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First Annual EPA Report on Dredged Material Management in Long Island Sound Released

Release Date: 09/14/2006
Contact Information: David Deegan, (617) 918-1017

(Boston, Mass. – Sept. 14, 2006) - Dredged material disposal in Long Island Sound was down during the past year compared with the average over the past twenty years, but it is too early to determine whether this decrease indicates a downward trend.

That’s because the number and size of dredging projects – and hence, the volume of dredged material – vary considerably from year to year, according to a report released today by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The report also describes actions taken by EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during the past year to support the goal of the states of New York and Connecticut to reduce or eliminate dredged material disposal in Long Island Sound.

These actions include initiation of a comprehensive, Sound-wide dredged material management plan, and formation of a regional dredging team to promote beneficial uses of dredged material.

When EPA designated two dredged material disposal sites in the Sound in June 2005, the agency agreed to close the sites if a regional dredged material management plan was not completed in 8-9 years, and to report annually on progress towards completion of the plan.

The agency also agreed to work with the Army Corps of Engineers and the two states to form a team of dredging experts that will review dredging projects and help identify alternatives to open-water disposal, pending completion of the regional plan.

More information: EPA's 2006 Annual Report on Progress Developing a Sustainable Plan for Dredged Material Disposal in Long Island Sound (epa.gov/region1/eco/lisdreg/rpfs.html)

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