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May 15, 1998
Management Strategy for Contaminated Sediments Released
On May 6, EPA issued its final Contaminated Sediment Management Strategy, a key action item under the Clean Water Action Plan. The Strategy sets forth a work plan describing EPA's long-term approaches to assess, reduce, and prevent further risks posed by contaminated sediments in many watersheds. The strategy does not propose new regulation or discuss the cleanup of specific sites, but is a guidance document only. It describes, in general terms, approaches available to the Agency to accomplish four goals: 1) continued control of sources of sediment contamination, such as through permits; 2) reducing the volume of existing contaminated sediments (consideration of remediation alternatives); 3) ensuring proper management of dredged materials; and, 4) developing scientifically sound tools, such as testing methods. The strategy is designed to ensure Agency-wide consistency, under a number of federal laws, in sediment testing, evaluation, research and remediation.
The Contaminated Sediment Management Strategy is comprised of six component sections: assessment, prevention, remediation, dredged material management, research, and outreach. In each section, EPA describes actions that the Agency intends to take to accomplish the four broad strategic goals.
In the prevention section, EPA proposes the use of acute sediment toxicity tests to support registration of chemicals under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), and the evaluation of chemicals under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). EPA also proposes: considering sediment contamination as a factor in determining which industries should be subject to new and revised effluent guidelines; using pollution prevention policies to reduce or eliminate sediment contamination resulting from noncompliance with permits; developing guidelines for design of new chemicals to reduce bioavailability and partitioning of toxic chemicals to sediment; and implementing point and nonpoint source controls to protect sediment quality.
In the remediation section, EPA proposes using multiple statutes (CERCLA, RCRA, CWA, TSCA, the Rivers and Harbors Act, and the Oil Pollution Act), to require contaminated sediment remediation by parties responsible for pollution. EPA describes its commitment to continue to work with the Corps of Engineers in the dredged materials management section, to ensure that dredged materials are managed in an environmentally sound manner.
In the research section, EPA proposes a program of investigative research that is needed to: develop and validate chemical-specific sediment criteria and other sediment assessment methods; improve EPA’s understanding of the transfer of sediment contaminants through the food chain; and develop and evaluate a range of technologies for remediating contaminated sediments.
The outreach section describes actions that EPA intends to take to demonstrate, through public involvement, its commitment to and accountability for sediment management efforts. EPA plans to produce, and make available to the public, status reports on sediment management activities as part of the biennial updates of the National Sediment Quality Survey Reports. These reports are an inventory of contaminated sediment sites, which EPA implemented in January 1998.
The complete Contaminated Sediment Management Strategy may be obtained by calling 1-800-490-9198; It may also be viewed or downloaded from the Internet at: http://www.epa.gov/ost.
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