BOSTON - E.P.A. is proposing to amend its 2005 rule that designated the Central and Western Long Island Sound Dredged Material Disposal Sites. The suggested amendments will help meet the goal of reducing or eliminating dredged material disposal in open waters of the Sound. These amendments are accessible for public review and review through March 25, 2016. E.P.A. will also hold 2 public hearings on the suggested amendments in early March.
The amendments to the rule are intended to help reduce or eliminate open-water disposal of dredged material by requiring dredging plan proponents to follow requirements and procedures that will encourage the use of practicable alternatives to open-water disposal. One suggested procedure would be the establishment of a permanent, interagency "Long Island Sound Regional Dredging Team" to develop and promote the use of alternatives, such as using sand for beach nourishment.
The designation of dredged material disposal sites by E.P.A. only makes those sites accessible for use by future dredging projects; it does not authorize the disposal of any material from any project. Any suggestion to place dredged material at either the Central or Western Long Island Sound Dredged Material Disposal Location will have to obtain a project-specific authorization and must satisfy the stringent requirements of the ocean disposal regulations.
The original Location designation rule, published on June 3, 2005, was based on an Environmental Impact Statement prepared by E.P.A. and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in 2004. The 2005 rule required the USACE to complete a regional Dredged Material Management Project for Long Island Sound (LIS DMMP) that identifies alternatives to open water disposal and recommends requirements and procedures for their use, and required E.P.A. to then amend the rule to incorporate those requirements and procedures within 120 days of completion of the LIS DMMP; E.P.A. projects to do so no later than May 10, 2016.
The LIS DMMP is a planning document that identifies a wide range of potential alternatives to open-water disposal for all federal and non-federal dredging plans in the Long Island Sound region. The USACE completed the LIS DMMP on January 11, 2016, and announced its completion in the Federal Register on January 15, 2016. The LIS DMMP estimates that there is a potential dredging need of 53 million cubic yards in Long Island Sound over the 30-year planning horizon, but the USACE has stated that only a portion of that projected need is expected to be dredged due to federal budget constraints and the high cost of testing, dredging, and disposal for private dredging proponents. The USACE is responsible for maintaining 52 Federal navigation Plans in Long Island Sound and adjacent harbors and navigation channels.
All EPA-designated disposal sites are required to have Location Management and Monitoring Projects (SMMPs). The SMMPs for the Central and Western Long Island Sound sites that went into effect in 2005 are currently being reviewed and updated as required by law, and will be released for public review in early March 2016.
The public involvement plan conducted by E.P.A. for the Location designation in 2005 and by the USACE in 2015 for the LIS DMMP included numerous public information meetings, newsletters, e-mail distribution, and web Location updates. The agencies also worked closely with other federal and state agencies through interagency plan management teams as well as public information meetings.
E.P.A. will hold 2 public hearings to gain review on the suggested rule. The 1st will be held on Tuesday, March 1, 2016, from 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. (registration at 4:30 p.m.), Port Jefferson Free Library, 100 Thompson St., Port Jefferson, New York. The 2nd meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 2, from 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. (registration at 3:00 p.m.) at the University of Connecticut, One University Place, Stamford, Conneticut
More information:
- Dredged material management in Long Island Sound and EPA's suggested rule http://www.epa.gov/ocean-dumping/dredged-material-management-long-island-sound
- Comments on the suggested amendments may be submitted to [email protected] or mailed to:
Stephen Perkins (OEP06-3), USEPA- five Post Office Square, Suite 100, Boston, Massachusetts 02109
