FLOOD08883

• County: Statewide
• Basin: Statewide
• Title: Federal Register EPA Guidelines for Specification of Disposal Sites for Dredged or Fill Material
• Date: 12/24/1980
• Prepared By: EPA
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Educational/Technical/Reference Information

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Federal Register 1 Vol. 45. No. 249 / Wednesday. December ~4. 1980 / Rules and Reguiations 85355

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reduce contamination to acceptable
levels within th~ disposal site and to
prevent contaminants from being
transported beyond the boundaries of
the disposal site, if such constraints are
acceptable to the permitting authority
and the Regional Administrator, and if
the potential discharger is willing and
able to implement such constraints.
However. even if tests are nol
performed, the permitting authority must
still determine the probable impact of
the operation on the receiving aquatic
ecosystem. Any decision not to test
must be explained in the determinations
made under! 230.11.
~ 230.61 Chemical, biological, and physical
evaluation and testing.
Note.- The Agency is today proposing
revised testing guidelines. The evaluation and
iesting procedures in this section are based
on the 1975 9 404(b}(l} interim final
Guidelines and shall remain in effect until the
revised testing guidelines are published as
final regulations.
(a) No single test or approach can be
applied in all cases to evaluate the
effects of proposed discharges of
dredged or fill materials. This section
provides some guidance iJ\ determining
which test and/or evaluation procedures
are appropriate in a given case. Interim
guidance to applicants concerning the
applicability of specific approaches or
procedures will be furnished by the
permitting authority.
(b) Chemical-biological inleractl1P
efrects. The principal concerns of
discharge of dredged or fill material that
contain contaminants are the potential
effects on the water column and on
communities of aquatic organisms.
(1) Evaluation of chemical-biological
interactive effects. Dredged or fill
miltcrial may be excluded from the
e\'alualion procedures specified in
paragraphs [b)(2) and [31 of this section
if it is determined. on the basis of the "
e\'aluation in ~ 230.60. that the
likelihood of contamination by
contaminants is acceptably low, unless
the permitting authority. after evaluating
Cind consiuering any comments received
from the Regional Administrator.
determines that these procedures are
necpssary. The Regional Administrator
may require. on a c8se-by-case basis.
testIng approaches and procedures by
stating what additional information is
needed through further analyses and
ho....... the results of the analvses will be
of \ dlue in e\'aluating potential
(',,\"ironmental effects.
If the General Evaluation indicates the
presence of a sufficiently large number
of chemicals to render impractical the
identification of all contaminants by
chemical testing. information may be

obtained from bioassays in lieu of
chemical tests.
(2) Water column effects. (i)
Sediments normally contain constituents
that exist in various chemical forms and
in various concentrations in several
locations within the sediment. An
elutriate test may be used to predict the
effect on water quality due to release of
contaminants from the sediment to the
water column. However. in the case of
fill material originating on land which
may be a carrier of contaminants. a
water leachate test is appropriate.
(ii) MaiO!' constituents to be analyzed
in the elutriate are those deemed critical
by the permitting authority, after
evaluating and considering any
comments received from the Regional
Administrator, and 'considering results
of the evaluation in ! 230.60. Elutriate
cor:.centrations should be compared to
concentrations of the same constituents
in water from the disposal site. Results
should be evaluated in light of the
volume and rate of the intended
discharge. the type of discharge, the
hydrodynamic regime at the disposal
sitf'. and other information relevant to
the impact on water quality. The
permitting authority should consider the
mixing zone in evaluating water-column
effects. The permitting authority may
specify bioassays when such proceJures
will be of value.
131 Effects on benthos. The permitting
<:l;lhority may use an appropriat~
bellthic bioassay (inclttding
lJioaccumulation tests) when such
procedures will be of value in assessing
ecological effects and in establishing
discharge conditions.
(c) Procedure for comparison of sites.
(1) When an inventory of the total
concentration of contaminants would be
of value in comparing sediment at the
dredging site with sediment at the
disposal site. the permitting authority
may require a sediment chemical
analysis. Markedly different
concentrations of contaminants between
the eXL3vation and disposal sites may
aid in making an environmental
dssessment of the proposed disposal
operat~n. Such differences should be
interpreted in ten~s of the potential for
harm as supported by any pertinent
scientific literature.
(2) When ari analysis of biological
community structure will be of value to
asscss the potential for adverse
environmental impact at the proposed
disposal site, a comparison of the
biological characteristics between the
exca....ation and disposal sites may be
reqUlred by the permitting authority.
Biological indicator species may be
useful in evaluating the existing degree
of stress at both sites. Sensitive species

representing community components
colonizing various substrate types
within the sites should be identified as
possible bioassay organisms if tests for
toxicity are required. Community
structure studies should be performed
only when they will be of value in
determining discharge conditions. This
is particularly applicable to large
quantities of dredged material known to
contain adverse qunntities of toxic
materiais. Communitv studies should
include benthic orga~isms such as'
micro biota and harvestable sheHfish
and finfish. Abundance, diversity. and
distribution should be documented and
correlated with substrate type Bnd other
appropriate phYSical and chemical
environmental characteristics.
(d) Physical tests and evaluation. The
effect of a discharge of dredged or fill
material on physical substrate
characteristics at the disposal site. as
well as on the water circulation,
fluctuation. salinity. and suspended
particulates content there, is important
in making factual determinations in
~ 230.11. Where information on such
effects is not otherwise available to
make these factual determinations. the
permitting authority shall require
appropriate physical tests and
evaluations as are justified and deemed
necessary. Such tests may include sie\'e
tests, settleability tests. compaction
tests. mixing zone and suspended
particulate plume determinations. and
site assessments of water flow,
circulation. and salinity characteristics.

Subpart H-Actions To Minimize
Adverse Ellecls

Nole.-There are many actions which can
be undertaken in response 10 ! 203.10(d) to
minimize the adverse effects of discharges of
dredged or fill material. Some of these,
grouped by type of activity. are listed in this
subpart.

~ 230.70 Actions concerning the location
of the discharge.
The effects of the disch.:J.rge can be
minimized by the choice of the disposal
SltC. Some of the ways to accomplish
this are b\':
(a) Locating and confining the
discharge to mmimize smothering of
organisms:
(b) Designing the discharge to a\'oid a
disruption of periodic water inundation
patterns: .
(c) Selecting a disposal site that has
been used previously for dredged
material discharge;
(d) Selecting a disposal site at whicl1
the substrate is composed of material
similar to that being discharged. such as
discharging sand on sand or mud on
mud: