United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Department of the Army
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
EPA 823-F-98-005
February 1998
Office of Water (4305)
x-xEPA
FACT SHEET
INLAND TESTING MANUAL (ITM)
INTRODUCTION
The Inland Testing Manual (ITM) contains up-to-date
procedures to implement requirements in the Clean
Water Act (CWA) Section 404(b)(l) Guidelines for
evaluation of potential contaminant-related impacts
associated with the discharge of dredged material in
fresh, estuarine, and saline (near-coastal) waters.
Formally titled "Evaluation of Dredged Material
Proposed for Discharge in Waters of the U.S. - Testing
Manual," it was prepared by a joint Environmental
Protection Agency/Corps of Engineers (EPA/CE)
Workgroup. In 1991, EPA and CE revised an Ocean
Testing Manual ("Evaluation of Dredged Material
Proposed for Ocean Disposal - Testing Manual") for
evaluation of potential contaminant-related impacts
associated with the discharge of dredged material in the
ocean, under the Marine Protection Research and
Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA). The ITM is patterned after
this manual.
The ITM Addresses:
• contaminant-related impacts associated with
discharges of dredged material resulting from
navigational dredging (or dredging activities of
essentially the same character as navigation
dredging, such as open water discharges of dredged
material excavated from a soft-bottom flood control
channel or reservoir) in open water disposal areas.
• contaminant-related impacts to waters of the U.S.
associated with dredged material runoff from
confined disposal areas.
The ITM Does Not Address:
• impacts associated with the dredging activity itself.
• impacts associated with dredged material discharges
resulting from excavation of drainage ditches and
landclearing.
impacts associated with the discharge of fill
material. However, where dredged material
associated with navigational dredging will be
discharged in open water as fill, the procedures of
this manual are applicable (e.g., the construction of
an underwater berm using dredged material).
THE ITM
is a new document
contains up-to-date procedures
provides a national framework
allows for regional flexibility
BACKGROUND
Sediments may contain contaminants which, if
bioavailable, can cause adverse environmental effects
and, in some cases, affect human health. Dredged
material disposal activities may release or redistribute
these contaminants. The vast majority of disposal
activities occur in inland and near coastal waters. The
ITM sets forth national technical guidance (which
replaces a 1976 guidance manual) for evaluating
potential contaminant-related impacts from dredged
material discharges in such waters.
In 1994, a draft of the document was distributed for
public comment. A Notice was published in the Federal
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Register announcing the availability of the draft
document for review and copies were sent to Federal and
State agencies, port authorities, environmental
organizations, and other interested parties. Public
meetings were also held in 1994 to discuss the document
in Boston, MA, Arlington, VA, Atlanta, GA, San Jose,
CA, Seattle, WA, Chicago, IL, St. Louis, MO, and
Houston, TX. Altogether, about 2,000 copies of the
draft testing manual were distributed. Comments
received through the public review process, including
those from EPA's Science Advisory Board, were used to
shape the final document. Many individuals and groups
provided useful and insightful recommendations
throughout the ITM development process and their time
and effort is greatly appreciated. Modifications were
made in the final ITM, where appropriate, based on
these comments. A copy of the comments, and EPA's
response, is available for review at EPA's Water Docket
(202-260-3027).
SCHEDULE
It is the intent of the Corps and EPA that the ITM be
phased in over the next 18 months in accordance with
the schedule detailed in a CE/EPA "Implementation
Memorandum" that will accompany the ITM. As per the
Federal Register notice announcing the availability of the
ITM, a copy may be obtained by contacting:
Inland Testing Manual Mailing List
c/o Mr. Thomas Patin
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Waterways Experiment Station
3909 Halls Ferry Road
Vicksburg,MS39180-6199
The ITM is also available on Worldwide Web at the
Corps Dredging Operations Technical Support home
page at: http://www.wes.army.mil/el/dots/, or at EPA
web site http://www.epa.gov/OST/pubs/ITM.html.
PURPOSE
The ITM provides a national testing framework which
comprises one element of an overall decision-making
process for determining whether dredged material can be
discharged into CWA Section 404 waters. The ITM is
intended to provide for consistency between dredged
material evaluations under CWA and MPRSA. In
recognition of the importance of site- and situation-
specific concerns, regional flexibility in implementation
and application is allowed within this national
framework.
DESCRIPTION
The ITM uses a tiered testing approach as shown in
Figure 1 and described below.
Figure 1 Overview of ITM Tiered Testing
Approach
Tier I - Involves an examination of existing information
to determine (1) whether or not there is "reason to
believe" that the material needs to be tested for potential
adverse effects, and (2) identification of any
contaminants of concern relative to testing in later tiers.
Material may be excluded from further testing if there is
reasonable assurance that (1) it is not a carrier of
contaminants, or (2) it is adjacent and similar to the
disposal site material, and dispersal of the discharge can
be controlled. Some limited testing may be necessary to
confirm such exclusions.
Tier II - Is concerned solely with sediment and water
chemistry. Tier II provides useful information through
screening tools, but not all possible determinations can
be reached at this tier. It presently consists of (1)
measuring dissolved contaminants, (2) evaluation of
state Water Quality Standard (WQS) compliance using
a numerical mixing model, and (3) an evaluation of
theoretical bioaccumulation potential for nonpolar
organic chemicals.
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Tier III - Employs well-defined, nationally accepted
bioassays including: (1) water column laboratory
toxicity tests, (2) whole sediment laboratory toxicity
tests, (3) whole sediment bioaccumulation tests.
Appropriately sensitive organisms are recommended,
including benchmark species for evaluating the
sensitivity of regional species. Summaries of test
conditions and test acceptability criteria for all
recommended bioassay species are also provided.
Toxicity testing emphasizes acute responses, generally
survival. Water column toxicity evaluations consider
mixing of the dredged material at the discharge site.
Benthic bioaccumulation testing provides for the
determination of bioavailability through 28-day
exposure tests. Tier III testing will usually provide
sufficient information for use in the overall decision-
making process for compliance with the Guidelines.
Tier IV - Will only be used in special cases, where
results from tests in earlier tiers are insufficient to
determine the potential adverse effects of the material to
be discharged. Tier IV, like Tier III, uses toxicity and
bioaccumulation tests, however: (1) toxicity tests may
involve field (rather than laboratory) exposures, different
end-points (e.g., chronic rather than acute), different
species, or longer laboratory exposures; (2)
bioaccumulation tests may involve field (rather than
laboratory) exposures using transplanted or resident
organisms, or longer laboratory exposures. Tier IV can
also include benthos studies.
Reference Sediment - Provides the point of comparison
for evaluating the potential effects of dredged material.
Testing requirements in the Section 404(b)(l)
Guidelines regarding the point of comparison for
evaluating proposed discharges of dredged material are
being updated to provide for comparison to a "reference
sediment" as opposed to sediment from the disposal site.
Because discharges at a disposal site could impact the
point of comparison for future discharges at that site,
adoption of a reference sediment that is unimpacted by
previous discharges of dredged material will result in a
more scientifically sound evaluation of potential
individual and cumulative contaminant-related impacts.
This change to the Guidelines was proposed in the
Federal Register in January 1995, public comments have
been received, and a final rule Notice is being prepared.
Our agencies expect that the final rule will be published
prior to the first phase-in date for ITM implementation,
August 1, 1998, and as a result the reference sediment
approach will be implemented in the ITM. Revised text
for the ITM will be added as necessary to reflect the
final rule.
THE ITM INCLUDES:
Statutory and Regulatory Background
Scope and Applicability
Overview of Testing and Evaluation
Technical Guidance
Sampling and Analysis
Physical and Chemical Evaluations
Bioassays (Toxicity and
Bioaccumulation)
Quality Assurance/Quality Control
Evaluation of Discharges from
Confined Disposal Facilities
Evaluation of Mixing
Statistical Methods
Identification of Ammonia Toxicity
SUMMARY
The ITM is intended to provide greater national
consistency in the (1) testing process, and (2) level of
environmental protection, both among regions of the
U.S. and between inland and ocean waters.
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