r/EPA
OCEAN DUMPING AND DREDGED MATERIAL MANAGEMENT
There are two primary
federal environmental
statutes governing
dredged material
disposal:
The Marine Protection,
Research, and Sanctuaries
Act (MPRSA, also called the
Ocean Dumping Act) governs
transportation for the
purpose of disposal into
ocean waters.
The Clean Water Act (CWA)
Section 404 governs
discharge of dredged or fill
material into U.S. coastal and
inland waters.
EPA and the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers share
responsibility for
regulation of dredged
material:
The Corps issues permits
under the CWA and MPRSA.
EPA has the lead for
establishing environmental
guidelines/criteria that must
be met to receive a permit
under either statute.
Permits for ocean dumping
of dredged material are
subject to EPA review and
concurrence. CWA permits
for dredged material
discharge are subject to EPA
review and veto, if EPA's
environmental guidelines are
not met.
EPA is responsible for
identifying recommended
ocean disposal sites.
EPA and the Corps are
jointly responsible for
management and monitoring
of ocean disposal sites.
In 1972, Congress enacted the Marine Protection,
Research, and Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA), also known as
the Ocean Dumping Act, to prohibit the ocean dumping
of material that would unreasonably degrade or endanger
human health or the marine environment.
WHAT TYPE OF MATERIAL IS
PERMITTED TO BE DUMPED
INTO THE OCEAN?
Virtually all material ocean dumped
is uncontaminated dredged material
(sediment) removed from the
bottom of waterbodies to maintain
navigation channels and docks.
Other materials that are dumped
include vessels, fish wastes, and
human remains.
HOW IS OCEAN DUMPING
REGULATED?
Ocean dumping cannot occur unless
a permit is issued under the MPRSA.
In the case of dredged material, the
decision to issue a permit is made by
the Army Corps of Engineers, using
EPA's environmental criteria and
subject to EPA's concurrence.
For all other materials, EPA is the
permitting agency.
EPA is also responsible for
designating ocean dumping sites for
all types of materials.
HOW ARE MATERIALS
EVALUATED FOR OCEAN
DUMPING?
EPA's ocean dumping criteria
require consideration of
environmental impact of the
dumping; the need for the dumping;
the effect of the dumping on
aesthetic, recreational, or economic
values; and the adverse effects of
the dumping on other uses of the
ocean.
Dredged materials, as well as other
materials proposed for ocean
disposal, must undergo a series of
tests and evaluations to determine
whether they meet EPA's
environmental criteria for ocean
dumping.
The testing and evaluation
procedures are designed to protect
against toxicity and bioaccumulation
that may adversely impact the
marine environment or human
health, and to produce information
about the potential for these effects
efficiently and reliably.
No permit may be issued unless
there is enough information to make
a scientifically sound determination
that the ocean dumping will not
unreasonably degrade human
health or the environment.
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HOW ARE OCEAN DUMPING SITES MANAGED
AND MONITORED?
Ocean dredged material disposal sites are
required to have a site management and
monitoring plan.
Management of ocean dumping sites involves
regulating the times, quantity, and
characteristics of material dumped at the site,
and establishing disposal controls, conditions,
and requirements to avoid or minimize potential
impacts to the marine environment.
Sites are monitored to ensure that dumping will
not unreasonably degrade or endanger human
health or the environment, to verify that
unanticipated adverse effects are not occurring
from past or continued use of the site, and to
ensure that permit terms are met.
EPA's Ocean Survey Vessel Bold assists in
identifying appropriate locations for ocean dump
sites and in monitoring the impacts of regulated
dumping at those sites.
> rvA - ** -
HOW CAN WE REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF
DREDGED MATERIAL DUMPED IN THE
OCEAN?
Decreasing the amount of material produced is
one approach. For example, sediment managers
and watershed managers can coordinate to
control sediment erosion and movement in a
watershed to decrease the amount of
sedimentation in navigation channels.
Removing the need for disposal is another
approach. Dredged material is a valuable
resource that can be used for a variety of
beneficial uses, including wetland restoration,
beach nourishment, shoreline construction, and
habitat creation.
HOW CAN I OBTAIN MORE INFORMATION?
Visit our website at
www.epa.gov/owow/oceans/regulatory/dumpdred
ged/dumpdredged.html.
Contact the Oceans and Coastal Protection
Division at 202-566-1200.
Office of Water
Office of Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. (Mail Code 4504T), Washington, D.C. 20460
EPA-842-F-05-001d
October 2005
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