa
M *
Uu
" U
. l M«NfeNI»»»81.t«»«
-100
-50
80 100
DISTANCE (KM)
150-
200
250
Figure 3-11. Fraction of sludge in sediment traps
from the vicinity of the 106-Mile Site based on the
stable isotope data. All trap from both deployment
periods are included in the data. All three isotopes
show that the fraction of sludge in the trap
decreases with distance from the 106-Mile Site.
Symbols indicate traps located in the upper (I)), mid
(M), and lowest (L) depths of the water column.
Values between light horizontal lines are typical of
marine participate matter. Those outside of these
lines are influenced by the sludge dumping,
(a) Carbon (b) Nitrogen (c) Sulfur
total PAHs, and coprostanol were 10-20 times
the background. By using the enrichment
factors, sludge was detected at distances as far
as 100 km from the Site.
H015a: Ocean currents do not transport
sludge to any adjacent shoreline,
beach, marine sanctuary, fishery, or
shellfishery.
H015b: Ocean currents do not transport
sludge onto the continental shelf.
Evidence from the satellite-tracked drifter
program, probability modeling, numerical
modeling, visitation frequency analysis, and
persistence analysis revealed that sludge is not
likely transported eastward of the shelf/slope
break.
Satellite-Tracked Drifter Studies
The drifters deployed during the satellite-
tracked surface-layer drifter program showed
that slope water did not cross the shelf/slope
front (Dragos, 1993; Burch et aL, 1993).
This strongly implies that sludge dumped at
the 106-Mile Site was not transported into
coastal areas along the eastern seaboard nor
to locations of significant fish and shellfish
harvesting (Figure 3-12). Drifters were
generally carried southwest from the Site- until
they reached the north wall of the Gulf
Stream. Once entrained in Gulf Stream flow,
the drifters moved rapidly eastward,
following the meanders and eddies of the
Stream as it carried them out to the north
mid-Atlantic (Dragos, 1993; Dragos et al.,
1995', Berger et al., 1995).
* A major oceanographic feature that could
affect sludge transport onto the shelf was
warm-core rings (Berger et at., 1995).
Warm core rings could only transport sludge
to the outer edge of the continental shelf
along a narrow strip (=» 20 nmi) running to
the southwest of the 106-Mile Site. Such
transport would account for less than 1 % of
the discharged sludge reaching this area
3-16
106-Mile Site Research end Monitoring
-------
Results and Conclusions
Figure 3-12. Trajectories of 66 satellite-tracked drifting buoys released at the 106-Mile Site between
October 1989 and October 1992 shown In the region of the Mid-Atlantic Bight. No drifters moved to the
continental shelf.
106-Mtte Site Research and Monitoring
3-17
-------
Results and Conclusions
(Churchill and Aikman, 1992; Churchill and
Aikman, 1995).
Sediment
* To the extent that C perftingens spores
behave as sewage sludge tracers, C.
perfringens data from sediments sampled in
1991 implied that spores dumped at the Site
were not deposited on the continental slope or
shelf but were deposited at least 100-150 km
to the southwest of the Site (figure 3-13),
indicating that sludge dumped at the Site did
not move onto the shelf (White et al,, 1993).
These data support the EPA sewage sludge
mass flux model (Burch et al, 1993) and the
Fry and Butman (1991) model which predict a
flux of «60 mg of sludge/m2/day at the Site,
decreasing to »25 and ~1 mg/m2/day at
distances of 50 km and 350 km, respectively,
to the southwest of the Site.
Sediment Trap Data
* For several tracers, transport of sludge
towards the continental shelf was evident at
depth («1000 m); however, transport onto the
shelf was not significant based on the sediment
trap data (EPA, I992n; Hunt et al, 1995a).
The only sludge tracer to show any significant
transport towards the continental shelf was
xylem tracheids (plant cells that conduct water
in plant stems used to track sewage
distribution). All other sludge tracer data
implied that sludge was transported primarily
in a southwesterly direction along the
continental rise. The maximum area of sludge
flux was located within 30-40 nmi of the Site;
a significant flux was measured at 60 nmi
from the Site, Evidence for sludge deposition
at distances as great as 120 nmi from the Site
was not clear from the sediment trap data,
* The sludge mass flux estimates (Figure 3-14)
resulting from the numerical sludge transport
model (Isaji et al., 1995) were in agreement
with previous simulations performed by Fry
and Butman (1991). Both models predict a
maximum seabed flux of « 60 mg/m2/day
southwest (downstream) of the Site,
decreasing to about 20 and 2 mg/m2/day at
distances of 50 km and 350 km southwest of
the Site, respectively. The material deposited
on the seabed was dominated by particles with
higher settling velocities and was confined to
the Slope Sea. Little material was predicted to
penetrate onto the shelf. Slower settling
particles tended to be transport to the Gulf
Stream off Cape Hatteras and generally exited
the study area. Similar results were achieved
using large-scale three-dimensional circulation
models (Patchen and Herring, 1995).
Modeling Studies
Probability modeling and visitation frequency
analysis showed that a small fraction of the
slowly settling sludge could be transported
towards the continental shelf (ChurcMll and
Aikman, 1995). This transport is likely
associated with slope water intrusions within
the seasonal pyenoeline and transport was
found to be confined primarily to depths
below the surface mixed layer. The
conditions under which currents could
transport sludge to the continental shelf
occurred at a low frequency and were of short
duration.
* Persistence analysis showed that the likelihood
of sludge transport towards the continental
shelf and Hudson River Canyon area was
small (Hunt et al., 1993). On-shelf flows
were generally episodic and of short duration
particularly when compared with the transit
time required to move sludge onto the shelf
and into the Hudson River Canyon area.
The sludge mass flux estimates resulting from
the numerical sludge transport model (Isaji et
al., 1995) predicted that little material would
penetrate onto the shelf.
H016a: Recirculation of slope water through
the 106-Mile Site is not significant.
Recirculation of slope water through the 106-
Mile Site was not determined to be significant.
5-15
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
-------
Results and Conclusions
40°
39° ~
38°
Figure 3-13. dostridiumperfringens spores dog number g"1 dry weight) in the top 0,5 cm of sediment.
The depositional footprint demonstrates a clear C. perfringens signal extending at least 100-150 km to the
southwest of the Site and covering a total area of «104 km2. The rectangle delineates the area of the 106-
Mile Site. From White et a/. (1993).
106-MUe Site Research and Monitoring
3-19
-------
Results and Conclusions
39N
38N
37N
/ yj,;>v
.glCgMUg.
VALUES AT
MOORING
mg/mSq/doy
A 57.9
166.4
186.7
117.1
100.6
21.4
2.3
540.6
.0
,0
36N
75W 74W 73₯ 72W
Figure 3-14a, Estimated sewage sludge mass flux (mg/nrVday) at a depth of 100 m during the first
deployment period. The EPA mooring sites are noted by letters enclosed in circles.
* The drifter studies (Dragos, 1993; Dragos et
al., 1995) clearly showed that recirculation
through the Site did occur, primarily as part
of the gyre-like circulation that constitutes the
long-term flow pattern of currents in the upper
layers (0-1000 m) of the water column in the
western Slope Sea (Csanady and Hamilton,
1988).
* Between 20 to 30% of the current flow
through the Site appeared to recirculate, with
an average recirculation time near 2 months
(EmchetaL, 1993). Shorter period
recirculations (with periods on the order of
one week) also occurred in association with
warm-core rings that passed through the Site,
However, model and mass balance estimates
indicated that sludge concentrations in
recirculated water were well below existing
background concentrations for suspended
solids or sludge chemical contaminants of
concern. The highest potential concentrations
occurred when a warm-core ring occupied the
Site for 15 days, when potential maximum
3-20
106-Mile Stie Research and Monitoring
-------
Results and Conclusions
39N -
38N -
37N -
VALUES AT
MOORING
m g/m Sq/d ay
A 27.2
88.4
114.7
38.3
49,2
18.9
5.9
168.9
.0
.0
36N
75TT 74W 73W 72W
Figure 3-14b. Estimated sewage sludge mass flux (mg/itf/day) at the seabed during the first deployment
period. The EPA mooring sites are noted by letters enclosed in circles.
sludge concentrations in recirculated water
could reach an approximate level of 20 ppb, a
valoe that is still ten times less than the
existing ambient background suspended
particle concentrations.
H016b: Concentrations of sludge constituents
dumped at the 106-Mile Site that are
associated with any recirculatmg
slope water do not exceed EPA
chronic marine water quality
standards*
No direct measures for sludge constituents in
recirculatmg water were made. However,
concentrations of metals and other chemicals at
reference sites to the northeast of the Site did not
show any abnormal concentrations between 1987
and 1989. Furthermore, modeling studies
showed that long-term accumulations of sludge
in the western Slope Sea would not result in
detectable concentrations of sludge constituents
above the existing ambient background levels.
Thus, no exeeedenees of marine WQC were
expected.
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
3-21
-------
Results and Conclusions
H017a: Significant amounts of sludge
particles do not settle to the seafloor
in the vicinity of the Site or in the
region predicted as a plausible
settling region.
Sludge-derived particles and associated
contaminants were found to settle to the seafloor
in significant amounts in areas southwest of the
106-Mile Site. Evidence from both the sediment
trap program and sediment samples collected in
and near the Site showed that sludge reached the
seafloor southwest of the Site but not on the
continental shelf.
* Measurement of the stable isotopes of
nitrogen, carbon, and sulfur hi organic matter
collected by the sediment traps consistently
" indicated that the stable isotope ratios were
shifted away from values typical of marine
organic matter and towards those of the
sewage sludge. The shift was most evident
immediately west of the 106-Mile Site, but
was detectable within 60 km to the southwest
of the disposal Site, hi addition, sewage
sludge tracer data consistently indicated that
an area within 30 nmi southwest of the Site
received the maximum flux of sludge
components (and by extension deposition)
(EPA, 1992n; Hunt eta!., 1993; 1995a).
Detectable levels of sludge constituents were
consistently found at least 60 nmi southwest of
the Site and 110 nmi southwest of the Site
through measurement of organic contaminants
(Hunt et al, 1993). Transport of the sludge
in the cross-slope direction was confined to a
relatively narrow distance («20 nmi),
* Van Dover et aL (1992) measured stable
isotope ratios in opportunistic organisms
collected in the vicinity of the Site and
concluded that sewage-derived organic matter
had reached the seafloor and entered the
benthic food web as a result of consumption
by surface deposit feeders such as the sea
urchin E. afftrds.
At the broadest level of evaluation and
interpretation, all of the sewage sludge tracers
measured during the sediment trap program
showed similar patterns and trends with
distance from the Site and across the rise
(EPA, 1992n). The decreasing gradients (at
all three depths) for both tracer concentration
and flux with distance from the Site
(Figure 3-6 and Figure 3-10) indicated that a
fraction of the sludge dumped at the Site
settled through the water column and reached
the sediments (Hunt et al,, 1993; 1995b).
Estimates of the amount of sludge reaching the
seafloor varied among the sludge tracers; the
highest fraction reaching the sediments was
estimated for total LABs, total PAHs, and
lead; it was estimated that about 30% of these
tracers released at the Site were deposited on
the seafloor. The tracers silver and copper
showed the lowest total deposition of 5 and
10%, respectively. The fraction estimated to
reach the seafloor was independent of the
settling rate scenario used to mode] the
depositional footprint of the sludge.
H017b: Organic, inorganic, and bacterial
contaminants that are present in
sewage sludge discharged at the 106-
Mile Site do not measurably increase
concentrations of contaminants in the
sediment within the expected
dispersion area or reference areas.
Sediment studies found that the concentrations of
organic and inorganic contaminants increased in
the area immediately to the southwest of the
Site. Broad-scale regional increases in
contaminants in the sediments were not evident
and the observed patterns did not reflect
projected distributions based on modeled
deposition patterns. Distribution of the sewage
tracer C. perfringens showed a distinct pattern to
the southwest of the Site, similar to modeled
sludge deposition patterns. Although broad-scale
background concentrations of C. perfringens
were evident, locally elevated concentrations
were associated with offshore transport of
anthropogenic materials. Transport of
contaminants and bacterial indicators onto the
3-22
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
-------
Results and Conclusions
continental shelf was not detected. The levels of
some contaminants In the sediments near the Site
decreased within one year of the cessation of
sludge dumping,
Bothner el al (1991; 1994) found that the
general distribution of sewage sludge tracers
in sediments near the 106-Mile Site agreed
with predictions of Fry and Butman (1991),
The distribution of silver, C perfringens,
coprostanol, and LABs indicated that sludge
particles were reaching the seafloor hi
measurable quantities immediately west of the
Site, Elevated concentrations of silver hi
surficial sediments were found as far as 38 Ion
west of the Site. The maximum value (0,57
ppm) was 16 times higher than in the control
area sediments.
« Concentrations of C. perfringens in the
sediments southwest of the Site (Figure 3-13)
(White et al, 1993; Draxter et al., 1995)
were elevated and showed a pattern similar to
modeled sludge deposition patterns (Figure 3-
14). The counts of C. perfringens in sediment
samples collected within and to the southwest
of the 106-Mile Site were significantly
elevated (P<0.01) compared with reference
stations of similar depth, topography, and
distance from the continental shelf; this
indicated that the benthic environment was
contaminated by sewage dumping at the Site
(Em&aL, 1993; White etal, 1993), Low
counts of C. perfringens hi sediment samples
collected at stations between the base of the
continental shelf and the Site indicated that
coastal runoff was not a significant source of
contamination. Elevated counts (up to two
orders of magnitude) were observed in
sediment samples as far as 150 km to the
southwest of the Site. Low counts were
obtained for samples from stations to the east
of the 106-Mile Site. This distribution is
consistent with projected patterns of sludge
dispersal based on previous model predictions,
and indicated that sludge was accumulating to
the benthic environment and encompassed an
area of ** 1Q4 km2.
» Concentrations of PAHs, PCBs, and silver in
sediments collected immediately west (within
10 km) of the Site were elevated in the upper
0.5 cm of the sediments in October 1991
(Draxler et al., 1995) (Figure 3-15). The
areas of the high contaminant concentrations
were generally small and did not show the
gradients observed for C. perfringens or
tracers from the sediment trap program.
Elevated levels of other contaminants were not
found hi the vicinity of the Site or hi the
southwest direction,
« Analyses of sediments collected from the
continental shelf did not reveal significant
concentrations of sludge-related contaminants
(Draxler et al, 1995). The distribution
patterns observed for the contaminants
generally suggested other sources or transport
histories in these areas. Notable were high
contaminant concentrations in the Hudson
Canyon which were associated with high
concentrations of organic carbon and sewage
tracers, suggestive of shoreward sources.
« A July 1992 re-sampling and analysis of
sediments from the areas sampled in 1989
found that concentrations of silver, PAHs, and
PCBs remained elevated near the 106-Mile
Site (Lamoureux et al., 1995).
Concentrations of these contaminaflts were
similar to those measured in 1989. However,
LAB concentrations were one-half to one-third
of the concentrations reported in 1989, and
concentrations were depleted relative to silver
in the sewage sludge and sediment trap
material. These data suggested that LABs
were being degraded and that some transport
of the deposited sewage sludge was occurring.
Extensive sampling in the heads of submarine
canyons along the entire mid-Atlantic shelf
from the Baltimore Canyon to Georges Bank
between 1990 and 1992 found evidence of
contaminant and sewage tracer inputs to the
outer continental shelf (Cooper, 1993; Baker
etal., 1992; Small etal, 1991; Sawyer et
al, 1995). However, gradients towards the
106-Mile Site were not evident and sources
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
3-23
-------
Results and Conclusions
38
Figure 3-I5a, Elevated contaminant concentrations in surface sediments were found near the HHJ-Mile
Site. High-molecular-weight PAHs.
3-24
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
-------
Results and Conclusions
38° -
Figure 3-lSb. Elevated contaminant concentrations in surface sediments were found near the 106-Mile
Site. PCBs,
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
3-25
-------
Results and Conclusions
Figure 3-lSc, Elevated contaminant concentrations in surface sediments were found near the 106-Mile
Site, Ratio of silver to aluminum (Ag/Al).
3-26
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
-------
Results and Conclusions
could not be linked to sewage sludge disposal
at the 106-Mile Site. The increased
concentrations were suspected to result from
offshore transport of contaminants and
atmospheric inputs.
3.4 Tier 4: Long-Term Effects
Tier 4 studies assessed whether there were long-
term effects from sludge disposal at the 106-Mile
Site. Studies conducted under Tier 4 included
endangered species observations at sea; surveys
of midwater fish for evidence of bioaccumulation
of chemical contaminants; surveys of epibenthic
organisms for cytocbrome P-450E enzyme
induction; histopathological/biochernical
analyses; assessments of icMiyoplanktoii;
evaluations on the prevalence of chitinoclasia
shell disease, metals, and organic contaminants
in commercial fish species, red crabs, and
lobsters; and evaluation of benthic and
microbiological community structure, and
fisheries landtags. Hypotheses H018 through
H029 evaluate the possibility of such effects on
major groups of living marine resources,
H018: Sludge constituents have no significant
long-term effect on the distribution of
endangered species in the vicinity of the
Site.
No apparent adverse effects to endangered
species were observed. Observations suggested
that the Site was in the migratory route for
endangered species, but was not in a breeding or
nursery ground,
* From the onset of monitoring through 1989,
EPA included trained observers of marine
mammals, reptiles, and birds on.all surveys
related to the 106-Mile Site. The observers
recorded the presence, number, and behavior
of all species of marine mammals, reptiles, or
birds sighted along the survey track. Data
from sighting made between 1985 and 1989 in
the potential area of influence are presented in
Table 3-3. Two endangered and threatened
mammals, the fin and the sperm whale, were
sighted. Only two of three endangered and
threatened turtle species, the leatherback and
the loggerhead turtle, were sighted.
Numerous dolphins and unidentified whales
were also observed, Seabirds were observed
during every survey (EPA/NOAA, 1992).
Details of marine mammal, turtle, and seabird
sightings are described hi EPA (1992c).
Based on observations of marine mammals,
turtles, and birds identified in the vicinity of
the Site and downcurrent of the Site, sludge
disposal had no apparent effects on endan-
gered species. Comparing data from surveys
before the start of sludge dumping (Payne et
aL, 1984) through 1989 did not show any
change in the endangered species data.
H019: Sludge constituents do not accumulate
in the tissues of commercially
important species resident in the
shelf/slope areas adjacent to the Site.
Data from studies of, commercially important
species collected in the continental shelf/slope
canyons indicated that sludge dumping at the
106-Mile Site was not the prune source of
chemical contamination found in these species.
* Concentrations of metals in the muscle of
tilefish (L. chamaeleonticeps), the only
commercially important deep-water finfish in
the mid-Atlantic Bight, collected between 1990
and 1992 in Hudson, Lydonia, and Atlantis
Canyons, were generally low, often below
detection limits (NOAA, 1992),
Concentrations were generally higher in liver
tissue than in muscle. No clear patterns were
evident to the north and south of the 106-Mile
Site (Steimle et al., 1995). The metal
concentrations found during this study were
similar to those reported for the tilefish in
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
3-27
-------
Results and Conclusions
Table 3-3, Sightings of mammals, turtles, and seabirds in the 106-Mile Site area of potential influence.
Date
1986
22-27 httg, 15-20 Sep
1987
7-24 M
29 Aug5 Sep
1988
1-5 Mar
9-20 Sep
1989
18-30 Oct
Number of Sightings
Mammals
4 fin whales
131 dolphin spp,
6 sperm whales
4 fin whales
1 Balaeonptera spp.
538-792 dolphin spp.
3 fin whales"
14 additional cetaceans'
2 sperm whales
7 fin whales
1 whale spp,
101 dolphin
3 large whales Spp.
287 dolphin spp.
Turtles
Seabirds'
1985
6-16 Nov
9-19 Nov
2 fin whales
260 dolphin spp.
907 dolphin spp.
0
0
11
17
8 leatherback
1 loggerhead
0
12
12
3
0
0
5
8
2 leatherback
12
"Species of birds observed,
Two fin whales were observed near the 106-Mile Site; one was observed within the boundaries of the Site,
'Includes bottlenose dolphins and pilot whales.
these canyons from 1981 to 1982, before
sludge was dumped at the 106-Mile Site,
The concentrations of organic contaminants in
tilefish were lower than the other megafaunal
finfish analyzed from other collections
(NQAA, 1992), Total mean pesticide
concentrations to liver ranged from 0.4 to 0.7
ppm; total PCB concentrations were similar.
In all samples of tilefish muscle,
concentrations of pesticides and PCBs were
lower than 0.2 ppm and were not higher in the
1990-1992 period than in the 1981-1982
period (Figure 346). Individual pesticides
and DDT compounds were found in higher
concentrations to the north of the 106-Mile
Site (Steimle et al, 1995). No evidence was
found that linked sludge disposal at the 106-
Mile Site to the pesticide concentrations.
Samples of lobster {H. americanus)
hepatopancreas collected in 1990-1992 from
submarine canyons between New York and
Virginia had concentrations of total pesticides
ranging from 0,12 to 14 ppm and PCB
concentrations between 0.75 and 3,5 ppm;
lowest concentrations were found in Lydonia
Canyon lobsters and highest concentrations
3-28
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
-------
Results and Conclusions
Total pesticides
Total PCBs
Lydonia
Canyon
Hydrographer
Canyon
Atlantis
Canyon
Hudson
Canyon
Toms
Canyon
Wilmington
Canyon
0.6 0.5
0.4 0.3 0.2
ppm dry wt
0.1
0.2
0.4 0.6
ppm dry wt
0.8
Figure 3-16. Mean concentrations of total pesticides and total PCBs in tilefish
livers collected from various canyons between 1990 and 1992.
Benthie metabolism,
as measured by
oxygen consumption
rates of the
sediments, was
elevated in areas
known to receive
sewage sludge.
Changes in the
bacterial and benthic
community
structures in and
near the 106-Mile
Site were noted
during several
studies. There were
no apparent impacts
of sludge disposal on
the benthic
communities in the
heads of canyons on
the outer continental
shelf or on the
deepwater demersal
fish community.
were in lobsters from Norfolk Canyon
(NOAA, 1992). Total mean pesticide
concentrations ranged from 0,75 ppm in
lobsters from Lydonia Canyon to 2.7 ppm in
lobsters from Norfolk Canyon. A comparison
of organic chemical contamination of
hepatopancreas from lobster with and without
shell disease revealed no significant
differences among sampling sites or between
healthy and diseased animals (Figure 3-17).
* Contaminant levels in the edible tissue and
hepatopancreas of red crabs sampled between
1990 and 1992 from the heads of submarine
canyons (700 m) on the continental shelf did
not identify any gradients related to sludge
disposal at the 106-Mile Site (Feeley, 1993;
Cooper, 1993).
H020: Benthic metabolism, populations,
and/or communities do not change
significantly because of sludge disposal.
Benthic Metabolism
» In 1992, sediment oxygen consumption was
elevated by more than a factor of two
southwest of the Site, in the area predicted to
receive the highest deposition of sludge
relative to reference areas (Sayles era/.,
1995). A decreasing gradient in oxygen
consumption rates extended 95 km to the
southwest of the Site (Hgiire 3-18). Relative
to references areas unimpacted by sewage
sludge disposal, the higher consumption rates
are indicative of additional input of organic
carbon to the sediments and subsequent
oxidation by natural processes.
Relative to the reference area sediments, the
aerobic zone in the sediments near the Site
was reduced by one-half to one-third (from
«6 cm to 2-3 cm depth).
* In 1993, one year after disposal stopped, the
oxygen consumption rates near the 106-Mile
Site returned to background levels. The
106-MUe Site Research and Monitoring
3-29
-------
Results and Conclusions
1.5 -
5*
J -
0.5 -
LYDON1A
HUDSON
TOM'S
Canyons
BALTIMORE
NORFOLK
LYDON1A
HUDSON
TOM'S
Canyons
BALTIMORE
NORFOLK
LVDONJA
HUDSON
BALTIMORE
TOM'S
Canyons
I Non-Diseased Samples Diseased Samples
NORFOLK
Figure 3-17. Total mean concentrations of (a) DDTs, (b) chlorinated pesticides, and (c) PCBs in lobster
hepatopancreas by sample site. There were no significant differences in contaminant concentrations
among sampling sites or between healthy and diseased animals. LC = Lydonia Canyon; HC = Hudson
Canyon; TC = Tom's Canyon; 1C = Baltimore Canyon; NC = Norfork Canyon.
3-30
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
-------
Results and Conclusions
-20
a.Sludge Max Dive 2551-1 b, SQkmSW Dive 2554-1
2551-1,1
2551-1.2
2551-1.3
Reference
80
-0.2
-20
'0
20
40
60
80
"I i ' ' "Pl( ' | i i i i i IT
2554-1.1
2554-1.2
2554-1,3
Reference
-1--L I 1 . I I | . 1 1 . I l I 1 I I
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0,8 1 1.2 -0.2 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8' 1 ' 1.2
e,95kmSW Dive 2555-2
_/JQ | . ;, | , , ' , , i i i | i i I | I , I | i l i
-20
E
E
P 20
Q.
-------
Results and Conclusions
decreased rate of oxygen consumption was
attributed to oxidation of the organic matter.
The half life for the carbon added to the
sediment of this environment was estimated at
3-6 years. In addition, one year after disposal
stopped, the depth of the aerobic zone in
sediments immediately adjacent to the Site
returned to depths typical of reference areas.
* In 1993, oxygen consumption rates remained
elevated 95 km from the Site (Figure 3-19).
Along-slope transport of sediments towards
the southwest may also have been responsible
for the continued high consumption rates at
the 95-km distance.
Use of the stable isotope ratios of carbon,
nitrogen, and sulfur as tracers of sewage-
derived organic material, indicated that
sludge reaches the seafloor and enters the
benthic food web through the grazing activity
of the sea urchin E. affinis, an opportunistic
deposit feeder attracted to aggregations of
plankton-derived organic material (Van Dover
etal, 1992).
Deep-Sea Benthic Studies
» Two species of polychaete worm, not found
previously in continental slope and rise
sediments, were abundant at locations west of
the Site (Bothner and Grassle, 1992; Grassle,
1991b). The presence of these species was
attributed to the input of organic carbon from
sludge disposal. Other results from this
benthic study were not available at the time
that this summary report was prepared (mid
1995),
The polychaete community apparently changed
in response to the increased sludge content of
the bottom sediments. Although the sludge
accumulation rates southwest of the Site were
low (60 mg/inz/day), the estimated influx of
sludge represents only a doubling of the rate
at which organic material reaches the seafloor
(Grassle, 1991a).
Canyon Benthic Studies
Extensive video surveys at a depth of 700 m
showed that the community structure and
species abundances in the outer continental
shelf canyons were consistent (Cooper et al.,
1992), Also, the behavior and habitat
associations of the animal populations in the
canyons were consistent and did not appear to
be affected by sludge dumping.
Deep-Sea Bacterial Community Study
The autochthonous bacterial community in the
near-bottom waters at the Site was replaced by
a bacterial community that was poorly adapted
to the in-situ conditions (Straube et al, 1991).
The bacterial community of the Site contained
few cold-adapted species when compared with
the bacterial community at a reference site.
Bacterial growth was strongly inhibited by the
in-situ hydrostatic pressure (250 atm) at the
Site.
Canyon Bacterial Community Studies
* Between 1990 and 1993, sediment samples
from the 200- to 700-m depth in the Hudson
Canyon were tested for bacterial indicators of
sewage sludge. All 24 sites sampled were
positive for Clostridium perfringens, the
concentrations of which ranged from 540 to
28,000 spores per 100 g sediment (Sawyer et
a/., 1995). Three species of Acanthamoeba
were found at one or two sites each year.
Three other genera of cyst-forming amoeba
were also found, but less often. The data
indicate that this region of the Hudson Canyon
had received sewage wastes but the data did
not reveal whether sewage sludge disposal at
the 106-Mile Site was directly responsible.
Demersal Fish Community Study
* The community structure of demersal fish
collected in 1990 and 1991 was similar to the
community sampled between 1973 and 1978
(Musick etal., 1995). Species richness,
dominant species, numerical abundance
3-32
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
-------
Results and Conclusions
a. Sludge Max Dive 263E-1
b.SOkmSW Dive 2636-2
-40
o 2632-1.1
n E632-12
0 2632-13
Reference
-20
[r I 1 j
O Z636-2.1
D E6S6-2.2
0 E636-2.3
-t Reference
f 20
jZ
<*-<
D.
S 40
60'
80
-0.2 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 -0.2 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2
r* /r" r* /r
^f\+3^Q UX/LX.Q
c. 95kmSW Dive 2637-1
_^Q | I I ."[' 1 I I | "I I I i I'l 1 '] I
-20
0
1 20
Q.
o 40
60
80
I
O ZC37-1.1
O 2637-1J
i Reference
100
-0.2 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8
1.2
Figure 3-19. Sediment oxygen profiles sampled in the vicinity of the 106-Mile Site in 1993 did not show
the gradient observed in 1992.
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
3-33
-------
Results and Conclusions
(Figure 3-20), and depth
distributions were similar
during both sampling
periods. No significant
differences in biomass were
found among stations near
and downstream of the Site.
Changes in the demersal fish
community resulting from
sewage sludge disposal at die
106-Mile Site could not be
detected.
H021: Sludge disposal has no
effect on the sensitive
eggs and larval stages
of indigenous animals.
i -
NUMERICAL ABUNDANCE
Historical Data
O Tlecent Data
**
o
I
10
~T~
20
_r~
30
r
40
H022: Sludge disposal has no
measurable long-term
Impact on offshore plankton.
These hypotheses were not directly addressed by
EPA between 1988 and August 1990, and they
were not evaluated by EPA or NOAA between
August 1990 and October 1991. In the absence
of extensive long-term sampling, effects on
plankton communities are difficult to assess.
EPA and NOAA resources were focused on
issues that were more directly related to
contaminants in marine resources and effects on
human health.
* Data from the sediment trap program (Hunt et
al., 1993) suggested, but could not
demonstrate, that the sludge may have affected
primary production in surface water.
H023: Pathogen or biological tracers of
sewage sludge do not Increase in the
water column or biota as a result of
sludge disposal.
Tracers were confirmed in the water column
both inside and outside die 106-Mile Site. The
concentrations of these substances were below
the concentrations found in the sludge. No
02468
DEPTH toxJOO)
Figure 20, Comparison of historical demersal fish abundance to
abundance during sludge disposal found no significant changes (from
Mustek et a/., 1995).
follow-up studies were conducted to determine
whether virulent contaminants survived in sludge
plumes.
* During the October 1991 survey (Hunt et al.,
1992), the spatial distribution of C.
perfringens indicated heterogeneity in the
distribution of the spores and suggested that
the discharge of sludge does not result hi a
general area-wide increase in sludge-related
bacteria. Rather, the C. perfringens
distribution appeared to be related to specific
dumping events and the physical transport of
the surface water within the Site that received
the sludge,
C, perfringens data confirmed the movement
of the sludge to the southwest of the Site,
Elevated C. perfringens counts occurred at a
number of stations removed from the Site
(Figure 3-8; Hunt et al., 1992). Detectable
concentrations were found in near-surface
waters (to 35 m) at locations as far as 4 km
downstream of the Site and in samples
collected below the pycnocline.
Between 1990 and 1993, bottom water
samples collected from the 200- to 700-m
60
3-34
106-Mtte Site Research and Monitoring
-------
Results and Conclusions
depth in the Hudson Canyon were tested for
bacterial indicators of sewage stodge. Water
from 14 of 24 sites contained the marine
ciliate Uronema sp. and cyst-forming flagellate
H. obovata which could only be cultured in
freshwater media. Identification of these
species further supported the input of sewage
to the area but could not identify the 106-Mile
Site as the source.
H.,24: There are no detectable differences in
the body burdens of sludge
contaminants in midwater fishes in the
immediate vicinity of the 106-Mile Site
compared to a broad area surrounding
the dumpsite.
Evidence from EPA and NOAA midwater fish
and plankton analyses did not reveal any
significant broad-scale differences in body
burdens of sludge contaminants related to
geographical distribution. However, occasional
elevation of some metals to the myctophid
Benthosema glacials and in plankton material
from the western boundary of the Site suggest
short-term exposure to sludge,
Midwater Fish Studies
Body burdens of PCBs and pesticides were
low, but detectable, in fish belonging
primarily to the families Myctophidae (lantern
fish) and Sternoptychidae (hatchet fish) from
stations within, to the northeast of, and to the
southwest of the Site, and from a reference
site to the Sargasso Sea (EPA, 1992r). These
data were insufficient to determine whether
the contaminants originated from sludge or
from one of the other possible sources.
Concentrations of metals in fish tissues
suggested that one Myctophidae species
collected within the Site concentrated several
metals that are also found in sludge
(Zdanowicz et al, 1990).
« In 1990, the distribution of metal
concentrations in midwater fish collected by
NOAA showed elevated levels of individual
metals in fish from isolated stations scattered
over a large area. However, the elevated
concentrations could not be directly attributed
to the sludge dumping (NOAA, 1992). More
than one-half of all lead measurements were
below the detection limits. Detectable
concentrations of silver, cadmium, copper,
lead, zinc, mercury, and iron were lower than
some values measured at the NOAA stations
during the preliminary study in 1989.
* Midwater fish and their prey in the area
southwest of the 106-Mile Site were collected
during the August 1991 midwater fish survey
conducted by NOAA. Samples of plankton,
collected by Bongo tows and stomach-content
analysis of fish from the same stations,
provided prey information. Significantly
elevated concentrations of metals were found
in specimens from several stations located on
the western boundary of the Site (Figure 3-21;
Zdanowicz ef al., 1995). Higher
concentrations farther southwest were not
observed. The high values detected in fish
near the Site were thought to result from
injection of particles and plankton that were
high in metal concentrations (Figure 3-22) but
that were later depurated. Definitive linkage
of the high concentrations of metals in fish to
sludge dumping could not be made and any
increases in concentrations were thought to be
temporary.
Zooplankton Studies
Concentrations of metals in zooplankton
samples from the vicinity of the Site were not
highly elevated relative to the concentrations
in other areas, and showed little evidence of
contamination due to sludge dumping (NOAA,
1992).
Concentrations of organic contarninants were
lower in zooplankton than hi midwater fish
and ranged from concentrations that were
below detection limits to the low ppb range.
There was no apparent similarity in the
distribution of contaminants in zooplankton and
fish. Statistical analysis suggested that the
concentrations of organic contaminants for a
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
3-35
-------
Results and Conclusions
B. glaciate
Cu
L. dofleini
Cu
293024233!2S28322S2?33J3f2f1 7 S S
30242325283226273313(211 765
Zn
Zn
2930242331252832262733131211 765
302423252832262733131211 7 6 5
Fe
160
2930242331252832262733131211 7 6 S
STATION
Fe
160 r
30 24 23 25 28 32 26 27 33 13 12 11 7 6 S
STATION
August 1991
Figure 3-21, Metal concentrations in midwater fish species collected in 1991 showed sporadic elevations
(from Zdanowicz et ($> 1995).
3-36
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
-------
Results and Conclusions
Cu
PLANKTON
August 1991
302924233125283226273313121J 765
Zn
Q.
Q.
800
600
400
200
30292423312S2832262733131211 765
Fe
E 4
IB ^
w
I3
CL
Q.
3029242331252832262733131211 765
STATION
800
M
3
E-
T3
E
STA 13
12
Cu
8/7 8H1 «M 8/14 8/fl 8/14
Zn
8/7 8/11 8/14 8/14 8/11 8/14
Fe
8/7 8/11 8/14 8/14 8/11 8/14
DATE SAMPLED
11
figure 3-22. Metal concentrations in phytoplankton collected in 1991 showed sporadic elevations (from
Zdanowicz et al., 1995).
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
3-37
-------
Results and Conclusions
given species of fish did not vary significantly
from one station to another (NOAA, 1992).
H025: The prevalence of shell disease
exhibited by commercially important
crustaceans is not significantly different
in collections of commercially valuable
American lobsters and red crabs, off
New Jersey, adjacent to and
downstream from the 106-Mile Site,
from those in collections off Georges
Bank and southern New England.
An extensive data set for chitinoclasia shell
disease hi lobsters and red crabs resident on the
continental shelf and canyons suggested that this
disease was common to all populations sampled.
Prevalence of chitinoclasia shell disease was
significantly different in lobsters collected from
areas of potential sludge influence. A definitive
cause-and-effect relationship could not be
established for the 106-Mile Site because of the
likely influence from other sources, notably the
former 12-Mile Site. No cause-and-effect
linkage could be established between sludge
dumping the 106-Mile Site and incidence of
shell disease in red crabs.
Commercial Catch Inspection
« Examination of more than 15,000 lobsters
collected from 9 canyons for signs of
chitinoclasia revealed that 7.9% of the
population had lesions (Ziskowski et aL,
1995). Occurrence of shell lesions was
independent of carapace length, although
female lobsters were more affected than
males. Disease prevalences in female lobsters
from areas potentially affected by sludge
dispersion were significantly higher than
lobsters from areas outside of this potential
influence and statistical analysis suggested
that female lobsters from the canyons most
likely to be influenced by dumping at the
106-Mile Site had a higher prevalence of
disease. An equally strong relationship for
the former 12-Mile Site was also found.
Because of this, a cause-and-effect
relationship to disposal operations at the 106-
Mile Site could not be established.
NOAA NMFS Groundfish Survey
Results from commercial catch inspections
were supplemented with data collected by
NOAA NMFS in 1990 (fall) and 1991 (spring
and fall) during groundfish surveys at shelf
stations north of the area influenced by the
Site. Of the 460 specimens examined, shell
lesions were only found in 6% (NOAA,
1992), which was not statistically different
than for the commercial catch observations.
Commercial Catch Observer Program
* From January 1989 to December 1991,
observations of chitinoclasia prevalence and
severity in lobsters collected from fish trawls
and pots on the continental shelf between the
Gulf of Maine and Virginia(Figures 3-23 and
3-24) indicated that disease prevalence was
low; 2.6% (20 of 764 specimens) of lobsters
caught in trawls and 1.8% (62 of 3420
specimens) of lobsters caught in pots were
affected (Wilk et aL, 1995).
Figure 3-23. 106-Mile Site chitinoclasia study
locations of lobster pot hauls containing American
lobsters (Homams americanus) with positive
pathology.
3-38
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
-------
Results and Conclusions
Figure 3-24. 106-Mile Site chitinoclasia study
location of lobster pot tows containing American
lobsters (Homarus americwus) with positive
pathology.
Red Crab Study
» Red crabs collected from 14 sites on the
continental shelf break showed high incidence
of shell blackening (95% of medium-size male
crabs). The incidence ranged from 67 to
100%. On a scale of 1 to 5, the mean
severity index was 2.54 and ranged from 2 to
3.3. No significant trends were found
between the incidence of the disease and
distance from the 106-Mile Site (Feeley, 1993;
Feeley etal, 1991; Cooper, 1993).
Body burdens of trace metals,
polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons
(PAH), and polychlorinated biphenyls
(PCBs) and pesticides are not
significantly different in collections of
commercially valuable American
lobsters and red crabs, off New Jersey,
adjacent to and downstream from the
106-Mile Site, from those in collections
off Georges Bank and southern New
England.
Sludge dumping at the 106-Mile Site did not
adversely affect the contaminant levels in these
two commercially valuable species.
Lobster Study
« Trace metal concentrations in commercially
valuable lobster collected from submarine
canyons on the continental margin were low
(NOAA, 1992). Organic contaminants were
also found in low concentrations with no
significant differences between sampling sites.
Comparison with historical data indicated that
concentrations did not change significantly
between 1982 and 1990.
Red Crab Study
* Concentrations of contaminants in red crabs
(Ctwceon quinquidens), collected in an area
from Baltimore to Georges Canyon, were
highly variable among the individuals
collected from each site, masking any inter-
site variation (Baker etaL, 1992). Total
PCB concentrations in hepatopancreas tissue
ranged from 28 to 1452 ng/g-wet. When the
contaminant concentration was correlated 'with
tissue Hpid content, it was suggested that
physiological variations among the crabs were
responsible for the extremely variable
concentrations of contaminants.
Metal and PCB concentrations in large male
red crabs from the West Hudson Canyon were
not significantly higher than in Veatch
Canyon, areas west of Veatch Canyon, or
Baltimore Canyon (Feeley, 1993). Arsenic
and zinc concentrations were significantly
higher in Baltimore Canyon compared with
Veatch Canyon. Only arsenic and mercury
concentrations increased with animal size.
The increased metal concentrations could not
be related to sludge dumping at the 106-Mile
Site.
H027: There is no difference in the chemical
body burdens in American lobsters and
red crabs showing evidence of shell
disease and lobsters and crabs without
substantial shell disease manifestations.
106-Mile SUe Research and Monitoring
3-39
-------
Results and Conclusions
No significant differences were observed in the
organic contaminant concentrations of lobsters
with and without shell disease. The incidence of
shell disease hi male red crabs was correlated to
copper to the hepatopancreas and to mercury in
muscle tissue.
* During the period of August 1990-1991,
concentrations of total pesticides hi
hepatopancreas of lobsters from submarine
canyons between New York and Virginia
ranged between 0.12 and 14 ppm, and PCB
concentrations ranged between 0.75 and
3.5 ppm. A comparison of organic chemical
contamination of hepatopancreas from lobsters
with and without shell disease revealed no
significant differences among sampling sites or
between healthy and diseased animals (NOAA,
" 1992). Analysis of selected lobster muscle
showed very low concentrations of
contaminants hi edible tissues.
* Metal concentrations hi lobster collected from
the commercial fishery were apparently not
related to the presence or absence of disease
(NOAA, 1992). Concentrations in muscle
tissues were low, often below the level of
detection, except for mercury, which reached
a concentration of 3.5 ppm (dry weight) hi
one specimen. In hepatopancreas tissue, mean
concentrations of cadmium, copper, and silver
were much higher, reaching values as high as
82.0, 1939, and 15.5 ppm (dry weight),
respectively.
Concentrations of copper in male red crab
hepatopancreas were positively correlated with
shell disease and size of the individuals
(Feeley, 1993). Similarly, mercury
concentrations hi crab muscle tissue were
significantly correlated with shell disease.
H028: Body burdens of sludge-related
contaminants in epibenthic megafauna
are not detectably different in animals
found in the vicinity of the 106-Mile
Site and from those animals found in
reference areas.
Evidence from NOAA studies indicated that
body burdens of sludge-related contaminants in
epibenthic megafauna were not different hi
animals collected from different areas.
Steinhauer et al. (1995) determined that the
organic and inorganic tissue contaminant
concentrations in six bottom fish (three blue
hake, Antimora rostrata; two grenadier,
Coryphaenoides aramatus; and one cutthroat
eel, Synaphobrachus kaupf) collected near the
Site were similar to those found previously
along the eastern North Atlantic continental
slope. In liver, arsenic, zinc, and copper
were all elevated compared to the other
elements. In muscle tissue, arsenic and zinc
were found at much higher concentrations than
other elements measured (silver, cadmium,
lead, copper, and mercury). PCB and DDT
(as DDT, DDE, and DDD) were found hi all
samples. Concentrations of PAHs were
negligible in all samples. No significant
differences hi contaminant concentrations were
observed between fish caught at the northern
boundary of the Site and those caught 10 nmi
east of the Site. Elevated levels of hepatic
cytochrome P4501A were detected in
grenadiers and in the cutthroat eel, but not in
the blue hake. None of the fisn examined had
any histopathological lesions of the type
normally associated with chronic or severe
exposure to chemical contaminants.
* Concentrations of metals hi the tissue and
livers of 13 species of deep-water finfish
(more than 600 individual fish) and 2 species
of shrimp (128 individuals), collected in 1991
and 1992 from areas within the potential
influence of sludge dumping at the 106-Mile
Site, were consistent with previously reported
concentrations hi similar organisms in other
regions of the world (Sennefelder et al.,
1995). Few instances of elevated metals were
found and no pattern of metal concentrations
relative to distance from the 106-Mile Site
could be identified.
The level of organic contaminants in
individual megafaunal specimens varied
3-40
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
-------
Results and Conclusions
widely (NOAA, 1992), however, clear
association between the levels of organic
contaminants and disposal at the 106-Mile Site
could not be established.
The distribution or abundance of the
dominant commercially exploited
fisheries is not influenced by sludge
disposal at tbe 106-Mile Site.
Effects of sewage sludge disposal cannot be
excluded as factors measurably affecting fishery
resource abundance and composition. Data are
inadequate to determine whether natural causes,
fishing pressures, sludge disposal, other
unknown factors, or a combination of factors
were responsible for the observed population
fluctuations,
Species abundances of silver hake (Merlucdus
bitinearis), red hake (Urophycis chuss),
summer flounder (Paralichthys dentatus),
goosefish QLophius americanus), and black sea
bass (Centropristis striata) declined
significantly over temporal and spatial (north
to south) scales during the period that sludge
was disposed at the Site (Chang, 1993). The
cause of the reduced abundance of these
species was unclear; natural factors may have
been responsible for fluctuations in the
population.
106-Mtte Site Research and Monitoring
3-41
-------
-------
4.0 SITE MANAGEMENT
Throughout the history of sludge disposal at the
106-Mile Site, EPA, NOAA, and the USCG
adhered to Federal, state, and local statutes and
regulations that govern disposal of the sludge in
the ocean, A substantial amount of Federal,
state, and local funds was spent to ensure that
the environment was protected, that disposal was
conducted within the conditions established by
die ocean dumping regulations and disposal
permits, and the fate and effects of the sludge
were determined. This section highlights
significant Federal management actions that were
completed during the period that the 106-Mile
Site was used for sludge disposal. A summary
of management actions relative to various
statutory, regulatory, and permit conditions, and
recommendations for future researchers and
managers relative to large multidisciplinary
monitoring programs are presented.
4.1 Summary of Management Actions
4.1.1 Tier 1 Management Actions
Waste Characteristics
In 1989, EPA evaluated the type of
measurements, reporting frequency, and data for
sludge characteristics monitoring established in
1984. This evaluation determined that the data
and reporting requirements were inadequate and,
as a result, new program-specific requirements
for sludge characteristics monitoring were
developed. These requirements were included as
part of the permits issued for sewage sludge
disposal in August 1989. These new permit
conditions required modified sampling methods
and required that all analyses be conducted under
EPA-approved quality assurance plans. The
revised permits specified the analytical methods,
method detection limits, number and type of
parameters to be monitored, frequency of
monitoring, and quality control requirements.
The direct linkage of sludge quality to sludge
disposal rates provided EPA with a tool for
frequent adjustment of the sludge disposal rates
in response to changes in sludge quality. In
addition, identification of specific sludge tracers
resulted in further sludge characterization
necessary to ensure that appropriate data were
available for the studies being conducted under
Tiers 3 and 4.
Disposal Operations
In response to concerns of short dumping at the
Site and public concerns over sludge transfer in
the Harbor, EPA determined that surveillance of
all dumping activities was necessary. As a
result, a cradle-to-grave manifest, seal system,
and shiprider program was established. This
program supplemented the ODSS established by
the USCG and focused on the activities within
the Harbor. These surveillance procedures were
effective in identifying violations to the ocean
dumping regulations and permit conditions.
Permit conditions specified allowable dumping
rates and designated tracMines for dumping.
From August 1989 through 1992, EPA reviewed
the sludge characterization data submitted by the
permittees and adjusted disposal rates at the 106-
Mile Site as necessary to ensure that the
requirements of the ocean dumping regulations
were met. Administrative penalties of $445 ,OOO
were assessed as of October 1991 for violations
106-MUe Site Research and Monitoring
4-1
-------
Site Management
of permit conditions with settlements exceeding
$214,000.
4.1,2 Tier 2 Management Actions
NearfieM Compliance
During the period from 1988 through 1990, the
results from nearfield-fate monitoring established
that, under the conditions initially set for sludge
disposal (i.e., a dumping rate of 15,500
gal/min), concentrations of sludge constituents
frequently did not meet regulatory requirements.
As a result, the permittee dumping rates were
lowered to ensure that WQC were met at all
times and that levels of pathogens in the water
column were reduced.
Short-Term Effects
Because floatable debris was discovered in
plankton samples collected in 1989, an increased
effort to assess the sources of this material was
initiated. Also, more stringent requirements for
monitoring this material were imposed on the
sewerage authorities.
4.1.3 Tier 3 and Tier 4 Management Actions
Management actions under Tiers 3 and 4 of the
joint Monitoring Plan specifically included
implementation of the 106-Mile Site monitoring
program in response to the ocean dumping
regulations and the specific requirements of the
ODBA, Because ocean dumping of sludge was
stopped in 1992 by Federal statute, no specific
long-term management actions relative to the
Site were necessary. However, the results of the
monitoring program summarized in the previous
sections of this report were adequate for EPA
and other responsible agencies to make informed
decisions regarding the continuation of sludge
disposal at the Site. Furthermore, the results
have added significantly to the understanding of
many issues related to the transport, fate, and
effects of sewage sludge disposal in deep-water
environments. The data developed under this
monitoring program and the conclusions drawn
have also contributed meaningful information
towards improved understanding of the transport
processes affecting the fate of sludge disposed in
the ocean. Thus, the information returned
during the program provides a significant data
set that is invaluable for evaluating any future
requests for ocean disposal of similar wastes.
As required by the ODBA, the overall program
effectively implemented both traditional and
state-of the-art monitoring methods during the
assessment of fate and effect. Effective
integration of the 106-Mile Site monitoring
program with other ongoing monitoring and
research programs was also achieved.
Several components of the program clearly
demonstrated that sewage sludge was not
transported across the continental shelf and that
sludge did not reach the coastal beaches or
important areas for commercial fisheries. The
monitoring program also provided considerable
insight into the frequency and prevalence of
chitinoelasia shellfish disease in the greater New
York Bight region, and was able to demonstrate
that sewage sludge disposal at the 106-Mile Site
did not influence the prevalence of this disease.
4.2 Recommendations
The following set of recommendations was
derived from the various technical and
4-2
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
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Site Management
management actions undertaken during the 106-
Mile Site monitoring program. These
recommendations provide future researchers and
managers with a summary of the lessons learned
from the monitoring program. The
recommendations will hopefully benefit future
studies of this type so that future programs are
even more effective in addressing waste disposal
management.
The successes of the 106-Mile Site monitoring
program overall, and specifically the sediment
trap program, can be attributed to the early use
of all available information regarding the
physical oceanographic regimes near the Site and
all available sludge transport models. Placement
of the sediment trap moorings was nearly ideal
and cost-effectively confirmed the transport of
the sludge. The data set was sufficiently robust
to allow evaluation of tracer-specific transport
behavior and identification of possible secondary
processes associated with the sludge transport.
The use of satellite communications systems and
remotely acquired data effectively contributed to
the understanding of surface ocean processes and
demonstrated that the sewage sludge did not
reach the shorelines of the region. Clearly,
inclusion of such technology in future programs
is warranted, if the issues being addressed by a
monitoring program require this approach.
Although the overall monitoring program was
highly successful, several aspects of the program
could have been improved. Suggested
improvements are discussed below.
The ability to provide unequivocal estimates of
sludge loading to the Site was hindered by the
lack of consistent, frequent, and long-term data
on specific sludge parameters that were found to
be useful sludge tracers. Therefore, early
identification of chemical and physical attributes
which can be used as specific and unique tracers
to the waste is imperative. These tracers must
be measured using methods that provide accurate
quantification and must be measured at
frequencies sufficient to accurately determine the
variability in the waste. This is necessary to
better define the endmember concentrations, to
better predict fate, and to better provide mass
balance estimates. Specific recommendations for
characterization studies that would have
improved the 106-Mile Site monitoring program
include more complete evaluations of the size-
specific particle settling rates and fractions
within the sludge, characterization of the tracer
concentrations within the various particle size
classes, earlier identification of unique sludge
tracers, and acquisition of more frequent data to
address the time varying concentrations of
specific tracers in the sludge.
In addition, the 106-Mile Site monitoring
program was not designed to address potential
secondary effects such as changes in primary
production induced by nutrients in the sludge nor
the potential beneficial results of such
inducements. Specifically, the stable isotope
results from the sediment trap program
suggested that the sludge disposal may have
affected cycling of paniculate matter in the
receiving waters downstream of the Site. This
type of effect can occur in spite of compliance
with concentration-based WQC because the
ecological responses in the receiving waters are
more likely to be flux driven than concentration
driven. Thus, future monitoring programs
should consider potential cumulative impacts of
106-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
4-3
-------
Site Management
the constituents of the waste material and
significant ecological processes that might
influence the transport and fate or effects (both
positive and negative) of the material. If such
effects are thought to be important, the
monitoring program should include specific
hypotheses related to the issue and design studies
to address these potential secondary effects.
Finally, if sludge disposal at the 106-Mile Site
had not stopped, continued monitoring of the
fate and effects of the sludge would have been
required. The data generated during the 106-
Mile Site monitoring program suggested farmer
monitoring activities might include additional
source characterization studies, additional
modeling efforts incorporating the improved
source characterizations, and collection and
analysis of sediment from the areas of predicted
sludge deposition. The consistency of the model
predictions with the sediment trap program
results suggested that continued cost-effective
monitoring could have been accomplished
through a sampling grid incorporating an
increasing distance between the stations with
increasing distance from the Site, This design
would allow locating sampling stations in critical
regions while controlling the number of samples
required to confirm the model transport and fate.
The analytical chemistry component of future
monitoring could have focused on a suite of
selected tracers mat address the range in the
expected particulate/seawater partitioning.
Continued analysis of stable isotopes in the
sludge and receiving environment (sediment)
could have effectively addressed changes in the
benthic environment and addressed influences of
other oceanic processes affecting the region
{e.g., resuspension and off-shelf transport of
particles).
4-4
206-Mile Site Research and Monitoring
-------
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