SMARM 2010 related documents - Latest guidance for DMMP dioxin sampling and testing:
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
What is the Process for Determining if Dredged Material can be Dumped in Open Water?
Stakeholder input was received in the summer and fall 2007 through a questionnaire, public meetings and technical workshops. The input received for the DMMP agencies consideration for the development of revised interpretive guidelines for dioxins was summarized in the DMMP Dioxin Analysis of Stakeholder Input report as described above. The DMMP agencies have deliberated on the input received, as well as each DMMP agency's legal and regulatory context. Due to the technical, legal, and policy level complexity of dioxins and challenges associated with balancing various objectives a proposal for a revised framework is still under development.
A number of alternatives are under consideration to determine the suitability of dredged material containing dioxin (and dioxin-like compounds such as PCBs) for unconfined, open-water disposal. However, there are few dioxin/furan or PCB congener data for Puget Sound outside of certain Superfund and MTCA cleanup sites. Therefore, it is currently difficult to evaluate the practical, economic, environmental, and regulatory consequences of these alternatives.
As a result, the agencies have determined that additional sampling is needed to provide data on concentrations of dioxins/furans and PCB congeners in Puget Sound which would be a useful set of information for inclusion in the DMMP program deliberations. In addition, data collected will have utility for other programs such as cleanup programs (CERCLA/MTCA) and the Puget Sound Partnership. To assure timely progress towards realization of the procedures, the DMMP intends to complete this sampling by September 2008, and have results available to the agencies mid-winter. The DMMP Agencies are committed to having a proposal for interpretive guidelines that is as clear as possible, and includes public input, by the 2009-2010 dredge season.
Dredging suitability determinations regarding dioxins will be made in the interim on a case-by-case basis, using a disposal-site-specific, background-based evaluation method, similar to that used in 2006 at the Anderson/Ketron disposal site. More information on the interim approach can be found here.
Link to Army Corps of Engineer page
A number of alternatives are under consideration to determine the suitability of dredged material containing dioxin (and dioxin-like compounds such as PCBs) for unconfined, open-water disposal. However, there are few dioxin/furan or PCB congener data for Puget Sound outside of certain Superfund and MTCA cleanup sites. Therefore, it is currently difficult to evaluate the practical, economic, environmental, and regulatory consequences of these alternatives.
As a result, the agencies have determined that additional sampling is needed to provide data on concentrations of dioxins/furans and PCB congeners in Puget Sound which would be a useful set of information for inclusion in the DMMP program deliberations. In addition, data collected will have utility for other programs such as cleanup programs (CERCLA/MTCA) and the Puget Sound Partnership. To assure timely progress towards realization of the procedures, the DMMP intends to complete this sampling by September 2008, and have results available to the agencies mid-winter. The DMMP Agencies are committed to having a proposal for interpretive guidelines that is as clear as possible, and includes public input, by the 2009-2010 dredge season.
Dredging suitability determinations regarding dioxins will be made in the interim on a case-by-case basis, using a disposal-site-specific, background-based evaluation method, similar to that used in 2006 at the Anderson/Ketron disposal site. More information on the interim approach can be found here.
Link to Army Corps of Engineer page
Monday, December 6, 2010
New Interim Guidelines for Dioxin in Puget Sound (Unclassified)
The DMMP agencies, in coordination with the Puget Sound Partnership, have approved new interim guidelines for dioxin in dredged material disposed in Puget Sound. An announcement of the guidelines, which includes links to the guidelines themselves and responses to comments received following the 2010 Sediment Management Annual Review Meeting (SMARM), can be found at: http://www.nws.usace.army.mil/PublicMenu/Menu.cfm?sitename=DMMO&pagename=Dioxin_Work_Group
Based on the comments received after the SMARM, the following modifications were made to the agency proposal:
1) In response to concerns expressed by the tribes and others regarding potential impacts to shellfish harvesting areas from disposal of dredged material at the dispersive sites, at least some dioxin testing will be required for most projects utilizing those sites. In addition, a fate and transport modeling study will be conducted to see what, if any, sediment might be transported to Discovery Bay, Protection Island and Port Gamble Bay following disposal at the Port Townsend or Rosario Strait sites. Depending on the outcome of this study, the expanded dioxin testing requirement may be retained or dropped.
2) In response to concerns expressed by the ports that the guidelines were too prescriptive, the automatic triggering of bioaccumulation testing for dredged material exceeding the 10 parts-per-trillion upper screening level was eliminated. Screening level exceedances will be addressed on a case-by-case basis.
The process to revise the dioxin guidelines began in 2007. The agencies have received feedback through various venues, including questionnaires, public meetings, workshops and SMARM comments. In crafting the revised guidelines, the DMMP agencies have strived to comply with existing regulations and to protect human health, while being mindful of potential economic impacts. We believe the revised guidelines meet these goals.
The DMMP agencies want to emphasize that the revised guidelines are being implemented as new interim guidelines. The SMS/MTCA integration effort continues and rule revisions may very well affect the new interim guidelines. The DMMP agencies stand ready to incorporate those changes.
Based on the comments received after the SMARM, the following modifications were made to the agency proposal:
1) In response to concerns expressed by the tribes and others regarding potential impacts to shellfish harvesting areas from disposal of dredged material at the dispersive sites, at least some dioxin testing will be required for most projects utilizing those sites. In addition, a fate and transport modeling study will be conducted to see what, if any, sediment might be transported to Discovery Bay, Protection Island and Port Gamble Bay following disposal at the Port Townsend or Rosario Strait sites. Depending on the outcome of this study, the expanded dioxin testing requirement may be retained or dropped.
2) In response to concerns expressed by the ports that the guidelines were too prescriptive, the automatic triggering of bioaccumulation testing for dredged material exceeding the 10 parts-per-trillion upper screening level was eliminated. Screening level exceedances will be addressed on a case-by-case basis.
The process to revise the dioxin guidelines began in 2007. The agencies have received feedback through various venues, including questionnaires, public meetings, workshops and SMARM comments. In crafting the revised guidelines, the DMMP agencies have strived to comply with existing regulations and to protect human health, while being mindful of potential economic impacts. We believe the revised guidelines meet these goals.
The DMMP agencies want to emphasize that the revised guidelines are being implemented as new interim guidelines. The SMS/MTCA integration effort continues and rule revisions may very well affect the new interim guidelines. The DMMP agencies stand ready to incorporate those changes.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Evaluating Management Options for the Disposal of Dredged Materials
ABSTRACT: "This paper presents a screening framework that evaluates management options for the disposal of dredged sediments on the basis of chemical and toxicological characterization tests. The paper provides a combined brief overview of disposal options for dredged sediments and relevant testing, together with simplified decision rules for the feasibility of each option. The framework provides for two stages of assessment.
In Stage I, disposal in open waters is evaluated based on the combination of results from chemical and toxicological analyses, supplemented by physical characteristics of sediments. For sediments that do not meet requirements for open-water disposal, Stage II evaluates the suitability of disposal in landfills or in confined facilities, upland and underwater. Decisions in Stage II are facilitated by well established effluent criteria applied to ambient water and wastes admitted to landfills, as well as by calculations estimating the impact of sediment contaminants to the vicinity of the subaqueous confining structures.
The application of the decision-making methodology is demonstrated using test results from sediment samples from Piraeus Harbor, Greece, and Indiana Harbor, IL, USA. Results showed that the framework is able to discriminate well among sediments from different subareas to be dredged. Disposal to open water is not feasible for most contaminated sediments from areas with increased shipping activities. Disposal in confined facilities subaqueous or upland proved to be a viable option for most of the sediments, whereas all sediments were characterized as nonhazardous and can therefore be accepted in an ordinary landfill."
Link to full paper
In Stage I, disposal in open waters is evaluated based on the combination of results from chemical and toxicological analyses, supplemented by physical characteristics of sediments. For sediments that do not meet requirements for open-water disposal, Stage II evaluates the suitability of disposal in landfills or in confined facilities, upland and underwater. Decisions in Stage II are facilitated by well established effluent criteria applied to ambient water and wastes admitted to landfills, as well as by calculations estimating the impact of sediment contaminants to the vicinity of the subaqueous confining structures.
The application of the decision-making methodology is demonstrated using test results from sediment samples from Piraeus Harbor, Greece, and Indiana Harbor, IL, USA. Results showed that the framework is able to discriminate well among sediments from different subareas to be dredged. Disposal to open water is not feasible for most contaminated sediments from areas with increased shipping activities. Disposal in confined facilities subaqueous or upland proved to be a viable option for most of the sediments, whereas all sediments were characterized as nonhazardous and can therefore be accepted in an ordinary landfill."
Link to full paper
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Dynamics of Particle Clouds with Application to Open Water Sediment Disposal
Dynamics of Particle Clouds with Application to Open Water Sediment Disposal:
Part III: Numerical Experiments on Plume Formation http://censam.mit.edu/news/posters/2010/adams/3.pdf
Part III: Numerical Experiments on Plume Formation http://censam.mit.edu/news/posters/2010/adams/3.pdf
Free Publications from Berkeley (Water Issues)
Free Pubs: August 2010 (Water World)
August Free Pubs list!As always, to request one of the titles offered, send an email to wrcaill@library.berkeley.edu with the subject line "Free pubs request." Please include your name, mailing address, and the full detail of each item requested. Note that due to postage costs international requests are limited to two items per posting. Those local are encouraged to visit WRCA to pick up items. The list will be continually updated through the month of August, crossing off titles as they are requested. Though not required, reimbursement for the postage to mail these items is always appreciated. Checks can be made out to "UC Regents" and mailed to 410 O'Brien Hall + Berkeley, CA + 94720-1718.
August Free Pubs list!As always, to request one of the titles offered, send an email to wrcaill@library.berkeley.edu with the subject line "Free pubs request." Please include your name, mailing address, and the full detail of each item requested. Note that due to postage costs international requests are limited to two items per posting. Those local are encouraged to visit WRCA to pick up items. The list will be continually updated through the month of August, crossing off titles as they are requested. Though not required, reimbursement for the postage to mail these items is always appreciated. Checks can be made out to "UC Regents" and mailed to 410 O'Brien Hall + Berkeley, CA + 94720-1718.
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