CN SSN Na Ric 7 1 AI DAMOS DISPOSAL AREA MONITORING SYSTEM ANNUAL DATA REPORT - 1978 SUPPLEMENT E BRENTON REEF DISPOSAL SITE Naval Underwater Systems Center Newport, Rhode Island WHO] New England Division Corps of Engineers Waltham, Massachusetts May 1979 DOCUMEN? | SSS ear Wiles i i IWAN 0 ul MY NINA DAMOS DISPOSAL AREA MONITORING SYSTEM ANNUAL DATA REPORT - 1978 SUPPLEMENT E SITE REPORT - BRENTON REEF Naval Underwater Systems Center Newport, Rhode Island New England Division Corps of Engineers Waltham, Massachusetts May 1979 Sexy dououy al¥ 3 °1qe9 uopuoy ~4O9 se Z es UN jeou men uUuEZeeH res y= ocr dryeqyuSy7 ucje0g punscug [nei uSzeog eS BS OWL SNOUT SULIS WSLSAS INIYOLINOW As ere vauv WvSOdsid JV | 2 S DISPOSAL AREA MONITORING SYSTEM This is one of a series of site specific data reports resulting from the DAMOS program, now two years in progress. DAMOS is the culmination of nearly a decade of prior study efforts, actually preceding NEPA, which have been directed towards the understanding of the effects of and the responsible management of the ocean disposal of dredged materials in New England waters as they fall under the authority ot the New England Division of the Corps of Engineers. The individual site reports hence- forth will be updated approximately on an annual bases as additional. knowledge is gained, at least with respect to those sites where signifi- cant disposal activities will have occurred. BRENTON REEF DISPOSAL SITE The Brenton Reef disposal site (Fig. E-1) was used primarily between 1967 and 1971 as the disposal area for dredging of the Providence River. Since the completion of that job, no spoils have been placed on the site and it there- fore provides an opportunity to examine longer term effects of spoil disposal. Bathymetry The first survey at Brenton Reef conducted under the DAMOS program was unsuccessful due to ambien relating to set up of baseline and other navigation Criteria during the survey operation. However, the second survey in August, 1978 (Fig. E-2(a-1)) was successful and defined the spoil mound as a gentle rise Covering the western half of the disposal area. The southeast slope of this mound is much steeper than the slope to the north, probably as a result of spil- lage and short dumping from scows. Spoil can be found shoreward of the site indicating this has occurred. The top of the spoil mound has a sand surface layer, covering silty spoil material, but the flanks have exposed mud and spoils below 29 meters. Whether this sand layer is a depositional feature or a lag deposit from spoil erosion is a question of some controversy at this time. Future work under the NAMOS Program will be oriented toward resolving this question, however, regardless of its origin, the sand now serves as a cap over the spoils. Currents Current data were obtained at the Brenton Reef site for only a short period from 25 April i 15 May, 1978 and most of these data are inadequate for valid interpretation. A speed-direction plot (Fig. E-3(a-b)) indicates that problems Similar to those incountered at the Boston Foul Ground occurred here, such that direction data are invalid and speed may be considered suspect. Diver observa- tions of the meter showed that the tether was tangled in the mooring line hence SEAL) ROCK ®R°2R WwW OR*®A® DOR*®*D5&—A* BS 4 ORSS* W OR*4 | =| 4 A | i=] S3NuU1 CW) X : A208! aagl AHh!I aac i Baa! 468 409 Ah auz a iN “A. 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Hogs Hoh! oaz ' Mool HH 009 OOh Oa. 7a] WAS—- ' THANSLN!I ANEW XMZ + NOILHYNSOOYKS DTHOILYAA BL 3MNW J354u NOLNSYO DH ANB : CW) X Bout aogt ABH! oo7!1 Boal 008 409 ABH aaz a 2 em eS SS Sau Pas SSeS SS SE 2] \ Si) WW A at val, a Never WS PM Eitan WAN 14 2 eh ny 4E— Sis BE . SNH CW) X oz- noo! oo0g!1 OHH! OBZ: 700 | 008 709 OWH o0a2 a fe aaa SSS OS 4 NGA ee ee SE- NN a a il ME— S2Z- ial SINS CW) X az- BwuvAt ma2a'y1 HOh: BO7 1 onHo01 448 aag9 Aah aaZz a ; haan oA vive twa RAAT Viamme MY AAA «| Sr A MW metry ry LE ANH CW) xX ¥YAS!| @8491 @aHi waz! aeol 208 aaa 22h aaz ee oe Op a Was-— : THA yz-F [lh JANU7 CW) X 28! onal Bh! wazi saa ane aa aah auz 3) Sp a tt =" KAS-— : THAXNSLN! ANH KHZ +NOILYYSSIUXS WO!ILYSAA @L NW bh 4j4335uY4 NOLNSED eee SWis a al aq Qh UAT Dawa) TINE a az en = 335/W) © = THANSLN! 0330S oo O Ob 22 = “HAMALNI & 5 0 oo! BL /AHW BI OL BL 711d S2 4344 NOLNAYY ‘ | Oo nal i: | : A i ie . D OLz i ; ac (254/W)) CASdS AG) 2G Cee - (SANG) AWIL A Hz 4 32 A hz A 22 A az 4 Bl agi ~ --—--$ - + 4 “= arte a a al Q az * 2 @E 4 @h AH WS 245/W) @ = TWWAUALNI @33¢5 THY nao ’ a al : | d a | OO Db 32 = THANALN!I 3 BL /AUR SI OL.8L -7AUW II 4434 NOLNSYY (245/wW>) C3305 ¢ b Cl 930?) all measurements must be suspect. The speed data are summarized in Table E-1 for comparison with other sites. The horizontal kinetic energy of 50,95 dynes/sec and 10% highest speeds of 21.6 cm/sec are higher than both Portland and Boston Foul Ground indicating that even though the tether was fouled, the meter waS responding to the current flow. These are suprisingly high values and might indicate that the sam material on the top of the spoil mound is subject to motion, particularly during periods of high wave action. TABLE E-1 Residual Mean Tidal Cur- rent Inc. | Total OBS. Current Semi-major axis (cm/sec) Sa eee axis (emjsee) Direction (9T) 018 * Horizontal Kinetic energy (dynes/sec) 50.95 * 0.52) * 10% ene speeds 21. 6 (cm/sec) 6.4% oe Speed (cm/sec) Average maximum speed (cm/sec) *Direction Not Working Sediments Heavy metal data from the Brenton Reef area are presented in Table E-2. The Brenton Reef samples are all relatively clean, although those taken from the disposal site have higher concentrations than the reference site, When the two sample sites are considered in relation to the whole region they have Concentrations so low that they were used, along with Cornfield Shoals and New London, as the basis for deteriming background levels. With the sand layer as a cover over the spoils it is apparent that very little heavy metal enriched spoil material is available to the water column over much of the Brenton Reef site. Benthic Biochemistry Samples of Mytilus edulis for the Brenton Reef site were obtained from a reference location known as the Newport Outer Bridge on the south coast of Aquidneck Island approximately two miles north of the disposal area. Data from the reference and disposal sites presented in Table E-3 and Figure E-4 reveal three patterns of heavy metal-mussel interaction. The ratios of Cd and Hg, being within the prescribed 95% confidence limits, show the least change. A distinct increase of the concentraion of Fe is noted in the July 1978 sample obtained from Brenton Reef, while samples of the same period from Newport Outer Bridge and Brenton Reef show concomitant increases in the concentraion of &. The third pattern of heavy metal behaviour is characterized by a significant decrease in the concentration of Cu, Fe and Pb from the reference area. When one considers the July 1978 sample from the reference and disposal areas aS a set, the concentration of Cu, Fe, Hg and Pb of the former is consistently lower than that of the latter. OT 4q ATdzatnw senqea ef T1Vx 7 LG €°8 9€ eT L°8 £0° 76° Il 0¢ 6°€ (a ad 7am ac LT 6°8 GY) pru 7¢° S°? €T 6°T Gib ~ sod Ud 8/61 LSAONV R7° LG 1°8 £°?C €1 TFu 97° 0°? T’e €°?C Gll~ c ad TFu wey Te CL 62 10° wy Il 0°9 val 0°S VGe T ad Gae Del LT 7°83 TI TO° ue” 9°72 “°L 0° Glts Jou Ud 8L61 TludV (OT x udd) (%) udd s[Tejou [IV 2see19/TTO T°S/TOA uz qd FN 3H 49d no 4190 09 PO ONITdNVS “1°ad Hadad NOLNAYE SISATVNV LNAWICHS HOVAaNS c-ad W1dVvi 846 L/Ady/S2 ph OenhalZ n€ v2.E2olv | SZ6L/4av/6L nb 82 8LolZ ul Le,€colh ul VlidlotZ nG 9LiecolV eee eS ey L Lt, leolv J fae == BENS $26 1/aunt /0€ ne Gei8lo LZ ub’ 22, €Zolt | savuy | $390au0 ne | Saeki TEL SA1dWVS JIHLNd " $713SSNW SA 1dWVS JIHLNAG S7aSSNW LN3wUND q1Vd 3LIS JONIUIIIY SaLIS TvSOdSIa 4994 uojUddg sFLIS SNOILVIOT J1TdWYS ez-4 J1dvl lS Brenton Reef ®@ Current Meter €) mus sell Cages ® Benthic Samples TABLE E-3 DATE LOCATION 5-11-78 Newport OUTER xX BRIDGE Se; (SMS 7-5-78 Brenton REEF xX CR 3,21 1.@ 5./5 3,30 Cu Stu 0.85 6,4 0.18 3,91 ag He PB ZN co B Heavy METAL CONCENTRATIONS (PPM) IN MYTILUS EDULIS FROM NEWPORT OUTER BRIDGE DEPLOYED AT BRENTON REEF DisPosAL SITE (SOUTHERN New ENGLAND), FE 503 85 Benthic Macrofauna Numeric density data of the benthic population in the vicinity of the Brenton Reef Disposal site and a reference location at 41921'47.7"N, 71919'39.9"W, southwest of the disposal area are presented in Tables E-4 and E-5. These data indicate a population comprised of 83 species and 10473 individuals was present at these two sites. The high number of individuals is caused by an extremely dense population of the amphipod, Ampilisca agassizi at the reference station. Members of this species accounted for 8080 individuals or 77% of the total number of individuals collected at both sites. There are many similarities between these stations and stations in the Gulf of Maine; namely high sample to sample variability, a clumped spatial dis- tribution and a small percentage of the total number of species accounts for a large percentage of the total number of individuals (at the reference site). The values for diversity are somewhat lower than most of those calculated for the Gulf of Maine and indicate a somewhat less stable environment at the Brenton Reef sites. The presence of such large number of Ampelisca agassizi, a species Considered sensitive to pollution, would argue that some degree of instability rather than pollution is the probable reason for a lower value of diversity. The mean value for specied evenness(s') is somewhat higher at the Brenton Reef dump site than for most of the more northern sites and is notably higher than that calculated for the Brenton Reef reference station. Fisheries The fisheries of the dump site were discussed in a 1972 report by Saila, Pratt and Polgar. The lobster fishery was examined in 1975 (Pratt, 1978). 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Log book data obtained from lobstermen fishing in the dump site will be used to quantify the effect of this dump site. Floating Trap Fishery Nf all the resources which could be potentially affected by spoil disposal at the Brenton Reef site, the trap fishery is the most difficult to fully assess. The major trap fisheries in Rhode Island are located off Newport and Sakonnet within three to four miles of the disposal site. The major target species is scup. Scup catches were very large in 1964 and 1965 and declined steadily dur- ing the period that spoil was being deposited. It was suggested by fishing interests that suspended sediment from eroding spoil had caused the scup to change their migratory paths. Sissenwine and Saila (1974) analyzed trends in the scup fishery and showed how the decline in scup catches had occured from Block Island to Virginia begin- ning between 1958 and 1963 in different areas. Scup fishing recovered in all areas in 1975 and 1976 making it clear that the decline in Rhode Island catches was part of a regional trend. This problem is not completely resolved however, since erosion of the sur- face of the spoil pile has taken place and little is known about the effects of turbid water on the behavior of schools of fish in natural environments. Pre- liminary experiments by Marchesseault and Saila (1977) indicate that scup move away from areas of falling fine sand in test tanks. Wilson and Connor (1976) found that even visually acute fish such as mackeral would enter and feed in -e]ep auL[aseg ay} JO SZLWL] BDUaPLjUoD %GG B42 YUeSeudeu SauL| UsaxOUg "(@) e315 Lesodsip 4904 uoJUeug ye paXoidap (Q) ebptag sagnQ yuodmay _ woug SLINpa SNL LQAW uL stezow AABay yo SOL}eu ay UL UOLQeELUeA {euodwa) — Vurd 24h. ye [le ee IG os sls WeiSielS)|<) slslslel MOIUN shel sO) ZEN i allele IN Sl elslini } . WH SHL JO LSHS. AK AW le WN MSIONNO 14 “LNOd 700 7 HL INO le 4u43LlS9071 H3L59071 3aWldd YALNIM-SLANNEHA UNAS8SH (SSOHUNN NHADOD MG ONIS09aq 31 InwNaAH ar says. HSI 4 Sduuit HSI 4 N= E-S water which was opaque from china clay discharges, but that shoals of small herring were observed to avoid the edge of the "dense-white" water. There is no reason to think that scup are unusually sensitive to suspended sediment since they enter turbid estuaries and feed on the bottom. Other Commercial Finfisheries The pattern of fishing around the dump site has changed over the last eight years both because of the dumping activity and changes in gear use. Previous to dumping, scup and butterfish were caught in the summer by small vessels from Newport. This fishery is no longer active because of obstruction both from the dump site and from large numbers of lobster pots in the area. In the past, large cod catches were made while they were feeding on ocean quahogs broken by dredges. Winter cod catches east of the dump site have varied in suc- cess from year to year but do not seem to be related to the presence of the site. The major bottom fishery in the immediate disposal site area is for ocean pout in the winter by vessels from Point Judith. A typical tow path would start sev- eral miles southwest of the disposal site and run northwest coming within a mile of the southern corner, then run north to the general area of the 30 meter con- tour. This course avoids spoil at the temporary sites Southwest of the site and a wreck south of the site. As many as ten vessels participate in this fishery. Midwater pair trawling for the blueback herring is carried out shoreward of the disposal site during the winter in years when the fish are abundant. Her- ring were not caught in 1978. Tub trawling (fishing with long lines of baited hooks) has traditionally been used to catch cod along the thirty meter contour in the dump site area by lobster boats in the winter. Gill nets can be used by the same size boats and are much more productive. In 1978 gill netting was successfully carried out on, Cy and adjacent to, the disposal area by fishermen from Sakonnet, RI. Sport Fishing There is no interaction between sport fisheries and spoil effects at the Brenton Reef dump site. The nearest sport fishing area is around the Brenton Reef Tower, a location which is considerably more turbid than near the dump site due to the closeness of Narragansett Bay and soft bottom at the mouth of the Bay. In general sport fisheries have less chance of impact from spoil than com- mercial trawlers because a smooth bottom is not required. Bottom fish will be affected more than pelagic or surface fish. As an example of absence of effects , bluefish catches were good immediately adjacent to an active dredging and disposal operation at Conimicut Point, Narragansett Bay, In 1976. Ocean Quahog Fishery The impact on the ocean quahog fishery at the Brenton Reef dump site was severe and direct. A large population was buried and fishing had to be cur- tailed around the edges of the area because some clams were killed by shallow burial or had foul smelling mud on their shells. The greatest problem occured southwest of the site where highly polluted spoil from Providence Harbor was de- posited at temporary sites. In 1967 to 1970 there was no procedure for closure of the area to clamming. The Food and Drug Administration, Shellfish Sanitation Branch, now takes an active role in monitoring and determining potential closures in Rhode Island Sound, and would close an area no smaller than one mile in diameter if sediment from pol- luted areas was being dumped. In the past the processers of ocean quahogs have asked that fishermen avoid the disposal area. Between 1970 and the present ocean quahog fishermen have converted from "rocking chair" dredges to hydraulic dredges. More fishing is now done in sandy Sediments which yield a higher quality product, Recently fishing has been car- ried out north and northeast of the disposal site at depths of less than 30 meters. Lobster Fishing Lobster pot buoys were mapped in the area one-half to one mile around the dump site on July 15, August 4, and August 18, 1976 and on June 16, June 29, July 12, July 26, and August 17, 1978. Locations were approximated by compass bearings to the dump site buoys and distances from a hand-held range finder. On July 29 the DAMOS LORAN C navigation system was used. Depths were measured by depth sounder. Numbers were recorded from the buoys and the license holder identified. Six of the fourteen fishermen fishing the area have been inter- viewed. Two of these have been interviewed several times. The density of buoys was greater in 1978 than in 1976, however, the pattern of fishing was Similar. Fishing began in June el pots set on the edges of the spoil northwest (shoreward) and southwest sides and on the spoil mound. Pot density and placement was similar through July 26 but with fewer placed on the Shallowest part of the mound. On August 17 the vessels which had been fishing the dump site had moved offshore and pots were placed around the site perimeter by other fishermen. The following information summarizes interviews made in 1976 and 1978. All fishermen were full-time. Home ports were Point Judith, Newport, and Sakonnet, RI. Boat lenghts ranged from 34 to 45 feet. Pots fished in the disposal site area ranged from 10 to 200, frequently in a string of three 10-pot trawis. = Hl Most fishing near the site took place from July through August. Most of the fishermen moved through this area following the offshore movement of rec- ane ty, shed lobsters, two went no further offshore than the disposal site at any time of the year. Catches within the designated disposal area were described as good in small areas which could be fished out in a short time. The presence of resident lobsters (grounds keepers), or of qhamenoy lobsters on favorable bottom was Suggested. Catches in the area surrounding the disposal site were also good and could be fished longer. The catch per pot appeared to be better than surrounding sand bottom and Similar to soft-bottomed areas to the west. The condition of the lobsters Was reported to be excellent with fewer injured lobsters than are caught near finfish dragging grounds “along the buoys" to the west, Some large catches of egg-bearing females were reported but in general the composition of catches was Similar to adjoining areas. Unusually large numbers of crabs have been caught on the west and south edges of the spoil. In one case the catch was large enough to fish for crabs alone despite the low price for whitch they were sold. Only one fisherman was fishing in the area while dumping was being carried out. He found initial high catches immediately after dumping ceased, which de- creased to a steady level after one and one-half to two years. Another fisherman reported low catches a year or two after dumping ceased, which then increased to a steady level. In the first year after dumping ended small pots would sink into the spoil so that lobsters could not enter. One fisherman had his gear caught on a very heavy conducting cable but did not lose any pots. All fishermen believed that there was no possibility of contamination of lobsters in the disposal area, and that this was not a consideration in the decision to fish there. The original imputus for fishing near the disposal site was the denial of the area to draggers which formerly used the area. If the lobstermen using this area have any complaints concerning spoil disposal, it is the loss of fishing grounds by friends who operate small draggers. In conclusion, it can be stated that the men presently fishing the spoil Site find it as good or better than areas of natural bottom, and that denial of the area to draggers has increased their fishable grounds. Lobstermen who have had negative experiences in the area or avoid it for fear of Some form of contamination have not been identified. IZ