Victory! In the Spring of 2005, New York & Connecticut agreed to phase out dumping of untreated dredged material into Long Island Sound! This is a major victory for Long Island Sound and the citizens of New York and Connecticut. This bi-state agreement called for the development of a Dredged Material Management Plan for the Long Island Sound that focuses on alternative technologies for dredged materials and establishes the phase-out of open water dumping. CCE continues to monitor the progress of the Long Island Sound Dredged Material Management Plan.

Dredging the Sound

Many harbors and inlets in the Sound need to be routinely dredged because of sediment build-up. Dredging is the removal of the excess sediment, referred to as “dredged materials”. The dredged materials contain varying amounts of hazardous constituents including toxic chemicals, such as mercury, lead, copper, PCBs and pesticides. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) analyzed four sites to be utilized as long-term dumpsites for dredged materials in the Long Island Sound. Unfortunately, the EPA and the Army Corp of Engineers (ACE) highly recommended two sites, the Western Long Island Sound Alternative (WLIS) and the Central Long Island Sound Alternative (CLIS).

The WLIS is located only 2.7 miles from the shoreline and has already received 1.7 million cubic yards of dredged material. It was once a prime lobster producing area, which has died off significantly within the last five years. The CLIS is between New Haven, CT and Riverhead, NY and has already received close to 14 million cubic yards of dredged material. Higher levels of toxic waste and problems with low dissolved oxygen (hypoxia) are found in and near these sites.

Alternatives

Even though dredging is sometimes necessary, open water disposal of the dredged materials is not. Some of the alternatives include upland disposal, containment, and/or treatment technologies.

CCE Position

In 2004, the EPA released the Final Environmental Impact Statement concerning the dumping of dredged materials in the Long Island Sound.

CCE recommended that the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers:

1. Abandon the plan designating a long-term open water disposal site for dredged material in Long Island Sound;
2. Begin exploring alternatives for the treatment and upland disposal of contaminated dredged material;
3. Conduct a thorough review of beneficial reuse of benign dredged material, including possibilities for development of technology and/or methods for decreasing the cost of such disposal techniques; and
4. Review the long-term cost that this dredge disposal plan may have on the economic impact of the Long Island Sound.

The immense value of the Long Island Sound cannot be overstated. Recreational activities, tourism, boating, fishing, shell fishing and commercial enterprises all affirm that it would be shortsighted to allow the long-term use of such a waterway to be utilized as a dump for hazardous material.

During the public comment period, CCE and its members asked the EPA and ACE to consider upland disposal and a full environmental review of ALL options, excluding open-water dumping. The official comment period ended on June 1, 2004.

EPA’s dredged materials management plan website

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers site on Long Island Sound dredging

Updated by seckel 3/29/10