Hearing focuses on dredge material
The state”™s Department of Energy & Environmental Protection hosts a meeting at UConn Stamford Aug. 27 seeking input on the just-published federal plan to deal with dredge material from the 52 federally designated navigation projects in the Long Island Sound, including 31 in Connecticut.
At the session, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will specify details of its Draft Dredged Material Management Plan and Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement.
Dredged material undergoes a variety of tests for pathogens and contaminants. Most historically has eventually been dumped at sea. But, DEEP said in a prepared statement that referenced a 2005 federal Environmental Protection Agency rule, “The EPA’s rule required preparation of a Draft Dredged Material Management Plan to examine alternative placement practices, with the goal of reducing or eliminating open-water placement of dredged material in the waters of Long Island Sound wherever practicable.”
The statement said the move to reduce open-water dumping of dredge material is 30 years old. It said it seeks “practicable alternatives.”
“The Draft Dredged Material Management Plan released by the Army Corps identifies a range of environmentally sound alternatives for the handling of materials created by dredging projects — including beneficial uses such as beach nourishment and marsh restoration, as well as continued use of open water sites in Long Island Sound,” said DEEP Commissioner Rob Klee. “Our ability to conduct dredging in coastal waterways is critical to sustaining Connecticut”™s water-dependent economy and the practical, cost-effective, and environmentally acceptable management alternatives offered by the Army Corps will help meet the needs of our ports and harbors.”
However, over the past 30 years Federal and state agencies have increased their efforts to find practicable alternatives to open water placement.
DEEP said dredged material “must be found suitable for open water placement through extensive physical, chemical and biological testing.” The state also uses cleaner material to blanket known contamination spots in disposal sites.
“Where feasible, dredged materials are put to beneficial reuse and that will continue to be a top priority as we work toward the goal of reducing open water disposal,” Klee said. “However, because much of the sediment from Connecticut waterways is fine-grained, reuse alternatives often are not feasible and the open water sites must remain available for the foreseeable future. We applaud the Army Corp”™s DMMP for recommending that this important option remain open to us. Thirty-five years of monitoring and active management of open water disposal sites in Long Island Sound have shown this option to be an environmentally sound and cost effective sediment management alternative.”
DEEP is accepting written comments on the issue until Oct. 5. CT.gov/deep is the website for more information.