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by Dr Kristen Milligan
(from Jersey Coast Anglers Association May 2000 Newsletter)
Two new applications for ocean dumping in the New York Bight have been released for public comment. Both are applications by the US Army Corps to dredge Federal Channels in the New York/New Jersey Harbor. One project is in the Raritan River, New Jersey (Public Notice #RARITRIV/00) and the other is in the Buttermilk Channel, New York (Public Notice # Buttermilk-00). The Raritan River project is 310,000 tons and the Buttermilk project is 112,000 tons. Both projects are proposed for dumping as so-called "remediation material" at the Historic Area Remediation Site (HARS), located just 3.5 miles east of Sandy Hook, New Jersey. These projects are meant to cap toxins at this nearly 15 square mile site. However, both projects show levels of contamination that either exceed or are the same as levels of contamination in uncapped, toxin-loaded areas of HARS. The two most notable contaminants are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).These two new projects are just two more examples of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) and Army Corps of Engineer’s failure to remediate the Historic Area Remediation Site. Environmentally sound, land-based alternatives are available for this dredged material (using alternatives that treat these sediments). The current standards used for selecting "cap material" are the same as those used for ocean-dumping, prior to the closure of the Mud Dump Site and the opening of the HARS. The EPA is finally planning to release standards sometime this year for allowable levels of contamination in HARS remediation materials. The EPA originally planned to release standards for public comment over one year ago, but has severely procrastinated this process leaving the public and the ocean with dirty cap material.
The Raritan River and Buttermilk Channel sediments are not cap material, since they have elevated levels of contamination that will continue to perpetuate levels of contaminants in the marine environment, including in the food-chain. Alternatives for this material must be used. Contact Joe Woerner at Clean Ocean Action (phone: 732-872-0111 or cleanocean@monmouth.com) for more information. Send comments opposing these projects as HARS cap material to: John Hartmann, Chief Operations Division, US Army Corps of Engineers, New York District, 26 Federal Plaza, New York, NJ 10278
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