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T.M. 39

OCEAN DUMPING IN THE
NEW YORK BIGHT:
AN ASSESSMENT OF
NVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

George Pararas-Carayannis

TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM NO. 39

MAY 1973

U.S. ARMY, CORPS OF ENGINEERS
COASTAL ENGINEERING

ee RESEARCH CENTER
4 , Approved for public release; distribution unlimited.
m-34

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OCEAN DUMPING IN THE
NEW YORK BIGHT:
AN ASSESSMENT OF
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

George Pararas-Carayannis

TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM NO. 39
MAY 1973

U.S. ARMY, CORPS OF ENGINEERS

COASTAL ENGINEERING
RESEARCH CENTER

Approved for public release; distribution unlimited.

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ABSTRACT

Interdisciplinary short-term investigations related to the effects
of ocean dumping in the New York Bight were contracted by the Coastal
Engineering Research Center (CERC) as directed by Office, Chief of
Engineers. Studies made by the Sandy Hook Laboratory of the National
Marine Fisheries, the State University of New York at Stony Brook, the
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and the Sperry Rand Corporation
were reviewed by a special advisory committee established by the Smith-
sonian Institution at CERC's request. The studies included hydrographic,
geological, chemical, biological investigations, and a feasibility study
for a remote-controlled electronic sensing system that could assist regu-
lating agencies in detecting the location and dump status of waste dis-
posal vessels operating in the Bight. Circulation patterns were estimated

from data obtained by current meters and by seabed and surface drifters.
Chemical analyses were made of the concentration of phosphorus (ortho,
organic, meta, and total), nitrate, total iron, dissolved oxygen, and
chlorophyl-a in water samples. Temperature, salinity, turbidity and pH
were measured. Sediment samples were analyzed for organic content and the
heavy metals, copper, chromium, lead, silver, nickel and zinc. Selected
biological samples were analyzed for heavy metals and mercury. Biological
investigations included studies of benthic meiofauna and macrofauna, zoo-
plankton, finfish and bacteria. The studies include basic data related to
the disposal of sewage sludge, dredge spoils and acid-iron wastes, and have
helped provide a more detailed environmental description of the Bight dump-
ing grounds and adjacent areas. The findings of these and other related
studies are presented and analyzed in this report in terms of impact on
ecology, water quality, and total environmental effects.

FOREWORD

Large quantities of dredge spoil, sewage sludge, and industrial
wastes are dumped in federally designated areas of the New York Bight.
Because of the frequency and quantity of disposal, the impact of ocean
dumping on the marine environment was suspected to be significant. Con-
cern over the environmental effects of waste disposal in the New York
Bight prompted the Corps of Engineers to study offshore disposal activi-
ties. Long-term interdisciplinary investigations would be required to
assess the long-term effects. However, interim studies of limited scope
could provide guidance for a later comprehensive research program into
the effects of dumping, a more detailed environmental description of the
ocean dumping grounds, and determination of the distribution of waste
materials in the Bight. CERC was instructed by OCE to contract studies
to acquire the data necessary to permit such an assessment. The Smith-
sonian Institution, under contract with CERC, provided a plan outlining
the elements of study and identified institutions qualified for all or
part of this interdisciplinary investigation. To partly implement the
program recommended by the Smithsonian Institution, CERC has (since 1967)
contracted research studies with Sandy Hook Laboratory (SHL) of the
National Marine Fisheries Service for interdisciplinary ecological studies
of the dumping grounds, and with the Marine Sciences Research Center of
the State University of New York at Stony Brook (SUNNY, SB) to undertake
chemical studies of sewage sludge and dredge spoil deposits. A second
contract with the Smithsonian Institution provided for a Scientific

Advisory Committee (SAC) to advise, review and evaluate CERC-funded
research studies of the disposal grounds in the New York Bight. An
additional contract was signed with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
(WHOT) to conduct a literature search and review of oceanographic knowl-
edge of waste disposal practices for an area extending from Cape Cod to
Cape Hatteras, Finally, a contract was let with Sperry Rand Company for
a feasibility study of a system to provide remote surveillance of ocean
dumping activities in the Bight. All the studies undertaken by CERC were
concluded in May 1972, and final contract reports have been placed in the
National Technical Information Service (NTIS) for public access.

The format of this report was selected to serve as a summary refer-
ence for interdisciplinary information related to the New York Bight.
The data, where possible, have been summarized in tables or figures taken
from contract reports, or have been recombined and condensed for clarity
into new tables and figures.

Data from contract reports are reviewed and evaluated, and comments
are made on their statistical significance and reliability as related to
coverage of sampling, methods of analysis, and adequacy of treatment.
Based on this analysis, an assessment is presented on the effects of
ocean dumping on the marine environment of the New York Bight.

This report was prepared by George Pararas-Carayannis, Oceanographer,
Design Branch, under the general supervision of Dr. D. B. Duane, Chief,
Geology Branch, Mr. R. Jachowski, Chief, Design Branch, and Mr. G. M.
Watts, Chief, Engineering Development Division. Particular appreciation
1s expressed to Dr. D. B. Duane for his initial guidance and thorough
review of the final draft. Dr. D. B. Duane, Mr. S. J. Williams, and
Mr. M. Field provided geologic information on the sediments of the New
York Bight. Mr. S. J. Williams contributed significantly in the writing
of the section in this report dealing with the geomorphology, stratigraphy
and sediments.

Comments and reviews received from Lieutenant Colonel Don S. McCoy,
Mr. T. Saville, Jr., Mr. G. M. Watts, Mr. R. Savage, Mr. R. Yancy, the
Office of the Chief of Engineers, the North Atlantic Division, the New
York District, and the Waterways Experiment Station, have been particu-
larly helpful. Appreciation is also expressed to Dr. R. P. Higgins,
Director, Oceanography and Limnology Program, Smithsonian Institution,
Dr. D. K. Young, Chairman of the Smithsonian Advisory Committee, and the
members of the Smithsonian Advisory Committee, Drs. M. A. Buzas, J. H.
Carpenter, B. H. Ketchum, J. L. McHugh, V. J. Norton, D. J. O'Connor, and
J. L. Simon for their review of the CERC-funded studies. CERC's environ-
mental data collection studies in the New York Bight were started when
Lieutenant Colonel Edward M. Willis was Director. At the time of publica-
tion of this report, Lieutenant Colonel Don S. McCoy was Director of CERC
and Mr. T. Saville, Jr., was Technical Director.

This report is published under authority of Public Law 166, 79th
Congress, approved 31 July 1945, as supplemented by Public Law 172, 88th
Congress, approved 7 November 1963.

CONTENTS

ABSTRACT .

FOREWORD .

CONTENTS .

LIST OF FIGURES.

LIST OF TABLES .

Il.

Iil.

TNO DWC MUG oso 6 6 60 Oo 8

1. Summary of Legislation Related to Ocean Dumping.
2. Background .

3. Objectives and Scope of Studies.

4. Chronology of Events .

5. Contract Studies .

EFFECTS OF OCEAN DUMPING IN OTHER AREAS.

Rhode Island Sound .
Delaware Bay .

Chesapeake Bay .

Southeast Florida.

Southern California.

San Francisco Bay.

Puget Sound.

Great Lakes.

Other Countries.

NEW YORK BIGHT ENVIRONMENT .
Bottom and Subbottom Characteristics .

Water Motion and Circulation Characteristics .

CONTENTS - Continued
Page
308 = Chemicale character’ StCSe etn cmesn oils ci itt Mc io inti n-e-mn-me
ARS Biologicals Chanractexi'sSiclCSmcm penn cn tmrntonsnicnn- inti mn-itmne/O
TV °DISCUSSTONOSS 0 BEN ES RO Te SEE Rw hatte Pentlcm to simone tate Pemmel OS,
1. Dispersion and Movement of Waste Materials ........ 109

2. Effects of Ocean Dumping on Water and Sediment
CharacteriStveSiy sien ot rey ch rol kon Terme oon toimnes cmt nou oUmes a-namr LL

3. Effects of Ocean Dumping on Regional Ecology ....... 127

4. Sources of Coastal Pollution in the New York
Bighticn :as vee oh 9 ca); he oh go teifacet) Go" OMI tro iomiee Lom pike eee eee ae ng mee So

5. Remote Sensing and Surveillance System for
Oeoein Wirral OjxsrcekslonS 5 56 6650050505070 050000 My

Go Nkgeraneres @ecem Wurosinye SEES6 6 566 00 oo LM
Go Iiecrgneien yes TO Oscein WEIN 6 6 000005000000 Ja
Wo SUNMARSE CONCUSSIONS, 56 6 6 66650505000 600 5000 JMG

LITERATUREACETED: .racGiek, See liam MURS apes eae een On!

LIST OF FIGURES

N. Y. Bight Dumping Grounds.

Northeastern Coastal Sector of the United States
Including the New York Bight .

Recent Bathymetry of the Continental Shelf
Outside New York Harbor. bie akc 5

Bathymetry of the Continental Shelf Outside New
York Harbor, based on an 1845 Survey .

Isopach of Fill Material .

Track of Geophysical Reflection Studies and
Location of Core, Boring and Sampling Sites
of CERC's Inner Continental Shelf ide
Program (ICONS). i mide thie $

Stratigraphy of Sediments in the Vicinity of the
Dumping Grounds as Revealed from Cores and
Subbottom Profiling Studies.

Sediment Distribution in Lower New York Bay and on

the Continental Shelf Outside New York Harbor.

The Sandy Hook Laboratory's Hydrographic Stations.

Time History of Drifter Returns.
Net Currents in Raritan and Lower Bays .

Surface Drifter Returns §& Total Percent Recovery
Lines for 1969 .

Origin of Surface Drifters Recovered on Long
Island .

Origin of Surface Drifters Recovered on New
Jersey Coast .

Progressive Vector Representation of Current
Meter Data from Stations A, B, and C of Sandy
Hook Laboratory. oO Eis OO CO oa

Seabed Drifter Returns: Total Percent Recovery
Lines for 1969 .

vil

Page

Figure

LIST OF FIGURES - Continued

Origin of Seabed Drifters Recovered in Hudson
Estuary Expressed and Contoured as Percentages
of All Returns from Individual Stations .

Origin of Seabed Drifters Recovered on Long
Island.

Origin of Seabed Drifters Recovered on New
Jersey Coast.

Stations Occupied by the SHL for Chemical Studies .

Seasonal Variation of Certain Physical Chemical

Properties at Two Stations in the New York Bight.

Dissolved Oxygen Content of Surface Water and

Water 3 Feet off the Bottom in a Section Extending

Seaward from the Coast of New Jersey.

Median Concentration Value Range, and Limits for

70 Percent of Samples Analyzed for Surficial
Samples in New York Harbor and New York Bight .

Distribution of Total Copper Concentrations in
Surficial Sediments and Waste Deposits in the
New York Bight, Determined by SUNY-SB .

Distribution of Total Chromium Concentrations
in Surficial Sediments and Waste Deposits in
the New York Bight, Determined by SUNY-SB .

Distribution of Total Lead Concentrations in
Surficial Sediments and Waste Deposits in the
New York Bight, Determined by SUNY-SB .

Distribution of Total Silver Concentrations in
Surficial Sediments and Waste Deposits in the
New York Bight, Determined by SUNY-SB .

Total Copper as ppm of Dry Sediment Through
November 1971 (After SHL, 1972) Suni

Total Chromium as ppm of Dry Sediment gee
November 1971 (After SHL, 1972) 2 ‘6

Total Lead as ppm of Dry Sediment Through
November 1971 (After SHL, 1972) 5 6

viii

Page

Figure

LIST OF FIGURES - Continued

Total Nickel as ppm of Dry Sediment Through
November 1971 (After SHL, 1972). TOL tye

Total Zinc as ppm of Dry Sediment Through
November 1971 (After SHL, 1972).

Loss-on-Ignition for Deposits from the
New York Bight .

Total Carbon Concentrations in Deposits from
the New York Bight .

Distribution of Carbon-Rich Deposits in the

New York Harbor and Carbon-Rich Waste Deposits

on the Continental Shelf Near the Harbor .

Total Iron (yg-at/1) Surface, Average by Station .

Total Iron (yg-at/1) Bottom, Average by Station.

Total Iron (ug-at/1) Mid-depth, Average by Station .

Stations Occupied by SHL for biological sampling .

Distribution and Abundance of Surf Clams
(Spisula Solidissima).

Distribution and Abundance of Rock Crab
(Cancer Irroratus)

Locations of Stations Sampled for Zooplankton
by SHL .

Total Copepods at Station 67 of SHL.

Total Copepods at Station 70 of SHL
(sewage dumping grounds) Oe to

Total Copepods at Station 72 of SHL.
Total Copepods at Station 75 of SHL.
Total Copepods at Station 76S of SHL .

Total Copepods at Station 78 of SHL.

Page

77
79
79
80

100
101
102

103

LIST OF FIGURES - Continued

Figure Page
49 Zooplankton Population (Average of Surface,
WhiGkINe ginal WowEOm COUMES)o 6 6 616 0560065006000 LO!
50 Analysis of Coliform in Sediment Through
Decemosr IO7c 6 50006 0D eo oD oO ODO DDD GG Oo MOY

LIST OF TABLES

Table

1 Historical Trends of Ocean Dumping 1949-1968 ...... 4
2 Types and Amounts of Waste Materials Disposed

he losy Wresem Wonpotmey, UQO8o..6 5 0000060500000 ®
5 Amounts of Waste Disposed Of in the Ocean

Dumping Grounds of the New York Bight. ......... 6
4 Physical Properties of Sediments Dredged

an Taos INET MOpd< Wistesgoynolaneein INGE 6G 6 6 0b 0 oO 6 0
5 Ranges of Chemical Data Measurement near

(One) NEY Wordle IDibiasnis Ergo 5 5 56 56 0000000000 BDA
6 Abundance of Major Elements in Typical Sewage

Sludge and Natural Sediment Deposits .......... 58
7 Spectrochemical Analyses of Sewage Sludges,

New Worws Whierejooulsicem Rese 6 56 55656 0 oo oo
8 Heavy Metals Concentrations in Sewage Sludge

ands Dredger Spoil'si. wise mice ue Misc ket) einem eee TOO)
9 Estimated Amounts of Oxidizable Carbon and

Potentially Troublesome Elements Discharged

with Various Waste Solids in Offshore Disposal

SpheeS, INET Worss Weenie Repl o 6 6000 oo 8 Gl
10 Some Chemical Properties of Sewage Sludges

News Yorks MetxopoilattaniRe eal onmrcmrcmts ieee nntnn nitro nt m7
11 Percent Total Carbon Composition of the

Suspended ™Solaids Material ang SCwage cm-l -icicincimntintcncnt Inn.
12 Species Diversity at Sampling Stations Within

and” Quesider thes DasposailivAxea'si- wr. -an anim mmm TC

Table

LIST OF TABLES - Continued

Composition of Meiofaunal Communities at
Selected Stations in and around the Sewage
Sludge and Dredge Spoil Disposal Grounds .

Comparison of Abundance of the Gammarid
Amphipod Populations in the Bight.

Benthic Macrofaunal Species Sampled at the
Dumping Grounds and Adjacent Areas of the
N. Y. Bight. AP ACR SECO

Distribution and Abundance of Three Dominant
Organisms in the Waste Disposal Areas.

Range in Number of Copepods Per Cubic Meter Found

by Other Investigators in the Middle Atlantic Area .

Copepod Mortality at Different Acid-Sea Water
Dilutions. 59 S ear map eoctome tata awe ect ater Pe

Sewage Discharges in the New York-New Jersey
Region of the Bight.

Sediment Discharge of some U.S. Atlantic
Coast Rivers .

Suspended Solids Discharged by Some Major Rivers .

Page

136

141

142

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OCEAN DUMPING IN THE NEW YORK BIGHT:
AN ASSESSMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

George Pararas-Carayannis

SECTION I. INTRODUCTION

1. Summary of Legislation Related to Ocean Dumping

Little legislation controlled ocean dumping until passage of the
Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act in October 1972, dumping.
Section 13 (Refuse Act) of the River and Harbor Act of March 3, 1899,

(33 USC 407) authorizes the Secretary of the Army to controll by permit
the discharge or depositing of refuse into navigable waters of the United
States. This applies to the territorial seas, but it is not applicable
to dumping in the oceans.

Similarly, Section 4 of the River and Harbor Act of 1905 provides
for regulations on disposal of certain types of refuse matter in terri-
torial seas. This authority was used by the Corps of Engineers in es-
tablishing dumping grounds.

The New York Harbor Act of June 29, 1888, as amended (33 USC 441 et
seq), provides for the issuance of permits by the Supervisors of the
New York, Baltimore, and Hampton Roads Harbors for the transportation
upon and/or discharge in those harbors of a variety of materials includ-
ing dredgings, sludge and acid. The District Engineers of New York,
Baltimore and Norfolk have been designated the Supervisors of these har-
bors respectively.

A number of laws enacted since 1905 provided for environmental con-
siderations of water quality and therefore relate indirectly to ocean
dumping. The Public Health Service Act of 1912 and the Oil Pollution
Act of 1924 (Public Law 68-238) are two such public laws.

In 1948, the Water Pollution Control Act (PL 80-845) was aimed
specifically at enhancing water quality and value of water resources
and establishing a national policy for the prevention, control, and
abatement of water pollution. This law also established the Federal
Water Pollution Advisory Board.

The Water Pollution Control Act Extension of 1952 (Public Law 82-
579) extended the duration of the Water Pollution Control Act for 8
years. The Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1956 (Public Law 84-
660) promoted Federal-State cooperation in developing programs support-
ing research, and modified and simplified enforcement measures for
controlling pollution of interstate waters.

Public Law 87-88, passed in 1961, was an amendment of the basic
Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1956 which extended pollution
abatement to navigable interstate and coastal waters, and the Oil Pollu-
tion Control Act, passed the same year (Public Law 87-167), implemented
the provisions of the 1954 International Convention for the Prevention
of the Pollution of the Sea by Oil.

In addition to water quality legislation, the Fish and Wildlife
Coordination Act, of 1965, amended and revised earlier versions of
legislation dealing with conservation of living marine and wildlife re-
sources, and emphasized the importance of harmonious planning, develop-
ment, maintenance, and coordination of wildlife conservation with other
features of water resource development.

Subsequent amendments to the basic water pollution control laws were
the Water Quality Act of 1965 (Public Law 89-234), the Clean Water Res-
toration Act of 1966 (Public Law 89-753), and the Water Quality Improve-
ment Act of 1970 (Public Law 91-224). The National Environmental Policy
Act of 1969 (Public Law 91-190) specified as a national policy additional
guidelines of environmental quality, and established the Council on
Environmental Quality (CEQ) in the Executive Office of the President.
Section 102 of the National Environmental Policy Act directs all Federal
agencies to prepare statements of environmental impact on all major ac-
tions having a significant impact on the quality of the human environment.

The Water Quality Improvement Act of 1970 provided legislation to

control oil pollution, and the discharge of hazardous substances into
the waters of the United States. The Act provides procedures for the
abatement of pollution which violates water quality standards, endangers
the ecology, or damages important marine economic resources. An import-
ant provision of this Act is the creation of the Office of Environmental
Quality to provide support to the Council of Environmental Quality, es-
tablished pursuant to Public Law 91-190.

As indicated above, ocean dumping was, until recently, controlled in
the New York Bight by the Corps of Engineers through the 1899 River and
Harbors Act, the 1905 River and Harbor Act and the 1888 New York Harbor
Act. Because of the navigational aspects of these statutes, the role of
the Corps of Engineers and its authority to consider the environmental
factors of ocean dumping have been contested.

In 1972, New York State sought court action against the Department
of the Army (U. S. District Court, Southern District of New York, 12
January 1972), claiming that permits to dump in the ocean are issued as
a matter of routine and no evaluation is made of the effects of dumping
upon the environment. Sections 102 (a) and 102 (b) of the National
Environmental Policy Act «ere interpreted by the State of New York as
not being sufficiently clear, entitling the State to mandamus compelling
the Army Corps of Engineers to consider pollution effects prior to per-
mitting dumping of sewage sludge and dredge spoil in the New York Bight.
The court decided that the Corps of Engineers had indeed recognized the

importance of the problem of ocean dumping and had initiated studies
through its Coastal Engineering Research Center. (Studies summarized in
this report) The court furthermore refused to interfere at this stage
while the environmental criteria are still uncertain, evaluations on the
effects of ocean dumping are continuing and additional legislation is
pending.

Additional legislation has now been enacted on ocean dumping. The
Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 (Public Law 92-
532), was enacted 23 October 1972. This law has the following major
provisions: Section 101 of the law bans the transportation for the pur-
pose of dumping and the dumping of radiological, chemical, and bacterio-
logical warfare agents and high-level radioactive wastes; Section 102
authorizes EPA to issue permits for the transportation and dumping of
all other material except dredged and fill material and to establish
criteria for reviewing and evaluating such permits and designating sites
and times for dumping; Section 103 authorizes the Corps of Engineers to
issue permits, or regulations for Federal projects, for the transporta-
tion of dredged material for ocean dumping according to criteria es-
tablished by EPA; Section 107 authorizes the Coast Guard to conduct sur-
veillance of dumping activities and enforcement of regulations; finally,
Sections 201, and 202, authorize the Department of Commerce (NOAA) to
initiate a comprehensive and continuing program of monitoring and re-
search regarding the effects of ocean dumping.

This recent legislation is now the comprehensive legislation on con-
trol of ocean dumping.

2. Background

a. Trends of Ocean Dumping. Trends of ocean dumping activities
along the Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific coasts since 1949 through 1968 are
illustrated in Table 1. The figures do not include dredge spoils or
special waste materials such as radioactive wastes and military explo-
Sives. Nonetheless these figures indicate an increase in the yearly
average quantity of waste materials disposed of in U. S. coastal areas.

The relative quantities and types of waste materials, including
dredge spoils, disposed of by ocean dumping during a single year (1968)
along the Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific coasts are given in Table 2. This
table shows that dredge spoils constitute the largest percentage of
waste materials disposed of (84%).

Also, more than 62% of all ocean dumping occurs along the Atlantic
coast of the United States. Table 3 gives the quantities of materials
disposed of in the dumping areas of the New York Bight during the years
1965 through 1970. These quantities are given by volume (cubic yards)
instead of weight (tons). By considering bulk densities of some of the
waste materials (about 1.1g/cm3 for mud and cellar dirt, 1.3g/cm? for
dredge spoils, and 1g/cm? for sewage sludge), we may conclude from Table

Table 1. Historical Trends of Ocean Dumping, 1949—1968*

1949-1953 1954-1958 | 1959-1963 196411968

8,000,000 | 1,600,000 16,000,000f 3,200,000 || 27,270,000 | 5,454,000 || 31,100,000 | 6,200,000

40,000 8,000 283,000 56,000 860,000 172,000 2,600,000 520,000

487,000 97,000 850,000 170,000 940,000 188,000 3,410,000 682,000

[reat | s77000 | s7oso00 [7338000 [3126000 | zo70000 | S81400 | 7.110.000 | 7422.0)

* Figures do not include dredge spoils, radioactive wastes, and after Train, Cahn and MacDonald, 1970
military explosives.

+ Estimated by fitting a linear trend line between data for preceding
period and data for succeeding period.

£ Disposal operations in the Gulf of Mexico began in 1952.

Table 2. Types and Amounts of Waste Materials pia of by Ocean Dumping, 1968

Material Atlantic
(tons). §

feeneetsseust Lr Spoils | 30,880,000 | 13,000,000 } 8,320,000 | 52,000,000
Industrial Wastes 3,013,200 696,000 981,300 4,690,500
Sewage Sludge 4,477,000 4,477,000

Construction and 574,000 574,000
Demolition Debris

Solid Waste 5 26,000
Explosives . 15,200
Miscellaneous

38,959,400 | 13,696,000 | 9,327,500 | 61,782,900 Tua

after Smith and Brown, 1971

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2 that the New York Bight dumping grounds, in 1968, received roughly 40%
of the waste materials disposed in the Atlantic or roughly 27% of the to-
tal for the U. S. In 1968, however, the quantity disposed of by ocean
dumping in the Bight was in excess of the yearly average.

b. History and Description of Ocean Dumping Sites in the Bight. The

disposal areas in the Atlantic Ocean off the entrance to New York Harbor
were established by the Supervisor of New York Harbor under authority of
Section 1 of the Act of Congress approved 29 June 1888 (33 U.S.C. 411).
(Figure 1). The disposal areas for mud, cellar dirt, stone, and wrecks
were established many years ago in locations where it was considered that
they would not be hazardous to navigation.

The disposal area for sewer sludge was selected in 1924 to avoid
interference with navigation and to avoid offensive discoloration and
solids washing up on the beaches.

The waste acid disposal area was established in April 1948 after de-
tailed discussions with the Interstate Sanitation Commission, the New
Jersey State Departments of Health and Fish §& Game, the New York State
Departments of Conservation and Health, the Commercial and Sport Fish-
eries Bureaus of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Food and Drug
Administration of the U. S. Department of Health, and the Atlantic States
Marine Fisheries Commission.

A brief description of the disposal grounds and their use, condensed
from Wuesterfeld (1968), is as follows:

(1) Mud Dumping Ground: is located at a point not less than 7
nautical miles bearing 120° True from Sandy Hook Light at Latitude 40°

23' 48" North and Longitude 73° 51' 21"' West. Material dredged from the
channels, anchorages and vessel berths in the port areas of the Bight,
is disposed of in this area. The material is transported in dump scows
owned and operated by dredging and marine construction contractors and
in Corps of Engineers seagoing hopper dredges.

(2) Cellar Dirt Dumping Ground: is located at a point not less

than 9 nautical miles bearing 118° 30' True from Sandy Hook Light at
Latitude 40° 22' 53'' North and Longitude 73° 48' 40" West. The material
disposed of in this area consists primarily of earth and rock from cel-
lar excavations and broken concrete, rubble and other non-floatable
debris from building demolition and highway construction work originat-
ing in the Borough of Manhattan. The material is transported to this
area in dump scows owned by marine contractors and towing companies.

(3) Sewer Sludge Dumping Ground: is located offshore of a

point not less than 11 nautical miles, 103° True from Sandy Hook Light

at Latitude 40° 25' 04" North and Longitude 73° 44' 53" West. The sewage
wastes are either in raw or treated state or are in a digested form.
Sewage wastes are disposed of at this dumping ground by the City of New

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York, the cities of Glen Cove and Long Beach, New York, the counties of
Nassau and Westchester, New York, the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission,
the Linden-Roselle Sewerage Authority, the Joint Meeting Sewage Disposal
Commission, Elizabeth, New Jersey and the Middlesex County Sewerage
Authority.

(4) Wreck Dumping Ground: is located at a point not less than
13 miles 66° True from Sea Girt Light at Latitude 40° 13' 32" North and
Longitude 73° 46' 02" West. Wrecks of vessels are intermittently dis-
posed of in this area by marine contractors for the owners of vessels or
for the Federal Government where the removal of sunken vessels is under-
taken in navigable waters by the Corps of Engineers under Section 19 or
20 of the River and Harbor Act of 3 March 1899 (33 U.S.C. 414 and 415).

(5) Waste Acid Dumping Ground: is located southeast of a point

about 16.3 nautical miles, 120° True from Sandy Hook Light. During the
summer, the area is south of Latitude 40° 20' North and east of Longi-
tude 73° 40' West; during the winter, the area is south of Latitude 40°
20" North and east of Longitude 73° 43' West.

(6) Chemical Dumping Ground: is located about 120 nautical
miles southeast of New York within an area bounded on the north by
Latitude 39° North, on the south by Latitude 38° 30' North, on the east
by Longitude 72° West and on the west by Longitude 72° 30' West. Due to
the high cost of transporting the material to this area, it has not been
utilized, and other means of disposal of the wastes have been employed.
Small quantities of toxic wastes and high explosives have been disposed
of intermittently in past years at a point 115 nautical miles 127° True
from Sandy Hook Light, at Latitude 39° 17' 30" North and Longitude 72°
West. However, the nature and quantities of the wastes and their sources
are not readily available.

3. Objectives and Scope of Studies

The Corps of Engineers, as part of its Civil Works, has been responsi-
ble for defining certain ocean areas as disposal grounds for various types
of waste material, issuing permits to parties desiring to use these
grounds for the disposal of certain types of wastes, and for disposing in
the specified disposal grounds, spoils dredged from harbors and waterways.

Increasing concern over the effects of marine waste disposal in the
New York Bight, prompted the Corps to study monitoring offshore disposal
activities in the Bight to determine impact on the environment. The
primary objectives of the Corps of Engineers in funding such research
investigations were the following:

a. The determination of the impact of waste disposal activities in
the Bight on water quality, safety, water use, ecology, fish and wildlife
conservation, and recreation.

b. The development of scientific information that could assist the

Corps with management decisions for regulating and monitoring effectively
the disposal of wastes in the coastal waters of the Bight.

c. The acquisition and scientific interpretation of data that would
permit the writing of an accurate Environmental Impact Statement on the
effects of waste disposal on the marine environment of the Bight.

Topics that requred investigation were too numerous and complex for
a short-term study. It was realized that to properly assess the long-
term effects, long-term interdisciplinary investigations would be requir-
ed. However, it was judged that interim studies would provide a more
detailed and accurate environmental description of the ocean dumping
grounds than had been available, and would assist in determining the
lateral and vertical distribution of waste materials. Additionally, it
was anticipated that these studies would identify, and possibly quantify,
the environmental and ecological effects of ocean dumping, and separate
and assess the effects and impact of other, land-based, pollutant sources
on the coastal environment of the Bight (sources such as municipal sewer
outfalls and industrial discharge pipes). To regulate ocean dumping
operations, it was decided that investigations should be made to identify
from off-the-shelf items, a remote-controlled sensing system that could
assist regulating agencies in detecting the location and dump status of
waste-disposal vessels operating in the Bight.

4. Chronology of Events

The following is a summary of major events related to the develop-
ment of CERC-funded studies of waste disposal operations in the Bight.

Date Event

1967 The Public Health Service studied the dumping grounds of the

ee New York Harbor. Their report is dated January 1968. The
study recommended that a more detailed investigation be made
of the effects of sludge dumping in the disposal grounds.

23 May 67 The Director of Civil Works, OCE, in a letter to the Com-
missioner, then FWPCA, called his attention to the waste
disposal operations of the Bight and offered to consult with
FWPCA on what studies should be made on the effect on the
lecal ecology.

27 Nov 67 The Director of Civil Works, Corps of Engineers, by letter
requested the Coastal Engineering Research Center (CERC) to
undertake a study of the effects of these disposal operations
on water quality, water chemistry, safety, water use, ecology,
fish and wildlife, conservation and recreation in the sur-
rounding area.

21 Feb 68 The Smithsonian Institution (SI) entered into a contract with
CERC agreeing to prepare a plan of study of the Bight

Date

31 Mar 68

2 July 68

7 Aug 68

28 Jul 69

2 Dec 69

-3 Dec 69

17 Dec 69

6 Feb 70

20 Feb 70

Event
disposal operations.

A plan of study was submitted to CERC by SI, entitled,
"Recommendations of Studies on Waste Disposal Practices in
the Coastal Waters of New York Harbor." This plan recom-
mended a 5-year study, but also outlined a 2 1/2 year study,
recognizing that time and funds might not permit the full
5-year investigation.

CERC, by letter, requested the Sandy Hook Laboratory (SHL),
of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA) to submit a
formal proposal to undertake the study, proposing the fol-
lowing schedule:

An interim report on total findings of the study
based on field observations at least through 30
June 1969. (by 1 Nov 69)

A final report. (1 Nov 70)

CERC funded a 2-year research study proposed by SHL on the
effects of waste disposal in the coastal waters of N.Y.
Harbor.

CERC made a contract with the State University of New York,
Stony Brook (SUNY, SB), to undertake research to determine
minor elements in selected wastes and waste deposits in the
New York Harbor - Long Island Sound Area.

SI contracted with CERC to provide assistance by forming the
Smithsonian Advisory Committee (SAC), a committee of experts
in several disciplines, to hold meetings to review CERC-
funded studies and make recommendations.

SHL delivered to CERC a progress report entitled; "Effects
of Waste Disposal in the New York Bight -- Interim Report
for January 1, 1970."

SAC and representatives of the Corps of Engineers visited
the Marine Sciences Research Center, of SUNY, SB, and SHL
to review the work being conducted at these laboratories.
(17, 18 Dec 69)

SUNY, SB submitted a progress report on the results of the
studies to that date and Technical Report No. 5 of the
Marine Sciences Research Center entitled, "Preliminary
Analyses of Urban Wastes, New York Metropolitan Region."

SI sent to CERC its assessment of the studies to that date

Date

1 Jun 70

3 Sep 70

Sep 70

10 Dec 70

29 Jan 71

22 Feb 71

22 Mar 71

12 Jul 71

i Gee Vi

15 Feb 72

Event
and certain recommendations for future studies.

Under contract with CERC, Woods Hole Oceanographic Insti-
tution (WHOI) began a bibliographic study on the effects of
marine disposal of sewage sludge and dredge spoil in the
waters of the Bight.

Letter from SHL informed CERC that final SHL report would be
transmitted by 15 Feb 1971.

SUNY, SB submitted report to CERC, Technical Report No. 7
of the Marine Sciences Research Center, entitled, "Analyses
of Dredged Wastes, Fly Ash, and Waste Chemicals - New York
Metropolitan Region."

CERC, through the New York Corps of Engineers District,
entered into a contract with Sperry Systems Management
Division of Sperry Rand Corp. (SPERRY), funding a study of
a Sea Dump Monitoring System.

WHOI submitted to CERC its final report, Technical Memo-
randum 1-71, entitled, 'The Marine Disposal of Sewage
Sludge and Dredge Spoil in the Waters of the New York Bight."

SUNY, SB submitted report to CERC, Technical Report No. 8
of the Marine Sciences Research Center, entitled, "Survey of
Marine Waste Deposits - New York Metropolitan Region."

CERC submitted to SI two completed reports requesting re-
view by SAC. The two reports were the following:

a. "'The Marine Disposal of Sewage Sludge and
Dredge Spoils in the Waters of N.Y. Bight," by
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

b. Technical Report No. 8, ''Survey of Marine
Waste Deposits, New York Metropolitan Region"
by Marine Sciences Research Center, State Uni-
versity of New York, Stony Brook

Two copies of draft SHL final report were delivered to CERC
for internal review.

SPERRY submitted final report entitled, ''System Study for
Surveillance of Ocean Dumping Operations."'

SHL in a telecon informed CERC of final completion of SHL
report. Delivery of subject report promised for March, 1972.

Date Event

28 Feb 72 Representatives of SI and CERC met to discuss the SAC review
of CERC-funded studies. Copies of final reports completed
to this date were submitted to SAC for review and evaluation.

28 Mar 72 SHL submitted its final report, entitled, "The Effects of
Waste Disposal in the New York Bight."

4 Apr 72 Copies of SHL's final report (9 sections) were sent to SAC
for review and evaluation.

25 May 72 SHL submitted to CERC a summary report entitled, "The Effects
of Waste Disposal in the New York Bight."

30 May 72 Copies of SHL's summary report were sent to SAC for review
and evaluation.

eZ SI and SAC submitted to CERC report on the review and evalua-
tion of the CERC-funded studies.

5. Contract Studies

To meet the objectives outlined in the previous section and to ac-
quire the data that would permit the assessment of the impact of ocean
waste disposal in the Bight, CERC was instructed to proceed with a com-
prehensive study. As outlined in the chronology of events, CERC re-
quested the SI to assist in preparing a plan. The Smithsonian Institution,
under contract with CERC, provided a plan outlining the elements of study
and listed the institutions qualified to undertake all or part of this
interdisciplinary investigation. However, the conference of an Advisory
Committee, convened by the SI in March 1968, agreed unanimously that a
Single short-term study could not meet all of the objectives. The
consensus was that longer studies of greater scope would be required to
obtain all the necessary data.

To implement partially the program recommended by SI, CERC, contracted
research studies with SHL of the National Marine Fisheries, and with the
Marine Sciences Research Center of SUNY, SB. Additional contracts were
Signed with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and with
Sperry Rand Corporation (SPERRY).

In May 1972, all of the studies funded by CERC had been concluded,
and final reports were submitted to SI for review and evaluation by SAC.

Copies of the final reports were forwarded to the National Technical
Information Service (NTIS) Department of Commerce for public dissemina-
tion.

Copies of these reports may be purchased from:

National Technical Information Service
ATIN: Operations Division

5285 Port Royal Road

Springfield, Virginia 22151

The primary objectives of each research contract are given in the
following sections under the respective headings along with bibliographic
entries and a list of references.

a. Sandy Hook Laboratory Study. The contract with Sandy Hook Labora-
tory (SHL) of the National Marine Fisheries provided for interdisciplinary

ecological studies of the Bight dumping grounds. The 2-year investiga-
tion by SHL included studies of benthic meiofauna and macrofauna distri-
bution in the Bight, benthic microbiology, pathological effects of wastes
on larger benthic crustaceans, analysis of basic chemical variables af-
fecting benthic invertebrates, zooplankton and finfish. To support the
ecological studies, chemical and hydrographic studies were also conducted.
The results of the studies are outlined in the following reports:

Sandy Hook Laboratory, 1971, "The Effects of Waste Disposal in
the New York Bight,'' National Marine Fisheries Service, Middle
Atlantic Coastal Fisheries Center, Tech. Rept., 9 Vol, 749 pp.,
N.T.1.S. Acquisition numbers AD 730531 through AD 739539.

Sandy Hook Laboratory, 1972, "The Effects of Waste Disposal in
the New York Bight," Summary Final Report (Middle Atlantic
Coastal Fisheries Center) National Marine Fisheries Service,
70 pp, N.T.1I.S. Acquisition number, AD 743936.

b. State University of New York, Stony Brook Study (SUNY, SB).
SUNY, SB under contract with CERC undertook chemical studies of waste
deposits to determine elements in selected areas of the Bight. These
studies are outlined in the following three reports:

GROSS, M. G., ''Preliminary Analyses of Urban Wastes,
New York, Metropolitan Region,'' Marine Sciences Research
Center, State University of N. Y., Stony Brook, Tech.
Rept. 5, 35 pp. (NTIS Acquisition Number AD 746 959).

GROSS, M. G., 1970, "Analysis of Dredged Wastes, Fly Ash,
and Waste Chemicals - N.Y. Metropolitan Region," Marine
Sciences Research Center, State University of N. Y., Stony
Brook, Tech. Rept. 7, 33 pp., Acquisition number AD 734337.

GROSS, M. G., et al, 1971, "Survey of Marine Waste Deposits,
N.Y. Metropolitan Region,'' Marine Sciences Research Center,
State University of N.Y., Stony Brook, Tech. Rept. 8, 72 pp.,
Acquisition number AD 723431.

c. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The WHOI contract pro-

vided for a literature search and review of oceanographic knowledge and
waste disposal practices for an area extending from Cape Cod to Cape
Hatteras. The results are outlined in the following report:

HORNE, R. A., et al, 1971, ''The Marine Disposal of Sewage
Sludge and Dredge Spoil in the Waters of the N. Y. Bight,"
Woods Hole Oceanographic Inst., Woods Hole, Mass., Tech.
Memo 1-71, 37 pp., NTIS Acquisition number AD 722791.

d. Sperry Rand Corporation Study. The Sperry Rand Corporation con-
tract provided for conduct of a feasibility study for a system that could

provide remote surveillance of ocean dumping activities in the Bight.
The results of this investigation are in a report:

Sperry Systems Management Division, Sperry Rand Corporation,
"Ocean Waste Dumping Operations Monitoring," 1971, NTIS
Acquisition number AD 735378.

e. Smithsonian Institution Study. The first contract signed with
SI provided for initial planning of the CERC-funded studies; a second
contract provided for the establishment of a Scientific Advisory Com-
mittee (SAC), whose role was to advise, review and evaluate all the
studies in the Bight and recommend a future course of action.

(1) Smithsonian Advisory Committee (SAC). SAC, a committee of
experts in several scientific disciplines, was selected by personnel of
the Oceanography and Limnology Program of the Smithsonian Institution.
Members of the committee at the conclusion of the studies and who pre-
pared the final SAC report, were as follows:

*Dr. Martin A. Buzas, Smithsonian Institution

*Dr. James H. Carpenter, Johns Hopkins and National
Science Foundation

*Dr. Bostwick H. Ketchum, Woods Hole Oceanographic
Institution

*Dr. J. Laurence McHugh, State University of New
York at Stony Brook

*Dr. Virgil J. Norton, University of Rhode Island

*Dr. Donald J. O'Connor, Manhattan College

Dr. Joseph L. Simon, University of South Florida

Dr. David K. Young, Smithsonian Institution
(Chairman of Committee)

Dr. Robert P. Higgins, Director of the Oceanography and Limnology Program
of the Smithsonian Institution retained overall administration of SAC.

Members of the committee whose names are designated by an asterisk *
are original members of the committee who participated in the site visits
of the research laboratories responsible for the investigations, and who
reviewed the field work of these laboratories on 17 and 18 December 1969.

(2) Review, Evaluations and Recommendations. The SAC was asked
to review and evaluate the reports resulting from the CERC-funded research
in terms of their scientific content. The SAC was also asked to assess
the effects of waste disposal on the environment of the Bight, to recom-
mend further research, and to suggest changes in the present disposal
operations. For the complete SAC review and evaluation of subject re-
ports, the reader is referred to the comprehensive SAC report:

Smithsonian Institution, Oceanography and Limnology Program,
Office of Environmental Sciences, 1972, Smithsonian Advisory
Committee Report on Studies of the Effects of Waste Disposal
in the New York Bight, NTIS Acquisition number AD 746960

Reference to the SAC review and evaluation is made throughout this report.
Because the WHOI study is primarily a literature search of information
regarding the New York Bight, and since the SPERRY study on the surveill-
ance system was considered outside the area of the SAC expertise, the
committee concentrated its review, comments and evaluation on those re-
ports of original research by SUNY - SB and SHL.

On the basis of these final reports the SAC general comments and
evaluations are summarized as follows:

Although the studies supported by the CERC have produced valuable
data regarding ocean disposal of acid-iron wastes, sewage sludge and
dredge spoil in the New York Bight, data presention does not allow
evaluation of the ecologic effects (detrimental, beneficial or neutral)
of the ocean dumping operations. The large quantities and toxic quali-
ties of the wastes being dumped in the Bight suggest that the impact on
the marine environment may be substantial.

The chemical and physical characterization of the constituents in
waste materials as conducted by SUNY - SB has produced valuable data, and
has provided direction for future investigation.

Some data has been collected by the SHL which is qualitatively useful.
Insufficient definition, however, of sampling characteristics and apparent
lack of adequate planning in the collection of data, have not permitted
the statistical treatment necessary for the evaluation and quantification
of environmental characteristics and proper assessment of ecologic effects.

The possibility of pathogenic damage to finfish and shellfish re-
sulting from the disposal of waste materials in the Bight, brought to
light by the SHL study, carries important implications requiring addi-
tional extensive investigations.

SECTION II. EFFECTS OF OCEAN DUMPING IN OTHER AREAS

At least 98 estuarine and coastal ocean areas in the United States
and five in Canada are used for the disposal of dredge spoils (Gross,
1971). The total annual volume of dredge spoils disposed of in the
marine environment, is estimated at 7.3 x 10” tons per year and accounts
for about 80 percent by weight of all wastes being dumped in the ocean
(Council on Environmental Quality, 1970). The remaining 20 percent is
primarily treated and untreated sewage. Gross indicates that along the
U. S. Atlantic coast, there are 59 active waste disposal sites, four
more are located in Canadian waters, 20 sites are actively used along
the U. S. Pacific coast, in addition to one site in the Canadian Strait
of Georgia. Puerto Rico and Alaska each have two active sites. About
95 waste disposal sites are in the Great Lakes. These figures do not
include a great number of ocean outfalls that discharge municipal efflu-
ents and industrial wastes into the waters of the country.

Only in the last few years has ocean waste disposal become a problem
of national concern. Literature review indicates that there have been
few comprehensive studies concerned with the effects of waste disposal
on offshore marine environments. It is difficult to correlate the re-
sults of different studies since the hydrography, water depth, sediment
characteristics, and biota are often markedly different at each study
site. To allow the reader to assess similarities and differences of
the results of other studies with those of the Bight studies, a summary
of other known investigations is given.

1. Rhode Island Sound

Between December 1967 and September 1970, spoils from the Providence
Harbor dredging totaling 9 million cubic yards, were deposited outside
Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island Sound, 4 miles south of Newport, in
waters 96 to 100 feet deep. The spoil consisted of silts and compacted
sands.

The disposal site was studied by the University of Rhode Island
(Saila et al, 1971) to determine physical changes in the dumping area
and the effect of spoil on marine organisms, and to predict the nature
of recovery of the area after dumping ceased. It was found that the
spoil centered in conical formations 16 to 18 feet high and 1 mile in
diameter, but patches of spoil were found a mile away from the dump site.
The study concluded that the direct effects of dumping on marine animals
appeared to be limited. Most mollusk species could reach the sediment
surface after shallow burial; less mobile forms were buried. High tur-
bidity values caused no observed increase in mortality.

Fish and lobsters could withstand the high concentrations of suspended
sediments for short periods. Lobstering was the least affected fishery
in the area; good catches were made on the perimeter of the dump. Ocean
quahogs were killed by burial near the center of the area, but not on
the perimeter.

The dominant species in the area, a tube-building amphipod, was found
in great density over the test area. The recolonization by these amphi-
pods and worms indicated that the spoil surfaces did not contain large
amounts of toxic materials. Species diversity varied spatially. Dis-
solved oxygen was lacking in the pore water of the spoil sediments, but
no anoxic conditions developed in the overlying water. Furthermore,
hydrocarbons and heavy metals did not appear in high concentrations in
the dumping grounds.

The study recommended that the dumping area is suitable for further
disposal of relatively cohesive and unpolluted material, but that addi-
tional investigations should be made of the ocean bottom currents, of
the sediment characteristics, and of the rehabilitation and recoloni-
zation of the spoil area by benthic organisms.

2. Delaware Bay

Since 1961, the City of Philadelphia has disposed digested sludge
11.5 nautical miles (21.3 km) off Cape May, N.J. and Cape Henlopen out-
side Delaware Bay. The dumping grounds are 60 feet deep, and cover a
rectangular area 1 mile by 2 miles. (Guarino, 1967; Civil Engineering,
1968; Baxter, 1959; City of Philadelphia, 1968). In January 1971, the
City contracted research studies with the Franklin Institute Laboratories
and the Jefferson Medical College Laboratories: (a) to provide more de-
tailed environmental description of the dumping grounds; (b) to determine
the environmental and ecological effects of the dumping operations; and
(c) to determine the existence of pathogenic micro-organisms in the area.

The interim results were summarized by Baxter, et al, (1971) as:

a. Sediment samples taken from the Center of the disposal site and
the immediate vicinity consisted of clean sand along with gravel and
shell fragments.

b. In all sediment samples taken in and around the disposal area,
no black sludge or samples emitting hydrogen sulfide were found.

c. At the center of the sludge disposal area, starfish, sand dollars,
hermit crabs, and snails were found in good health. A good variation of

species was observed at all stations.

d. Fish specimens collected at the disposal site included winter
flounder, mackeral, stargazer, long horn sculpin, and spiny dogfish.

e. Dissolved oxygen measurements of bottom, middle and surface
waters at various points within and around the site showed no signs of
oxygen depletion or sag.

f. Coliform levels in all bottom, mid and surface waters were zero.

_There were no indications of significant concentrations of heavy
metals in surf clams and other macrofauna collected in the area.

h. Low recovery rates of surface and bottom drifters suggested the
absence of strong, shore-directed, currents.

The general conclusion of the interim study was that the sewer
sludge is assimilated into the ocean environment as quickly as it is
put there, and that no adverse effects on the ocean environment have
occurred. It should be emphasized that the quantity of sludge disposed
of by Philadelphia in this area, is much less than that disposed of in
the New York Bight, and that the practice is rather recent, dating back
only to 1961. Furthermore, apparent rapid assimilation of the sludge
may be due to the rapid dispersion by surface currents and the low settl-
ing rate of the sludge particles. Laboratory tests of the physical char-
acteristics of Philadelphia's sewage sludge (Kupferman and Murphy, 1973)
showed such slow settling rates. Also, when mixed with sea water, the
Sludge appeared to "fluff out,'' 1 milliliter of undiluted sludge bulking
up to almost 2 milliliter at the bottom of the settling tube.

3. Chesapeake Bay

The gross physical and biological effects of shallow-water disposal
of dredge material in the upper Chesapeake Bay were studied by the
Chesapeake Biological Laboratory of the University of Maryland (Cronin,
et al, 1967). The comprehensive study included a description of the
natural loads of suspended sediments in the water, and descriptions of
zooplankton, phytoplankton, benthic organisms, fish and larvae popula-
tions in the Bay. Furthermore, the direct effects of disposal on all
of these characteristics and populations, were assessed.

It was established that study area was highly productive of animals
and plants, that it was intensively used by a variety of useful fish
and invertebrates, and therefore was important as a spawning and nursery
ground. Although field studies of the type conducted are not considered
adequate to evaluate critically the effects of heavy sediment loads, they
do provide qualitative data about the presence or absence of massive
damage.

The studies also observed and concluded that: (a) the spoils spread
over an area which was at least five times larger than the designated
disposal area, and that turbidity increased over a 2-square mile area.
However, the turbidity was within the natural range of turbidities found
in this area throughout the year; (b) a high concentration of nutrients
was in the area; total phosphate and nitrogen were increased by factors
of 50 and 1,000 respectively; (c) no gross effect was observed on the
microscopic plants and animals in the water, nor on the eggs and larvae
of fish, nor on adult fish held in cages near the discharge point or
caught near the area; and (d) significant loss of bottom animals occurred
as a result of burial, but certain species began repopulation soon after
deposition, and 18 months later, the numbers had returned to previous
levels.

The Study emphasized the future need for suitable laboratory studies

based on the geological, hydrographic, and biological data obtained in the
field, and the need for accurate monitoring before and after the disposal
of spoils.

Another study by the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences assessed
the effects of spoil disposal for two dredge operations in the lower
Chesapeake Bay area (Harrison, W., 1967). In one operation 1.26 million
cubic yards of spoil were dumped in a rectangular area 0.5 by 1.0
nautical mi., in depths of 75 to 96 feet.

Disposal of spoils in this area appeared to have only a transitory
effect on infauna and epifauna populations. Recolonization in areas of
dredging and disposal was rapid due to the active migration of the ani-
mals and to the hydrodynamic distribution of juvenile and larval stages.

An extension of the same study monitored the possible spoil buildup
on an oyster ground in the York River estuary, in response to anticipated
spoil deposition from an outfall located 0.8 to 2.0 miles in a down-
estuary direction. It was concluded that the general trend in sedimen-
tation along the perimeter of the oyster grounds before, during, and
after the dredging, was one of slight erosion. Dredging and spoil dis-
posal had no observable effect on the character of the river bottom or
the natural animal population within the study area. Mortality of the
oysters was not above normal.

A study of the Rappahannock Shoal and spoil disposal area (Brehmer,
et al, 1967) indicated a greater species diversity and number of organ-
isms in the spoil areas than in the ooze-covered natural substrate in the
deeper parts of Chesapeake Bay. Infaunal organisms with the exception
of certain worms, did not recolonize the dredged channel, and it was con-
cluded that faunal groups comparable to those of adjacent shoals would
not be supported. However, it was speculated that in time spoil areas
would eventually reestablish their population densities.

4. Southeast Florida

Untreated sewage along the coast of southeast Florida is disposed of
by ocean outfalls. The discharge points of these outfalls vary from a
depth of 16 feet, 6,400 feet offshore, to a depth of 90 feet, 10,000
feet offshore. Riviera Beach, Palm Beach, Lake Worth, Delray Beach,
Boca Raton, Pompano Beach, Hollywood, North Miami, Miami Beach, and
Miami are the coastal communities using ocean outfalls.

The biological, chemical and physical properties of the coastal
waters off Pompano, Boca Raton, and Delray, were investigated over a
3-year period by a study funded by the Environmental Protection Agency
(Florida Ocean Sciences Institute, 1971). The biological investigation
included surveys of the microscopic benthic communities and microbiotic
organisms of the sediment-water interface and of the free drifting
plankton. This investigation concluded that the number of planktonic

organisms were consistently low in the coastal waters near the presently
operating Pompano and Delray outfalls. No noticeable fertilization effects
were found, and planktonic blooms with numbers greater than 500 per mil-
liliter were rare. A pile of sand and blackened organic material, about

3 feet high, 50 feet long and 30 feet wide was observed beneath the out-
fall. Only one species of pollution resistant worms survived here. In

the outer periphery of this pile, extending 100 feet north-south and 50
feet east-west a limited number of species were observed.

Hydrographic investigations showed that coastal circulation and ex-
change processes were dominated by the Florida current. This was
attributed to the extreme narrowness of the Continental Shelf in this
area (1 to 1.5 nautical miles). Large fluctuations in the speed and
direction of the meandering western edge of the Florida current, travel-
ing northward through this coastal area, affected local circulation.
Resultant coastal currents were found to be flowing in a north-south
direction, with north currents predominating. Current reversals were
found to be associated with the cyclonic eddies of the Florida current.
These eddies appeared to behave as the major flushing mechanism masking
the effects of diurnal and semidiurnal tidal current fluctuations. The
residence time of the coastal water was estimated to be about 1 week.

The spatial and temporal concentrations of sewage deposits were
determined by fluorometry and dye-tracing techniques. Predominance of
onshore winds were found to create surface sewage plumes, containing
high concentrations of coliform bacteria.

5. Southern California

a. Santa Monica Bay. Domestic and industrial waste waters from the
City of Los Angeles and 13 other cities are dumped in Santa Monica Bay.
These wastes receive different degrees of treatment by the Hyperion
Treatment Plant and are discharged into the Bay by pipeline outfalls.
The 1-mile effluent outfall has operated since 1949, the 7-mile digested
sludge outfall since September 1957, and the 5-mile outfall was placed
in service early in 1960. About 4,000 tons of solids per day are dis-
charged in the area.

A study of sedimentation and dilution of digested sludge in Santa
Monica (Brooks, 1957) concluded that sludge accumulation rates should
average 2-3 inches per year within a 500-foot radius decreasing to 0.25
inch per year at a 2-mile radius from the outfall, assuming a constant
current of 0.2 knot with equal frequencies in all directions. These
rates of accumulation were considered unobjectionable based on 1956
standards.

To assess the effects of the various discharges from the Hyperion
Treatment Plant since 1954, the City of Los Angeles has conducted and
supported extensive studies of the Bay. The results of observations
made through December 1959 have been summarized in papers by Hume et al,
(1962), by North (1962), and more recently by Hume and Graber (1966).

These studies determined that effluents and digested sludge discharges
from the Hyperion Plant include significant amounts of organic and
mineral constituents. These amounts cause measurable effects in the
various animal and plant populations of the receiving waters and bottom
sediments. The observed total effect of both the effluent discharge at
50 feet and the digested sludge at 320 feet, is to increase the standing
crop of plankton and animals in the Bay. Maximum populations, however,
were found at some distance from the outfalls. Fish were obtained from
every station on every trawl. Bio-assays showed no toxic effects on
test fish caught outside the immediate vicinities of the discharges.
The deposits from the sludge outfall were found to be stabilized by
several species of marine worms which attained densities of as many as
200,000 per square mile.

In addition, between 1958 and 1963, the California Department of
Fish and Game in cooperation with the City of Los Angeles, Bureau of
Sanitation, in order to determine the effects of waste disposal on fish
populations, conducted bottom trawl studies in Santa Monica Bay (Carlisle,
1969). The data indicated local changes in the vicinity of the waste
outfalls. It was impossible to demonstrate that fluctuations in the
abundance of species were the result of waste discharges in the study
area and not due to natural causes. Certain fish species avoided areas
of high waste concentration; other species were attracted. However, it
was suggested that species diversity in the discharge areas may be lower
than in waste-free areas.

Another study (Carlson and Zichefooze, 1965) indicated that California's
giant kelp (Microcystis pyrifera) is being adversely affected by increases
in sea urchin populations apparently nurtured by waste disposal. This
kelp once constituted a prominent and probably dominant ecological factor
of the coastal environment. Between 1945 and 1965 the kelp beds became
substantially diminished near the sewage outfalls from Los Angeles and
Santa Barbara.

A study of the effects of discharged wastes on kelp was published
by the California State Water Quality Control Board (1964). This study
concluded that turbidity of the water due to outfall discharges may be
a significant factor. No direct relationship, however, was established
between particulate wastes as a major factor of turbidity and kelp pro-
duction. The reduction in the extent of kelp beds, and the decrease of
coastal fisheries in this area may be coincidental, and cannot be attri-
buted exclusively to waste discharges.

Another study sponsored by the Sport Fishing Institute (SFI), a
predecessor component of EPA, could not associate turbidity with the
ecology of the giant kelp. The evidence related reduction of kelp beds
to the addition of nutrients from sewage (such as free amino acids)
rather than to possible effects of particulate matter. It was believed
that these nutrients are extensively absorbed from the sea water by
urchins, which are the natural grazers of kelp, resulting in an increase
and dominance of urchin populations. A series of warm-water years in

the midfifties and an abundance of sea urchins, may be responsible for
the kelp reduction. The kelp beds of California, however, are not
obliterated by any means. The kelp industry harvests annually 100,000
to 120,000 tons of this important resource.

The general conclusion of all studies in Santa Monica Bay is that in
the 20 years of continuous discharges by the Hyperion Plant, with the
exception of the kelp, remarkably little damage has been done to the
marine environment.

b. San Diego. The rate of accumulation of digested sludge discharged
by an ocean outfall located 2 miles off the San Diego shore in 200 feet
of water, has been reported by Orlob (1965).

In this study, the sludge accumulation rate was estimated at 0.1
inch per year near the outfall, with 40 percent of the solids settling at
such slow rates that their accumulation within a radius of 5 miles could be
considered neglible. Grease and floatables were identified as a potent-
ial problem, but were not defined quantitatively. The study did not con-
sider the effects or destination of the solids which are carried away
from the discharge area.

6. San Francisco Bay

About 8 million cubic yards of material is dredged annually from San
Francisco Bay. Most of the dredge spoil is disposed of outside the Bay
on the San Francisco Bar, but part of it has been dumped inside the Bay
near Alcatraz Island.

To determine the effects of dredging and spoil disposal on fish and
wildlife environment within certain areas of San Francisco and. San Pablo
Bays, the Corps of Engineers funded a study by the U. S. Fish and Wild-
life Service (National Marine Fisheries Service). Due to rapidly
fluctuating environmental variables, this study did not determine any
apparent adverse effects in the deep channel areas (U. S. Fish and
Wildlife, 1970). In the other areas, however, the study indicated a
significant reduction of numbers and species composition of benthic
organisms and demersal fish. Although certain species reestablished
themselves in the affected areas within a short time, the species diver-
Sity index did not return to its previous level during the study period.
The study did not show that turbidity had a major effect on marine life.
Furthermore, turbidity within the Bay, at least in the shallow areas,
appears to be a naturally occurring phenomenon. According to the Civil
Engineering Department of the University of California at Davis (Krone,
1972, informal communication) which has conducted studies of the water-
ways circulation system in San Francisco Bay for more than a decade,
present and past dredging activities are in significant in terms of
total distribution of sediment being put to circulation by natural pro-
cesses. According to these studies, the amount of bottom sediment
agitated into suspension in 5-foot depths by wave action of 10-knot
winds blowing from less than 5 square miles of the Bay, exceeds the

input of all dredging in an equal time period.

Quantitative correlations of species diversity depression with waste
water toxicity have been determined by previous studies in the San
Francisco Bay area (Kaiser Engineers Consortium, 1969, Allan Hancock
Foundation, 1965). These studies found a linear relationship between
the concentration of toxicity in the Bay waters and the reduction in
benthic species diversity.

More recently, a study was made by the San Francisco District of the
Corps of Engineers (U. S. Army Engineer District, San Francisco, 1971),
for the purpose of determining the effects of disposal of dredge materials
on the marine environment, developing dredging procedures, and assessing
disposal sites. The development of alternatives that would mitigate
possible adverse effects or augment marine resources in the affected
area was considered. The preliminary study was confined to dredging
spoils from the Main Ship Channel, the first leg of the John F. Baldwin
and Stockton Ship Channel. Studies of the remaining parts of the John
F, Baldwin Ship Channel, Oakland Harbor, Richmond Harbor, Redwood Har-
bor and other areas, have not yet been reported. The study program in-
cluded sampling, testing, and analyzing the physical, biological, and
chemical characteristics of the Main Ship Channel and those of the dis-
posal site on the San Francisco Bar, south of the Main Channel, outside
the Bay.

Based on the completed parts of the studies it was concluded that:
(a) the dredge spoil material from the Main Ship Channel leading into
the San Francisco Bay is not considered polluted by present EPA criteria,
with the exception of zinc which in two out of five instances exceeded
EPA limits; (b) insufficient sampling of water quality data could not
permit complete analysis of the impact of dredging and disposal operations
in the area, but preliminary data indicated water quality at the test
site to be within limits established by the California Regional Water
Quality Control Board; (c) benthic animals of the borrowing types, which
were observed on the Bar, appeared to be capable of surviving under some
sediment accumulation; (d) dispersion by strong currents of dredge
material dumped waters over the Bar does not appear to significantly
alter bottom conditions or result in excessive deposition of sediments.
In view of ever-changing, dynamic bottom conditions and the types of
organisms inhabiting the Bar, it was concluded that bottom organisms
would not likely suffer any harmful burial effects as a result of spoil
discharge on the Bar; and finally, (e) because of the active circulation
characteristics, unpolluted material disposed on the Bar would enter the
littoral regime, and might contribute beneficially to the nourishment of
eroding coastal beaches.

Since July 1970, two additional studies of the problem of dredging
and spoil disposal were funded by the Corps of Engineers and were made
by the Environmental Protection Agency and the U. S. Geological Survey.
The EPA study includes environmental investigations on the effects of
channel opening in the periodically polluted section of San Joaquin River

navigation channel, downstream from Stockton.

The USGS study is a survey of freshwater aquifers from Carquinez
Strait, through Suisun Bay to the confluence of the Sacramento and San
Joaquin River, at Sherman Island. The results of these two studies are
pending.

A similar survey of San Francisco and San Pablo Bays is being con-
ducted jointly by the USGS and the Department of Housing and Urban
Development. In addition, the San Francisco District of the Corps of
Engineers plans to monitor freshwater aquifers in the area for potential
salinity intrusion during and after dredging operations.

7. Puget Sound

Studies of the effects and fates of digested sludge disposed through
outfalls in the Puget Sound area, have been performed by a number of
investigators. Brooks, et al (1965) studied outfall designs and gave
predictions for sludge accumulation. An earlier study by Sylvester (1962)
pointed out potential problems arising from the increase in the nutrient
content of the water, the sludge accumulation, the floatable materials,
and the effects of such factors on the marine ecology. Servizi, et al
(1969) studied the effects on sockeye and pink salmon of dredging and dis-
posal of sediments from Bellingham Harbor, known to contain paper mill
pulp fibers and hydrogen sulfide. They recommended that before dumping
such sediments in open waters, four factors should be considered: (a)
turbidity created during disposal; (b) the biochemical oxygen demand of
the sediment; (c) the release of toxic hydrogen sulfide during disposal;
and (d) generation of hydrogen sulfide by the sediments after they set-
tled.

Consideration of possible dredge spoils disposal sites in Puget Sound
resulted in a study by the Department of Fisheries, State of Washington
of the bottom sediments of Olympia Harbor (Westley, et al, 1972). The
sediments of Olympia Harbor have a volatile solids content that exceeds
the 6 percent standard recently set by the Environmental Protection Agency
as the limit for marine disposal (EPA, 1972). The study evaluated the
status of the sediments and their possible toxic effects.

Chemical analyses of the bottom sediments of Olympia Harbor indicated
considerable variation between stations in this harbor and the unpolluted
control station on Oro Bay. The volatile solids, biological oxygen demand,
(BOD), and sulfides of Olympia Harbor appeared to be in concentrations
about 1/3 of the way between presumably unpolluted areas and those of
areas considered to be highly noxious.

Bio-assays conducted to detect possible direct toxicity to phyto-
plankton, showed no such effect, although settling of silt was observed to
entrap phytoplankton organisms. A major stimulating effect on the
photosynthetic rate of phytoplankton was observed with increased nutrient
concentrations in the bottom sediments. During the course of the

phytoplankton bio-assay, light levels were kept adequate to enable
photosynthesis, and may have been partly responsible for such stimu-
lation. In nature, however, reduction of light by turbidity would be
expected to depress photosynthesis.

Bio-assays carried out with juvenile pink salmon did not show
direct toxicity. Some observed disorientation was attributed to tur-
bidity. Samples with solids concentrations up to 5 percent did not
produce significant mortality after the 48-hour period of the bio-assay,
or during the subsequent day of observation.

Based on the results of the chemical and fish bio-assays, the study
concluded that bottom sediments of Olympia Harbor appear to be moderate
to low in toxicity, and much less than those of Bellingham Harbor.

8. Great Lakes

Studies of the effects of dredging on water quality in the Great
Lakes concluded that lack of uniform procedures for sampling and
analysis, make such investigations difficult (U. S. Army Engineer
District, Buffalo, 1969). The problem is further compounded by the
variation in the degree of pollution of sediments at different harbors.

The studies concluded that dredging has little influence on water
quality, especially where the water is already polluted. At harbors
such as Rouge River and in Great Sodus Bay, some temporary adverse effects
were observed. At other harbors, such as Buffalo and Cleveland, dredging
appeared to have a beneficial effect because of the removal of polluted
_materials. The studies, however, were inconclusive as to the fate and
effects of dredge spoils following disposal in the Lake.

The effects of spoil disposal on the water quality and on the flora
and fauna were equally in doubt. Bio-assay investigations with dredge
spoil by the University of Wisconsin, suggested a relationship between
the chemical composition of these sediments and their toxicity or algal-
growth promoting potentials. Based on these bio-assays, the reviewing
Board of Consultants concluded that the long-term impact of open-water
disposal of dredge spoils on eutrophication is not known, because water
quality criteria are not well established. The Board acknowledged that
in-lake disposal of heavily polluted dredge spoils is undesirable because
of its long-term adverse effects on the marine environment and ecology
of the Great Lakes.

9. Other Countries
a. Scotland and England. Sewage sludge from the city of Glasgow and
adjoining areas has been dumped in the Firth of Clyde for years at an

average rate of 1 million tons per year.

Preliminary investigations (Mackay and Topping, 1970) covered the
composition of the sludge, the hydrography of the dumping area, and

some of the chemical characteristics of the sediments. More recently,
detailed chemical and biological surveys of the area were undertaken
(Mackay, et al, 1972).

Since summer 1971, increased sampling over a wide area has provided
a clearer understanding of the factors controlling the distribution and
dispersion of trace substances and a determination of their effect on
the fauna of the area. Organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated
biphenyls, known to occur in sewage sludge, are presently being studied
by the University of Glasgow.

As in the New York Bight, completed investigations of the dumping
grounds of the Firth of Clyde found a strong association of heavy metals
with organically rich sediments. Also, animals taken near the center of
the dumping area were found to contain much higher levels of trace ele-
ments than those taken further away. No sampling station was devoid of
fauna, though species composition varied considerably. For example, a
change was observed, from a molluskan/echinoderm community further from
the center of the dump to a polychaete community near the center.

A study of the effects of sludge dumping in the outer Thames Estuary,
England (Shelton, 1971), determined that oxygen content of the bottom
waters was near saturation. Lower oxygen concentrations were observed in
surface waters. No apparent changes in benthic infaunal populations
were observed.

b. Turkey. Large quantities of untreated sewage and industrial
wastes are discharged annually into the Bosphorus, Sea of Marmara and
Dardanelles from Istanbul and other municipalities in Turkey.

This area was studied by Woodward-Envicon, Inc., an environmental
consulting firm of San Diego, California, under the sponsorship of the
Turkish government, the City of Istanbul and the World Health Organization
(Marine Pollution Bulletin, 1972).

The study determined that such discharges contributed 200-1,000
milligrams per liter suspended solids, had a biological oxygen demand of
150-400 milligrams per liter, resulted in pH of 7.1-8.4, and contained
from 5 x 10° to 5 x 108 coliform bacteria per 100 milliliters. Analyses
of samples taken from 22 bathing beaches by the Istanbul Public Health
Institute showed that seven of the beaches are highly polluted, and that
there is a high risk of typhoid, hepatitis, bacillary dysentery and gastro-
enteritis from such high concentrations of bacteria.

SECTION III. THE NEW YORK BIGHT ENVIRONMENT
1. Bottom and Subbottom Characteristics

a. Geomorphology. New York Bight is the geographic name given to
the re-entrant Atlantic coast and Continental Shelf region extending from
Cape May, New Jersey, north and east to Montauk, Long Island (Figure 2).
The coastline is characterized by sandy beaches with numerous estuaries
which include Little Egg Inlet, Barnegat Inlet, Lower and Upper New York
Bay, East Rockaway Inlet, Fire Island Inlet, Moriches Inlet and Shinnecock
Inlet. Water depths generally exceed 100 feet within about 50 miles off-
shore.

The Inner New York Bight covers about 250 square miles (Figure 3) and
was formed by the drowning of the lower Hudson and Raritan river valleys
by the post glacial rise of sea level. Lower Bay, the largest part of
New York York Harbor, is separated from the open ocean by Sandy Hook and
Rockaway Point. The lower parts of the Hudson and Raritan Rivers, their
tributaries (East River, Arthur Kill, Kill Van Kull, Harlem River), Newark
Bay, and Upper Bay are called the Inner Harbor. The part south of Staten
Island lying between the Narrows and the harbor entrance is considered
the Outer Harbor.

The Continental Shelf, seaward of New York Harbor is a gently sloping '
plain, 110 miles wide, marked by numerous submerged small relief ridges
and troughs which resemble remnant barrier islands and associated lagoons
dissected by subaerial glacially fed streams. (McKinney and Friedman,
1970). Much of the present shelf morphology evolved during the past
15,000 years as the climate has moderated and sea level risen. The
Hudson Channel is a relict submarine channel that extends south from the
entrance of the Harbor continuously across the Shelf, to connect with the
head of Hudson Canyon at the Shelf edge.

The surface morphology of the inner Continental Shelf in the ocean
dumping grounds of the N.Y. Bight has been significantly altered over the
past 85-90 years by anthropogenic deposition. Comparison of Figures 3
and 4 clearly shows that the Hudson Channel immediately east of Sandy
Hook has been modified as well as the Diamond Hill area about 2 miles
northeast. Historical records indicate that those areas have received
various types of disposed materials since at least 1885. Figure 5 shows
the limits of significant contour differences between the 1845 survey
(Figure 4) and the most recent chart (Figure 3).

b. Geologic History and Stratigraphy. CERC, as part of its Inner
Continental Shelf Study Program (ICONS) has collected 445 miles of high

resolution geophysical reflection records from the shallow shelf area in
the Inner Bight (Fig. 6). In addition, 61 pneumatic vibratory piston
cores averaging 10-feet long of recovered material and 4-inches in
diameter and have been obtained (Williams and Duane, in press). Some
cores were taken in the individual dump grounds, and showed small amounts
of apparent spoil. Also, borings, to depths in excess of 100 feet, were

42°

CONNECTICUT

PENNSYLVANIA

STATEN
IS

ATLANTIC OCEAN

ATLANTIC
HIGHLANDS

38°

LONG BRANCH

CEREN-GE

Figure 2. Northeastern Coast of United States Including the N. Y.
Bight (Blowup of area of interest) (After Williams and
Duane, in press)

Sp a
74*00 73°50' 73°40'

BROOKLYN

STATEN IS

CHOLERA

BANKS

Rs)
3
Sx

2 + 0 40°20!

bs)

CONTOURS IN FEET
EEE)
timo 1 2
SCALE IN NAUTICAL MILES
73°50

73°40'

CEREN-GE

Figure 3. Recent Bathymetry of the Continental Shelf Outside New
York Harbor (After Williams and Duane, in press)

BROOKLYN

STATEN IS

ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS

SURVEY DATE 1845
SCALE !N KILOMETERS contour vatues In FEET
CED

CEREN-GE

Figure 4. Bathymetry of the Shelf Outside Harbor Based on an 1845
Survey (Williams and Duane, in press)

74°00! 73°50’

BROOKLYN

STATEN IS.

BAY

90°30"

10 DIAMOND

ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS

40°20'

CONTOUR VALUES IN FEET

SCALE IN KILOMETERS
[sae a)
QO ft 2s)

CEREN-GE

Figure 5. Isopach of Fill Material (Williams and Duane, in press)

BROOKLYN

STATEN IS

: ie
is cy {
oO
2

e
New

iF
FeFXC-40
NI Tet co-4

34
ei) EXPLANATION
' EN So Air
: Ws Soto
0 jottom Sample
An, \ 3 Lese0]| | | oy (fis —— Geophysical Line
“any, 5 Pe yr ©) Boring
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if p
|
a
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a

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ea
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a p aC!
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SCALE IN NAUTICAL MILES SCALE IN KILOMETERS

mune p aap oe [os en = = oa) ag 87

OU 2.3)

CEREN-GE

Figure 6. Track of Geophysical Reflection Studies and Location of
Core, Boring and Sampling Sites of CERC's Inner Continental
Shelf Study Program (ICONS) (Williams and Duane, in press)

taken for foundation engineering studies for Coast Guard navigation buoys
in the Bight. These indicate that gently southeast dipping Coastal Plain
Strata underlie the Shelf off the Harbor. Shrewsbury Rocks, extending
offshore from Long Branch, N.J., (Figure 3) mark the physiographic and
geologic demarcation between deeply eroded Upper Cretaceous strata to

the north and evenly truncated Tertiary Strata to the south (Figure 7)
(Williams and Duane, in press).

Overlying the Coastal Plain sediments are sands, gravel and fine
detritus which in part owe their origin to the ancestral Raritan and
Hudson Rivers which flowed over the exposed Shelf during Pleistocene time.
Additional material from melt water erosion of the terminal moraines of
Long Island was deposited concurrently on the Shelf. ICONS geophysical
records east of Sandy Hook show an elongate area containing complex sets
of cross stratified Pleistocene sand and gravel up to 75 feet thick on
top of deeply eroded Coastal Plain strata. The crossbed sediments are
overlain by flat lying stratified sand with an average thickness of 15
feet (Williams and Field, 1971).

Stratigraphy of the sediments of the Inner New York Bight in the dump
grounds follows:

Upper Cretaceous and Tertiary strata (sands, silts, clays and some
gravels) form the base material of the Shelf of the Bight. Pleistocene
glaciofluvial material was deposited unconformably upon the erosion
surface represented by these sediments. In certain areas of the Bight,
especially near ancestral river beds, east of Sandy Hook these sediments
are crossbedded. Superimposed on the Pleistocene sediments are horizontal,
sand deposits of variable thickness of Holocene age. Subbottom profiling
and coring studies indicate the existence of a thin veneer of Holocene
material near the dumping grounds. This material is covered by dredge
spoils and sewage sludge. Ambiguity persists about the thickness of the
waste materials on the present dumping grounds. Random core sampling in
this area has shown accumulation of waste sediment having thickness of
only a few centimeters. One core showed waste thickness of about one
meter. This core, it is believed, was taken in a topographic low where
such accumulation is more probable. The apparent absence of a thick
accumulation of waste material on the ocean floor as revealed by ICONS
cores and geophysical records indicates either resuspension and transport
of this sediment or rapid biodegradation. Such a magnitude of bio-
degradation may be more true for the sewage sludge which has a higher
organic content in contrast to excavation rubble or dredge muds.

c. Surface Sediments. A large percentage of the sediments found in
the designated dredge spoil dumping area originate from dredging and
maintenance of navigation channels in the Harbor. These channels are
dredged to accommodate the large volumes of shipping into the Harbor.

Sediments of the Inner Harbor are generally fine grained sands and

silts subject to continuous shifting by bottom currents. In the outer
part of the Harbor, including Sandy Hook Bay, the bottom is typically

Scale in Feet

ut 3315 3313 3311 MM

3317
o) 1 aae T T T T T T
|
of) CORE 102 40! CORE 101 |
LINE 37 0 “gt 910Y Silly Fine Sond Groy Sill-Cloy | Fe
100
150 =——
———————————————
coe ppp PA
250
300
NORTH—
3309 3307 3305 NN 3303 330!
Or T T T [= T T T

HUDSON
SUBMARINE
CHANNEL

CORE 99 0 O' Gray Silt with Spoil
4° Gray Sil!-Sond

Pleistocene Erosion Surface

SHREWSBURY ROCKS

NORTH —~

3299 3297,
© T a ae T — —4r ] T T T T

ED CORES Oo © Gray Fine Sand @ Silt
H

Pleistocene Erosion Surface

NORTH —
3291 3289 20 3287 3285
° T T Teen T ay T T = eas
DIAMOND
50 ! oy Colne ae COAST GUARD we DISPOSAL AREA CORE 40 O-7' Silt with Spoil COAST GUARD
a) rey, Very Fine, Sand Pleistocene Erosion Surface BORING NO. 4 Des Groy Silt-Clay 4 BORING NO 2,3

100
150 Te eS ernie
es Approximate Horizontal Scale
300 Nautical Miles
NORTH —~
o) 0.25 0.5
3283 3281
° at “=r hn T T 1.
Pleistocene Erosion Surface (0) (o} 5 (0) 8
Kilometers

CEREN-GE

NORTH ——

Figure 7. Stratigraphy of Sediments in the Vicinity of the Dumping
Grounds as Revealed from Cores and Subbottom Profiling
(Williams and Field, 1971)

SS)

covered with coarser sands (Fig. 8). Sediment distribution and char-
acteristics in both the Inner and Outer Harbor are affected by the

nature of sediment from the Hudson River, the quantity and type of wastes
discharged within the harbor, tidal circulation, and frequency of dredging.

Near the Harbor entrance, the sediments are coarser, consisting typical-
ly of sand and gravel. Further offshore, sand is the principal sediment
with a few scattered patches of gravel (Fig. 8).

Near the dumping grounds the sediments are not typical of sediments
found elsewhere in the Bight. These sediments are usually mixed, since
they originate from different regions, and include medium or fine grained
sands, muds with high organic content, and sewage sludge at different
stages of degradation. The sediments of the dumping grounds can be
termed anthropogenic because their deposition is not the result of natural
processes. Certain physical properties of the sediments dredged and dis-
posed of in the dumping area are given in Table 4.

There appears to be little natural sedimentation on the Continental
Shelf of Bight at the present time. Topographic features, cut by rivers
flowing across the Shelf when sea level was lower, have not been covered
by more recent sediment deposition. The rivers carry little suspended
sediment, and the large estuaries and lagoons along the coast appear to
effectively trap this sediment (Meade, 1969). According to Gross (1970),
there is little or no natural sediment deposition to dilute or bury ocean
disposed wastes in this region. Removal of the waste sediments from the
dumping grounds - at least the finer sediments - may be taking place as
a result of lateral movement due to bottom currents, storm waves, in-
ternal waves and turbidity currents. The extent of lateral movement of
the sediments of the dumping area is not satisfactorily documented.
Turbidity currents probably play an important role in the removal of
waste sediment. Because the dumping grounds are near the head of the
Hudson Channel, it is possible that the channel acts as a conduit moving
such sediments to deeper water in the form of density currents. The
WHOI study concluded that a possible reason the Los Angeles area did not
experience a degraded marine environment was because of canyons. So
the nearness of the Hudson Canyon to the disposal grounds may be bene-
ficial provided that the ecological damage in the Canyon, resulting from
the presence of polluted sediments, is not too great.

2. Water Motion and Circulation Characteristics

The water motion and circulation characteristics of the Bight have
been studied in relation to dispersion patterns of waste materials dis-
posed of in the area. (Ketchum and Ford, 1948; Ketchum, et al, 1951;
Redfield and Walford, 1951; Beyer, 1955; Saila, 1968; Buelow, 1968;
Sandy Hook Laboratory, 1972). Hydrographic studies of the Bight have
also been undertaken by Bowman and Weyl (1972).

No comprehensive synoptic hydrographic studies of the nearshore area
of the Bight have been made, and complete understanding of the surface

ee
CEREN-GE

Figure 8. Sediment Distribution in Lower New York Bay and on the
nearby Continental Shelf (Williams and Duane, in press)

Table 4. Physical Properties of Sediment Dredged in the New York Metropolitan Area

Dredged Area Yearsof | Median Grain Size | Grain Density | Bulk Density | Porosity
Observation in si
ste

oe
New York— 1958—1967
New Jersey Channels

Ambrose Channel 1956-1968
Sandy Hook Channel | 1960—1968
South Shore 1955-1968
Long Island

t Percent Loss on Ignition: 15.0, 13.0, and 2.3.

* One gram per cubic centimeter is equivalent to one metric ton per
cubic meter or 62.4 pounds per cubic foot.

after Gross, 1969

and bottom circulation in the area of the disposal grounds has not been
obtained. The reason for this lack of understanding is that the Bight
dumping grounds are not strictly marine but have estuarine characteristics.
The hydrographic conditions in this area constantly change as freshwater
flows from the Hudson and Raritan Rivers into the oceanic environment.
Generally, conditions in the Bight are similar to those off the mouths

of large rivers.

The flow of the Hudson and Raritan Rivers varies seasonally from less
than 0.6 x 10? to more than 1.3 x 10% cubic feet per day. With such an
influx freshwater, it would be expected that the distribution of physical
properties would be greatly affected. Paradoxically, a study of hydro-
graphic conditions in the Bight by Ketchum, et al (1951) has shown that
when- the river flow was great, a steady state condition existed and the
distribution of properties was explainable. When the river flow was
low, the patterns were erratic, changeable, and unpredictable.

‘To maintain a steady-state condition within the Bight, nontidal drift
of mixed water in a net seaward direction must be taking place. To counter-
act rapid flushing, and to maintain the steady-state condition, a large
quantity of ocean water must also enter the area. This oceanic counter-
drift would be expected to be rich in oxygen and nutrients. The study by
Ketchum and his associates, concluded that an active circulation pattern
exists in the Bight having a beneficial cleansing action on whatever
pollutants enter the area. The rate of flushing was estimated to be
from 6 to 10 days, and to be independent of the river flows, but depend-
ent on tidal oscillations.

This active circulation pattern within the Bight was inferred by
studying the spatial distribution of properties and by identification of
water masses and boundary conditions. Although it appears correct in
explaining total water mass exchange and drift, it does not answer
immediate questions concerning circulation patterns within the dumping
grounds.

The Sandy Hook Laboratory (SHL) attempted to directly measure the
circulation in the Bight related to the movement and dispersal of dumped
Materials. SHL established a sampling grid of 23 hydrographic stations
in part of the Bight (Figure 9) and made periodic measurements of tempera-
ture, salinity, and dissolved oxygen. Attempts to measure directly
velocity, current direction, and particulate transports were made, but
were partially unsuccessful. Three of four current meters placed at
fixed stations, 40 feet above the bottom within the study area (Points
A, B, C, Figure 9), gave satisfactory records for only limited periods.
The results of this current data are discussed in the section on bottom
circulation. Estimates of surface and bottom sediment transport were
obtained by SHL using seabed and surface drifters. The Seabed drifter
used was a positively buoyant plastic saucer (diameter 18 cm) fastened
to a small diameter stem 54 cm long. The free end of this stem was
weighted so that the whole drifter had a slight negative buoyancy. Sur-
face drifters were small bottles ballasted to float vertically and to

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present little above surface exposure reducing wind effects. The
analysis of circulation patterns was based on the limited current meter
data and on returns from about 4,000 surface and seabed drifters, re-
leased during 1969. The history of returns for these drifters is
shown in Figure 10. Details on the construction and operation of drif-
ters can be found in papers by (Bumpus, (1965), Harrison, et al, (1967).

a. Surface Circulation. Knowledge of surface currents is important
in understanding the dispersion of surface pollutants near the dumping
grounds. Surface circulation of the waters of the Bight is controlled
by tides and prevailing winds. It is difficult to determine the net
effect of tidal and wind-driven surface circulation on waste dispersion
in the absence of comprehensive synoptic hydrographic surveys, because
both tides and winds are dependent on time of day and season of year.
However the following general remarks can be made:

(1) Tidal Circulation. The New York Harbor tidal circulation
has been studied by Marmer (1935), and Jeffries (1962). Under flood
conditions, water flows into the Lower Bay through Ambrose Channel while
ebbing still occurs at the surface and along the bottom of the channel.
The ebb in the Lower Bay is generally stronger than the flood by 10
percent or more, so, in addition to the net transport of water from the
Hudson River, there is a net flow of water in a seaward direction. Net
currents in Raritan and Lower Bays are shown in Figure 11. The tidal
pattern in Upper Bay, south of Manhattan, is complicated by cross currents
due to differences in ebb and flood, and effects of tidal resonance.
Tidal currents in the Narrows are quite strong.

The nearshore tidal circulation, along the New Jersey and Long Island
coasts near the entrance to the Harbor, is quite different than the off-
shore circulation. According to the United States Coast Pilot for Area 2
(Cape Cod to Sandy Hook), tidal currents near the Fire Island Lighted
Whistle Buoy, have a mean velocity of about 0.2 knots west on the flood
and east on the ebb. At the seaward end of Ambrose Channel, the mean
velocity of the tidal currents at flood is 1.7 knots, at ebb, 2.3 knots.

Tidal currents are less significant offshore of the present dumping
grounds than in the nearshore area. Velocities are probably no more than
0.3 knots shifting direction continuously to the right in a clockwise
direction with each tidal cycle of about 12.4 hours. This direction shift
would have an average rate of about 30' per hour and would have the effect
of isotropically dispersing any suspended lightweight material in the
upper part of the water colum.

(2) Wind-Driven Circulation. Wind-driven circulation in the
New York Bight is far more significant than tidal circulation in the
dispersal of suspended waste material in the surface waters. Circulation
of surface water due to wind-driven surface currents at the ocean dump-
ing grounds similarly cannot be deduced without synoptic field investi-
gations and measurements. On the basis of known wind patterns, the
following generalizations can tentatively be made.

DRIFTER RETURNS (% OF TOTAL RELEASED)

Figure 10.

I969
July | Aug! Sep ! Oct

Surface

Seabed

Time History of Drifter Returns Used in Water Circulation
Studies (After SHL, 1972)

Figure 11. Net Surface Currents in
Raritan and Lower Bays
(After Jeffries, 1962)

Under extreme storm conditions, the largest velocities of surface
currents due to winds in the area are about 1.5 knots. Such strong
currents would be due to gales with force of 40 miles per hour, predom-
inantly from the northwest. Since the prevailing winds are from the
northwest, about 10 months of the year, the net movement of surface
water and its suspended material, during these months, would be in a
south or southeasterly direction.

In July and August, when prevailing winds are southeasterly, net
movement of surface water and of suspended matter in the upper water layer
would be in a north, northeast direction. Such surface flow was confirmed
by the SHL drifter studies.

The layer of water that may be affected by storm winds would be the
upper layer, 0 to 50 feet thick. Below that depth, net movement of the
water due to subsurface currents may be in any direction and even in a
direction opposite to the surface flow.

(3) General Surface Circulation. General patterns of surface
circulation can be obtained inexpensively over a large area by the use
of surface drifters. Such a surface drifter study was undertaken by the
Sandy Hook Laboratory.

Surface drift bottles were released intermittently at several points
of the Bight (Figure 9) to determine the seasonal and spatial character
of the surface currents. Of 1,886 surface drifters released by SHL, 497
(26 percent) were recovered. The total percent recovery of surface
drifters is illustrated in Figure 12, and the origin of surface drifters
recovered on the Long Island and New Jersey shores on Figures 13 and 14.
To estimate speed, the SHL study assumed a straight-line course between
release and recovery. To estimate time at sea, the duration between re-
lease and recovery was used. By this method, changes in the direction
of currents were only roughly depicted, and speed could be underestimated.

The SHL study concluded that there is a general clockwise circulation
in the Bight, which was associated with bifurcation at the head of the
Hudson Channel. Surface drift patterns suggested strong seasonal sur-
face circulation. During winter, surface flow was predominantly south-
east, in summer the flow tended northward toward the south coast of
Long Island. These results are in agreement with earlier observations
of Bumpus and Lauzier (1965).

Density patterns derived from temperature-salinity values for a cross
section aligned with the axis of the Hudson Channel near Station C where
current measurements were obtained, infer according to the SHL study, an
estuarine type of circulation. Although not quantitatively definable,
according to the SHL study, a landward flow of water near the bottom
should occur preferentially in the Hudson Channel region of the Bight.
The force driving the estuarine and coastal circulation, according to the
SHL study, is the horizontal pressure gradient.

Figure 12.

Surface Drifter
Returns Total
Percent Recovery
Lines for 1969
(After SHL, 1972)

A Neste me: 30 Figure N56
Origin of Surface
Drifters Recover-
ed on Long Island
(After SHL, 1972)
ee &

90 ae 20
Contours in patas 73° 30)

Palen 114!

Origin of Surface
Drifters Recover-
ed on New Jersey
Coast (After SHL,
1972

50 3010 (0)

Contours in Percent

b. Bottom Circulation. A study of bottom circulation of waters
outside the Harbor was attempted by the SHL using current meters and bot-
tom drifters. Current measurements were made by the SHL for only three
stations A, B, C (Figure 9).

At station A, 3.5 miles south of Atlantic Beach, bottom and mid-depth
observations were made in late June 1969. At station B, 2.5 miles south-
west of Ambrose Light, bottom measurements were taken in late February
1969. At station C, 3.5 miles east of Sandy Hook, bottom measurements
were taken in late May - early June 1969. The records are few, nonsynop-
tic and cover only short periods. It is difficult to generalize from
only three measurements the total bottom circulation of the Bight, or to
correlate with drifter studies as the SHL attempted to do. Although not
conclusive, the results of these current measurements taken by SHL are
illustrated in Figure 15. For each of the three stations A, B, C, in
this figure, the progressive vector diagram is presented for the valid
portion of the record.

On the basis of these current measurements, the following conclusions
were reached by the SHL study. At station A, according to bottom-drifter
analysis, the bottom flow should be predominantly east. For the period
of the record (late June) local winds were variable but generally from
the south. The current-meter measurements (Figure 15) show such an init-
ial eastward movement of mid-depth and bottom water. One week later,
however, the mid-depth flow swings in a northeast direction, bottom drift
shifted to a southeast direction. The average net drift at point A was
3.3 miles per day for mid-depth water, and 1.9 miles per day for bottom
water. Y

At station B, the station nearest the dumping grounds, bottom water
flow (February) was generally east, switching later toward the north
until the record became invalid. The average net drift for the entire
period was 3.9 miles per day.

Finally, at station C (late May - early June) the path of the infer-
red bottom flow was northwest into the Bay. Figure 15 shows there was
substantial tidal oscillation, but net drift followed a heading of about
320° True. The average net drift over the period, according to the SHL
Study, was 4.2 miles per day.

In addition to the current measurements, bottom seabed drifters were
also reieased at stations shown in Figure 9.

The total percent recovery of seabed drifters is shown in Figure 16.
Of 2,190 seabed drifters released in 1969, 710 (32 percent) were recover-
ed over a period of 6 months from beaches of Long Island. The origins of
seabed drifters recovered in the Hudson Estuary and the Long Island and
New Jersey coasts are shown in Figures 17, 18, 19. SHL data suggest a
strong flow at the bottom along the axis of the Hudson-Ambrose Channel
northward and towards Long Island and into the mouth of the Hudson Estuary.
Few drifters were recovered in the bay, but low drifter return was

Ke)

NOTE

All grid distances
are nautical miles.

Mid- depth

Bottom

Figure 15. Progressive Vector Representation of Current Meter-Data
from Stations A, B, and C of Sandy Hook Laboratory
(After SHL, 1972)

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Origin of Seabed
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Expressed and Con-
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40° 20 SHER S972)

Contours in Percent

Figure 18.

Origin of Seabed
Drifters Recovered
on Long Island
(After SHL, 1972)

[-} (24
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Sy Drifters Recovered
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aes SS Coast (After SHL,
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Contours in Percent 40° 20
73°30)

attributed by SHL to public inaccessibility to the area, reduced drifter
buoyancy, or other forms of drifter entrapment. On the basis of bottom
drifter returns (Figure 10), SHL concluded that the bottom circulation
of this region of the Bight undergoes mild seasonal variation.

3. Chemical Characteristics

Physical-chemical studies of the Bight in the past (Ketchun, Redfield,
and Ayers, 1951; Redfield and Walford, 1951) have described the distribu-
tion of temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen and iron in the area.

Iron content of sediments in and northeast of the dumping grounds has
been. studied by Corwin and Ketchum (1956). Salinity, temperature, total
phosphorus, total iron and chlorophll-a data have been reported by
Ketchum, Yentsch and Corwin (1958).

Buelow, Pringle and Verber (1968), analyzed water extracts of sediment
samples taken near the sewage sludge dumping ground for copper, zinc,
chromium and lead. Limited trace metal analyses were also conducted on
black quahog Arctica islandica samples. Gross (1970) provided more in-
formation on the chemical nature of sediment in the Bight. The study
correlated high concentrations of metals with carbon-rich waste deposits.
A later investigation by Gross et al, (1971) measured the copper, lead,
silver and chromium content of surface deposits.

SHL (1972) determined concentrations of phosphorus (ortho, organic,
meta and total), nitrate, total iron, dissolved oxygen, and chlorophyll-a
in water samples, and measured temperature, salinity, turbidity and pH.
Sediment samples were analyzed for heavy metals, petrochemicals, pesti-
cide metabolites and redox potential to correlate these characteristics
with the distribution of Lenthic organisms. Figure 20 shows the stations
occupied for chemical studies. Samples were collected on 27 cruises
from late January 1969 to mid-July 1970. Initially, stations on east-
west transects through the sewage sludge and acid disposal areas were
sampled bimonthly. These included Stations 69, 70, 71, 75, 76, 77, and
78. Stations located on transects to the north, south and between the
above stations were sampled monthly. This pattern included Stations
OO, O%5 O85 725 185 V4, 795 GO, anal Sl.

Table 5 summarizes the ranges of values for certain chemical para-
meters measured in the Bight by the SHL. Fig. 21 shows the seasonal
variation of properties at two stations in the Bight determined by
Ketchum, et al, (1951). One station was near Scotland Lightship, the
other just southeast of the dumping grounds.

a. Temperature and Salinity. Temperature and salinity data for the
waters of the New York Bight have been obtained by a number of investi-

gations studying physical-chemical properties (Ketchum, et al, 1951; SHL,
1972; Bowman and Weyl, 1972). Some of these data have been summarized
in the report by Horne and his associates (1971).

The temperature and salinity of the Bight vary seasonally. Greater

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Table 5. Ranges of Chemical Data Measurements Near the New York
Dumping Grounds.

Siri abet iron to 37.3 Mian

Chlorophyll-a 38 to 33.3 pg-at/1

Nitrate to 3.28 ug-at/1
Orthophosphate 02 to 5.64 ug-at/1
Organic phosphate : to 2.28 ug-at/1
Metaphosphate 01 to 2.35 ug-at/1
Total phosphate 84 to 7.48 ug-at/1
Dissolved oxygen 2.0 to15.2 ppm t
pH 7.10 to 8.40

Lead in sediment 0.55 to 249 ppm
Copper in sediment 0.013 to 338 ppm

Chromium in sediment 0.25 to 197 ppm

* microgram-atom per liter after SHL 1972
t parts per million

OXYGEN %

SCOTLAND LIGHT

SALINITY Yoo

TEMPERTURE °C

OXYGEN mI/L.

SATURATION

“IRON 2 g/L

FEB. MAR. APR. MAY JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV. FEB. MAR. APR. MAY JUNE JULY AUG. SEPT. OCT. NOV

Figure 21. Seasonal Variation of Certain Physical Chemical Properties
at Two Stations in the New York Bight (After Ketchum, et
allies leis)

variation occurs near the mouth of the Harbor estuary where large flows
of fresh water from the rivers enter. The flow of the Hudson and Raritan
Rivers varies seasonally from less than 0.6 x 102 cubic feet to more than
1.3 x 102 cubic feet per day. This flow, in addition to other seasonal
variations, affects the physical-chemical properties of the nearshore
waters.

During the winter, in the absence of a thermocline, the waters be-
come vertically homogeneous. Waters near the shore are colder and less
saline; further offshore, the waters are warmer and more saline. A
tongue of warmer ocean water is found along the Hudson Canyon (Horne,
et al, 1971). Water temperature near the shore reaches a low of around
0°C; offshore water fluctuates around 5°C. The salinity varies also from
31 parts per thousand (0/00) nearshore to 34 0/00 offshore, with lower
salinities at the mouth of the Hudson River. During spring, large flows
of warmer, fresh water enter the Bight. This water stays on the surface,
and establishes the beginning of a thermocline. The temperature differ-
ence between surface and bottom temperatures, at this time, is about 4°C.
During April, surface temperature varies from a little less than 7°C to
over 8°C, and salinities vary from 20 0/00 at the Hudson River mouth to
32 0/00 offshore.

During the summer, the thermocline becomes pronounced; surface tempera-
tures vary between 20 and 25°C, and bottom temperatures vary from under
10°C in the Hudson Canyon to 20°C elsewhere. Temperatures differ 5° to
6°C offshore and over the Hudson Canyon. Surface salinity varies from 25
0/00 to 32 0/00; the lower values are near the mouth of the river. Bottom
salinity varies from 28 0/00 to over 32 0/00 offshore. The difference
in salinity between surface and bottom ranges from a maximum of 3 0/00
near the mouth of the estuary to a slight value offshore.

In autumn, the temperature-salinity structure is re-established. The
temperature drops and salinity increases as the river flow decreases.
The coldest water is again found onshore. Salinities vary from 27 0/00
to 33 0/00 and temperatures from 10°C-15°C. Figure 21 illustrates season-
al variation in salinity and temperature at two stations in the Bight,
measured by Ketchum, et al, (1951). The SHL investigation confirmed
Ketchum's results. Low salinity was found in the surface waters moving
from New York Harbor to the southwest.

b. Dissolved Oxygen. Oxygen content is an important measure of
seawater's ability to support life. Dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration
in the sea varies with temperature, salinity, biological processes, and
degree of mixing.

Oxygen content of the waters in and around the dumping grounds of
the Bight varies seasonally. (Fig. 21). Reduction of the DO in bottom
waters in this area has been correlated with biochemical oxygen demand
(B.0.D.) of the organically rich waste materials.

WHOI's studies in 1948-49 showed the oxygen content near the bottom
of the dredge disposal grounds to be 61 percent of saturation and 50 per-
cent in the sludge disposal area. In July 1964, the WHOI investigation
found an oxygen minimum (which is considered normal for summer months) ,
and in 1969 oxygen content in the sludge dump area had dropped to 27
percent of saturation (Ketchum, 1970).

Oxygen content of sea water near the bottom, compared to surface
concentration, is lower during the summer months; concentration between
surface and bottom levels differs from 2 to 13 parts per million (ppm).
These differences diminish with the breakdown of the thermocline in
October-November.

Reduced values of DO in bottom waters were found during summer in
both the sewage sludge and dredge spoil disposal areas by the SHL. Ac-
cording to the SHL study, DO in the dumping grounds is 2-3 ppm less
than in water outside the dump area at the same depth, and the DO level
in bottom water over the sewage sludge dump is frequently less than
2 ppm from late July to mid-October. This level is insufficient to
support life. On the average, dissolved oxygen ranged from 2.0 ppm to
15.2 ppm depending on sampling sites, season, and depth.

Fig. 22 shows the DO content of surface and bottom water for a cross
section along both the sewer sludge and the dredge spoils dumping sites.
The sparcity of data precludes statistically significant conclusions and
the quantification of the B.0.D. in the area of the dumping grounds.

c. Nutrients. In the Bight, concentrations of natural nutrients such
as phosphorus and nitrogen vary seasonally. Nitrate-nitrogen concentra-
tion in the surface waters is sometimes completely exhausted; small con-
centrations of phosphorus are always present. Nitrogen-phosphorus (N:P)
ratios fluctuate widely. During summer, vertical mixing provides nutrients
to the euphotic zone where there is enough light to permit growth of
green plants. In deep offshore waters of an area just east, of the Bight,
the N:P ratio was about 12:1 with low seasonal variation at the oxygen-
maximum-nutirent-maximum layer (Horne et al, 1971, Ketchum et al, 1958).
In the dump areas, concentrations are expected to be different. Sewer
sludges disposed in the area are rich in certain nutrients.

Concentrations of phosphorus (ortho, organic meta and total), nitrate,
and chlorophyll-a, within this area, were determined in the Bight by SHL.
Phosphorus, an essential nutrient in aquatic food chains, is abundant in
the sludges, and can serve as a tracer in following the movement of con-
taminated water. As expected,the concentration of phosphorus was higher
in the dump area. SHL found concentrations of orthophosphorus up to
5.64 microgram-atom per liter (yg-at/1), while reference levels, outside
the dumping grounds, ranged from 0.2-0.9 ug-at/1.

Nitrogen, as reflected by N:P ratios, and chlorophyll-a concentrations,

are greatly affected by phosphorus concentrations. In the oceans, phyto-
plankton utilize both phosphates and nitrates and since the content of

OXYGEN (ppm)

SURFACE
DISSOLVED OXYGEN is < °

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27 AUG. 1969

Oc Nees

bugle) ie
cof = Seas
BOTTOM

a)
‘eo e

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AREA

5
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Figure 22. Dissolved Oxygen Content of Surface Water and Water 3

Feet off the Bottom in a Section Extending Seaward
from the Coast of New Jersey (After Ketchum, et al.,
1970)

these two nutrients varies in the same way, the N:P ratios remain fairly
constant, with a few exceptions. Nitrate is usually the limiting nutrient.

Near the dumping grounds, N:P ratios were considerably lower on the
average than elsewhere in the Bight, ranging from 0 to 14.42 for surface
waters, and from 0 to 7.70 for bottom waters. The low N:P ratios cannot
be attributed to low nitrate concentrations, but to high phosphate con-
centrations. In fact SHL found nitrate concentrations of up to 3.25
ug-at/1. Chlorophyll-a ranged from 0.38 to 33.3 ug-at/l. This ranges of
nutrient concentration found in the Bight are summarized in Table 5. The
effects of nutrients on water and sediment characteristics of the dumping
grounds are discussed at another section of this report.

d. Heavy Metals. Sewage sludges, dredge spoils, and other waste
materials dumped in the ocean contain many substances, including heavy
metals. Tables 6 and 7 show the major and minor elements found in the
sewage sludges destined for the Bight dumping grounds (Gross, 1970).
Table 7, shows the concentrations of these elements in sewage sludges as
determined by spectrochemical analysis and the origin of some of these
waste materials in the New York area.

Sewage sludges and polluted dredge spoils from other heavily industrial-
ized regions also contain certain heavy metals in high concentrations.
The concentration ranges of such heavy metals are shown in Table 8 (Train,
Cahn, and MacDonald, 1970). Table 9 summarizes relative quantities of
certain potentially troublesome elements in wastes originating from the
New York Metropolitan Region. These concentrations were determined by
the SUNY-SB study (Gross, 1970). Particularly noteworthy are the re-
latively high concentrations of lead, chromium, copper, zinc, and silver.
The median concentration values of these metals in wastes and sediments
from different locations are summarized in Fig. 23.

Gross (1971) investigated the distribution of samples containing
anomalously high total concentrations of heavy metals and compared this
distribution to the distribution of carbon-rich deposits on the Continental
Shelf of the Bight. Heavy metals were analyzed by emission spectro-
scopy. Total lead concentrations in the waste deposits were over 10
times higher than the average lead content of marine organisms or shale.
The distributions of the heavy metals, copper, chromium, lead, and silver
of the sediments of the dumping grounds are shown in Figures 24 through
27. Other acid-extractable minor elements in wastes and waste deposits
were determined by the SUNY using optical emission spectrochemical
analysis. On the average, about 1 percent of the total metal concentra-
tion was extractable by hydrochloric acid (HCl) except nickel (about five
percent was extracted). A high correlation was found between total and
extractable concentrations of copper, chromium, and iron, suggesting
that these elements are well dispersed in the samples and generally occur
in chemical states little affected by HCl treatment. No apparent corre-
lation was determined between acid-extractable and total tin concentra-
tions. Correlation between extractable and total lead concentrations
was relatively poor. The study concluded that because of the low

Table 6. Abundance of Major Elements in Typical Sewage Sludge and Natural Sediments.

Sewage Sludges Sedimentary Rocks
as Element as Oxides | Carbon-free* Shale Sandstone
(percent) (percent) (percent) (percent) (percent)
i 10.0 | 21.4 63.6 il 58.1 78.3
0.25 1 0.4 il 0.65 0.25
DoD 4.8 14.3 15.4 4.8
1.3 lod 5.0 6.1 1.3
0.6 1.0 3.0 2.4 eZ,
1,5 Dol 6.2 3.1 DE.)
OF/5 1.0 3.0 1.3 0.45
1.0 K,0 1 3.6 3.2 1.3
31.0 Organic 56.0 = 0.80 os
0.55 | BO, 1.2 a= [017 0.08
+ Chomiell composition recalculated, and adjusted to after Gross, 1970

100 percent after subtracting carbon and phosphorus content.

Table 7. Spectrochemical Analyses of Sewage Sludges in the New York Metropolitan Region

(sulfate ash)

| 47.90

Element Wards Island Hunts Point Newtown Creek Bowery Bay Tallsmans Island
L (percent) | (percent) (percent) (percent) (percent)

Silicon 7.0 8.9 11.0 10.0 10.0
Iron 1.0 2.6 2) BP2ili 15)
Aluminum ilod/ 25 2.5 Dell Dei)
Calcium 12) 1.8 Bo0/ 1.6 1.4
Magnesium 0.63 0.69 0.59 0.84t 0.80
Copper 0.056 0.14 0.16 0.19 0.11
Sodium 2.0 1.2 1.3 od tail
Titanium 0.17 0.38 0.23 0.56t 0.27
Chromium 0.050 0.11 0.080 0.25 0.085
Potassium 235) Doll it ily Dell 1.8
Phosphorus 0.29 0.91 0.65 0.77 0.70
Barium 0.040t 0.059 0.10t 0.071 0.042
Boron 0.0016 0.0024 0.0034 0.0020 0.0034
Lead TR <0.005 0.055 0.12t 0.12 0.056
Manganese 0.014 0.017 0.021 0.029 0.040
Nickel 0.0069 0.019 0.025 0.090t 0.033
Molybdenum 0.0011 0.0016 0.0033 0.0039 TR 0.002
Tin 0.021 0.034 0.028 0.048 0.022
Vanadium 0.0076 0.015t 0.0059 0.011 0.0080
Bismuth ND <0.002 Se TR <0.002 ND<KO0O2 | ===
Silver 0.0015 0.0014 0.0016 0.0033t 0.0021
Zinc 0.069t 0.25 0.24 0.29 0.17
Zirconium 0.0053 0.012 0.027 0.021f 0.012
Cobalt 0.0015 0.0036 0.0039 0.0061 t 0.0031
Strontium 0.0096 0.015 0.0097 0.015t 0.0075
Arsenic ND <0.06 Ses et hee PS en tl | PER ee
Mercury ND <0.09 eos AR YN ul IN fer AR eae ace lil} Se ee ae
Antimony ND <0.008 --- eae, Tie ie ee ee
Thorium ND <0.10 — = ey ee eee
Beryllium ND <0.0003 SSe= | eeetes! | ae e ses} aeaee=
Gallium ND <0.003 —-- oe ee il | ee Ee
Yttrium ND <0.009 See net Wee eee ey Nee Be Se | SE
Ytterbium ND <0.004 Bete shag ees ee it) ee ee ee
Cerium ND <0.04 eer arin SE gee Me geere ey eN| Rs a ot

Other nil nil nil nil
Loss on Ignition ByS}5//5) 49.10 55.40

ND Not Detected
TR Trace

+ Maximum value for element

after Gross, 1970

Table 8. Heavy Metals Concentrations in Sewage Sludge and Dredge Spoils

Sewage Sludge Natural in Sea Water || Toxic to Marine Water
(min) | (avg) | (max) !
__| (ppm) (Pea) eS (ppm)
Copper || 315 ail 1,980 0.003 0.1

Zinc 1,350 | 2,459 | 3,700 0.01

Manganese 301) 262) 790 0.002
p= = i =

Dredge Spoils

Cadmuim 130 0.08 0.01 to 10.0

Chromium 150 0.0005 1.0
Lead 310 0.00003 0.1

Nickel | 610 0.0054 | 0.1

after Train, Cahn, and MacDonald, 1970

Table 9. Estimated Amounts of Oxidizable Carbon and Potentially Troublesome Elements
Discharged with Solids in Offshore Dumps, New York Metropolitan Region.

Annual Discharge*

Type of Waste Solid | Solids |] Oxidizable Carbon Minor Elements

BX Olea 02117 10° | 2 oe t08
DYMO? |OQ2xTO? Wy G36 07

Fly Ash A r<NOL | NO! § KeAd<iee

after Gross, 1970
* Discharges expressed in grams per year (10° grams equals one metric ton).

+ Oxidizable carbon discharges calculated from observed carbon concentrations
in harbor sediment, corrected for carbon losses during dredging operations.

£ Oxidizable carbon 20 percent by weight.

CHROMIUM

COPPER

LEAD

SILVER *
+

Figure 23.

SHALE

SAND

MARINE PLANTS
SEWAGE SLUDGE

| 10 100 1000 PPM
0.0001 0.00I 0.01! Ol

Median concentration value (indicated by vertical
line) range, and limits for 70 percent of samples
analyzed (shown by heavy bar) for surficial samples
in New York Harbor and New York Bight. (C-continental
shelf sediment, I-inner harbor deposits, M-deposits
near "mud" disposal area, S-deposits near sewage
sludge disposal area). Typical concentrations are
shown for shales, sands, and marine plants (Bowen,
1966) and sewage sludges. Question marks indicate
the detection limits for the various elements
(After Gross, 1970)

Me) a

LONG BEACH

NEW YORK
HARBOR

COPPER (PPM)

STATUTE MILES

5
KILOMETERS

e18

Figure 24. Distribution of total copper concentrations in surficial
sediment and waste deposits in the New York Bight as
determined by SUNY-SB (After Gross, et al, 1971)

9 LONG BEACH
CONEY e23

e320 e160 e250 e150

NEW YORK
HARBOR

= 40°30' +

SANDY
HOOK

CHROMIUM (PPM)

STATUTE MILES
5

5
KILOMETERS
e95

Figure 25. Distribution of Total Chromium Concentrations in Surficial
Sediments and waste deposits in New York Bight as
determined by SUNY-SB. (The heavy contour outlines the
area containing deposits with more than one percent total
carbon.) (After Gross, et al, 1971)

LONG BEACH

LEAD (PPM)
\ 3200290 X NOT DETECTED

“<40330 510
64
2300

STATUTE MILES

5
KILOMETERS

Figure 26. Distribution of total lead concentrations in Surficial
Sediment and waste deposits in the New York Bight,
determined by SUNY-SB. (After Gross, et al, 1971)

LONG BEACH

NEW YORK
HARBOR

ae oe SILVER (PPM)
SANDY x NOT DETECTED

Figure 27. Distribution of total silver concentrations in Surficial
Sediment and waste deposits in the New York Bight (After
Gross et al. 1971)

extraction efficiency with hot hydrochloric acid, the various metals
studied (except lead), will not migrate easily from the waste deposits
to the overlying water. Lead and copper were found to be the most
useful elements for delineating the distribution of wastes.

Limited surveys of heavy metals in sediment samples from the Bight
were also made by SHL (1972) in conjunction with zooplankton investi-
gations, but were later expanded. Heavy metal analyses were also made
on a few plankton and animal samples collected in and around the dis-
posal areas.

The distribution of heavy metals in the sediments, such as copper,
chromium, lead, nickel and zinc, as determined by the SHL, covers an
area larger than the dumping grounds. (Fig. 28, 29, 30, 31, 32). Heavy
metal content of the sediments in and around the dumping grounds was
significantly increased as compared to nonpolluted sediments, and as
previously determined by the SUNY study (Gross, 1971). Discrepancies
in the ranges of heavy metal concentrations, as determined by SHL and
SUNY, even though within the same general area, are attributed primarily
to differences in points of sampling, which indicate geographic varia-
tion, and to a lesser extent to differences in analytical techniques.
High values of heavy metals in the sediments, (SHL, 1972) along the upper
part of the Hudson Canyon, south of the dumping grounds, indicate that a
transport mechanism is in operation.

Analysis for heavy metals in organisms, by SHL, showed that some
specimens contained concentrations of lead, chromium and mercury that
were above the normal range for marine animals. These metals were also
found in the water in higher concentrations (SHL, 1972).

e. Organic Fraction. Sewer sludges, from treatment plants in New
York City and New Jersey, dumped in the Bight, are rich in organic
material (Table 10). Total loss-on-ignition ranges from about 46 to
80 percent of the dry weight of the material. Oxidizable carbon content
ranges from 18 to 26 percent. The remaining non-organic fraction of
the sludges is composed of aluminosilicate materials which are chemically
similar to shale (Gross, 1970).

A large percentage of the organic fraction of sewage sludge dumped in
the N.Y. Bight is composed of water soluble acids and sugars. (Gluturic
acid, glycolic acid, lactic acid, citric acid, benzoic acid, phenyl
lactic, glucose, sucrose, lactose, etc.) (Walter, 1961). Another large
fraction of organic material is relatively insoluble, and will remain in
suspension or will be included in the bottom sediments until final de-
composition. This group may contain proteins, certain carbohydrates,
fats, esters, and unidentified organic components. The percent total
carbon composition of suspended solid material in sewage is shown in
ables

The material dredged from the New York harbor and disposed at the
dredge dumping grounds consists primarily of silicate material, and

Rockaway Point

RARITAN * 2=13.0
RARITAN *57=106.0 40° 30'N

109
@

YOOoo @ AMBROSE
40.0

@
32.0
YOO
@
45.0

82
@
330.0

Y4
@

190.0
Y6
@

50.0

Ys
@

e e
75.0 920
12
@
22.0

"BA" BUOY
@
60.0

i e
73° 45'W 15

74°00 W

Total Conper as ppm of Dry Sediment through November 1971

Figure 28.
(After SHL, 1972)

68.

Rockaway Point

RARITAN # 2=8.0
RARITAN # 57= 23.0

1956
@
Sandy ele

Hook

voo00
@
13.0

Figure 29.
(After SHL, 1972)

40° 30'N

@AMBROSE 199
45.0

4
135.0 ae
59 4

234.00 ©
142.0

G4
@
65.0 800

12
e
750

“BA' BUOY
@
70.0

40° 10'N

73°45' W 30

Total Chromium as ppm of Dry Sediment through November 1971

Rockaway Point

RARITAN “2=50.0 '
°
RARITAN *57=110.0 40° 30 N

1956
a 40

e
20.0
Sandy MS

Hook

vogoo 0900 @®AMBROSE
300 600

~ 4
1450 1300

12
@
115.0

"“BA' BUOY
@
205.0

556
@
85.0

40°10'N

@
74° 00' W 73° 45' w i20

Figure 30. Total Lead as ppm of Dry Sediment through November 1971
(After SHL, 1972)

Rockaway Point

RARITAN * 2=8.0
RARITAN * 57= 23.0

1956
@
7.0
Sandy
Hook
voo0o

6.0

voo
@

12.0

Yyoooo @ AMBROSE ee)
@ 8.0
12.0
Yoo
@
12.0

82
@
320

Y4
Q

"ga’ Buoy
15.0

560

40° 30'N

40°10'N

e
73° 45' WwW 30

Figure 31. Total Nickel as ppm of Dry Sediment through November 1971
(After SHL, 1972)

Rockaway Point

RARITAN 72=|20.0
RARITAN *“57=195.0

JIS 60
25,
Sandy 2
Hook

voooo
@

6I
@
107.0

@AMBROSE

“BA' BUOY
@
160.0

@
73° 45' w 100

40° 30'N

~Figure 32. Total Zinc as ppm of Dry Sediment through November 1971

(After SHL, 1972)

Table 10. Some Chemical Properties of Sewage Sluges in the New York Metropoltian Region

Sample idi Reducing Sulfide
Number Capacity

(MEQ/g)

090818001
090818002
690818003
690818004
690918005
690819001
690819003
690819004
690819005
690904001
690904002
690904003
690910001

690925005
690925007

Bericrvient: in grams after Gross, 1970

Table 11. Total Carbon Composition of Suspended Solid Material in Sewage

Mmadenahea © te Fats — Ester
Protein x Fats — Acid

Carbohydrates i Muramic Acid
Amino Sugars : Anionic Detergents
Soluble Acids ‘ Amide

after Walter, 1961

averages 8 to 10 percent organics (Panuzio, 1965). Hudson River sedi-
ments have an average organic matter content of 5.5 percent (McCrone,

1967). Much of the organic matter in dredge spoils from harbor areas

consists of petrochemicals. (Saila, 1968).

Distribution of waste deposits in New York Harbor and nearby waters
was studied by the SUNY-SB. They measured the abundance of carbon-rich
wastes on the Continental Shelf using loss-on-ignition (volatile matter)
or total-carbon techniques. Loss on ignition (volatile matter), and
total carbon concentrations of deposits from the New York Bight dumping
grounds and adjacent areas are shown in Figures 33, 34.

Within the Harbor, the total carbon concentrations served as an index
of organic matter abundance. About 160 square kilometers (62 square
miles or 40 percent) of the total harbor area is covered by fine grained
wastes containing more than 2 percent total carbon. Sewage solids are
suspected of contributing most of the carbonaceous material. Distribution
of carbon-rich surface deposits in the Harbor and adjacent waters is
shown in Fig. 35. Outside the Harbor, the area on the Shelf covered by
sediments with more than 2 percent total carbon, or 5 percent volatile
matter, is about 50 square kilometers (20 square miles). Sediments
with more than 1 percent total carbon were found to cover about 100
square kilometers (40 square miles). Oxidizable carbon and reducing
capacity of the deposits were correlated with the abundance of total
carbon in the deposits. The waste deposits in the dumping grounds,
according to Gross (1970), had median total carbon concentrations that
were 30 times greater than the median for Continental Shelf deposits.

f. Other Chemical Species. Acid wastes in the New York Bight acid
dumping grounds consist of about 8.5 percent sulphuric acid and 10 percent
ferrous sulphate in solution. The acid, according to Redfield and Walford,
(1951), is rapidly neutralized; the ferrous sulphate is oxidized to the
ferric state and precipitates as the hydroxide which is easily traced in
the bottom sediments. This is the major source of iron in the area,
other than occasional contributions from river water, northeast of the
dumping grounds. The disposal of acid wastes has resulted in an easily
identified, iron-rich, water mass, which sinks and is moved northeast
along the bottom by currents. High iron concentrations for these waters
have been reported in the past by Ketchum, Redfield and Ayers (1951) and
by Ketchum et al, (1958). These investigators found a maximum of about
1 microgram-atom per liter (ug-at/1) in 1950 and 4 ug-at/1 in 1958 com-
pared with the average of maximum values of 8.9 ug-at/1, found in 1969-
70. This increase in concentration has been attributed to the increase
in the discharge of iron in the area from 60 tons per day in 1948, to
80 tons per day in 1950, and 229 tons per day in 1969-70.

High iron concentrations in the waters were confirmed by the SHL
study of the area. The total concentration of iron for surface, mid-
depth and bottom water averaged from .46 to 3.42 ug-at/1, with higher
values for bottom water. A single maximum measurement of 37.3 ug-at/1
was obtained by SHL near the acid dumping grounds. This measurement,

LONG BEACH
CONEY

NEW YORK
HARBOR

xX
LOSS ON IGNITION

>10%
5-10%
2-5%
<= 2%

STATUTE MILES
5

5
KILOMETERS

Figure 33. Loss-on-ignition (volatile matter) for Deposits from the
New York Bight (After Gross, 1971)

LONG BEACH

NEW YORK
HARBOR

TOTAL CARBON
X0.16

i. B > 5.0%
+ 40°30 + a a DE -GOo;
X0.16 + 05-25%

x <05%

STATUTE MILES

5
KILOMETERS

Xo20x 73°40"

Figure 34. Total Carbon Concentrations in Deposits from the
New York Bight (After Gross, 1971)

CARBON-RICH SILTS

RAY LOW CARBON SANDS

ESS} waste DEPOSITS

€ - RUBBLE
S — SEWAGE
M- " MUD"

Figure 35. Distribution of Carbon-Rich Deposits in the Harbor and
Carbon-Rich Waste Deposits on the nearby Shelf (After
Gross, et al, 1971)

however, may have been made shortly after a dump. The surface, mid-depth
and bottom iron concentrations in the water for the area are shown in
Figures 36, 37, and 38. These plots have sharp contours to the south

and southwest of the area of interest. The patterns of iron distribution
suggest spreading of iron-rich waste along the bottom by bottom currents.
A correlation has been suggested by SHL between the iron-rich water in
the disposal area and an increase in turbidity.

4. Biological Characteristics

A number of biological investigations of the Bight have been con-
ducted (Buelow, et al, 1968; Jeffries, 1959; Redfield and Walford, 1951;
Herman, 1963; Segal, 1970; Barber and Krieger, 1970).

Biological studies were also undertaken by the Sandy Hook Laboratory
which included investigations of benthic life, zooplankton, and finfish.
Since August 1968, SHL began sampling (Figure 39) in the Bight with the
intent to pay particular attention to certain commercially valuable forms,
such as the surf clam, the American lobster, and the common cancroid, or
rock crab. These benthic species, however, were not studied adequately.
Additional studies of coliform and pathogenic microorganisms have been
carried out by numerous investigations. (Atlas, 1972; Mahoney, 1972;
Buelow, et al, 1968). The biological characteristics of an area of the
Bight, within and outside the dumping grounds, are discussed in the
following sections:

a. Benthos. The study of benthic communities is considered the most
direct approach in assessing the effect of ocean waste disposal, as most
benthic organisms are immobile and their presence or absence reflects long-
term change in the marine environment. The distribution of benthic species
is related to many factors such as the sediment type, the presence of
toxic materials, water quality, nutrients, and pathogenic organisms.
Studies of benthic communities in the Bight and within the Harbor have
been undertaken by the SUNY-SB and the SHL. The results of these studies
are not in full agreement.

A preliminary biological reconnaissance by SUNY found only a few
groups of pollution-tolerant organisms, such as nematodes and capitellid
worms, in abundance in the sediments of the inner Harbor. Numbers of
benthic animals in most of the Inner Harbor, were either drastically
diminished, or totally lacking. In the Lower Bay, benthic communities
were apparently less severely affected. Near the harbor entrance, the

Continental Shelf appeared to support near-normal communities of benthic
organisms.

The SHL study found populations of benthic animals in the vicinity of
the dumping grounds severely impoverished. Nematodes, which are regarded
as a pollution-resistant group, were found in reduced numbers within the
dumping grounds. Areas peripheral to the sewage sludge dumping grounds
were dominated by Cerianthus, a burrowing type of sea anemone. Species
diversity of benthic organisms, which is often used as an index of

Figure 36.

Figure 37.

0.7

0.6
J 73°30'w

Total Iron (yg-at/1) Water Surface Average by
Station

AMBROSE ©

40°20'W

Total Iron (yg-at/1) in Water Bottom Average
by Station (After SHL, 1972

ws)

AMBROSE ©

40°70'N

73°30 W

Figure 38. Total Iron (yg-at/1) Mid Water depth Average
by Station (After SHL, 1972)

ROCKAWAY
POINT

6 66

e
voooo T0000 ® AMBROSE re
e e e

voo
e Yoo

40°10'N

74°00'w

Figure 39. Stations Occupied by SHL for Biological Sampling

Table 12. “Species Diversity” at Sampling Stations Within and Outside the Disposal Grounds.
According to SHL (1972)

In I (the bottom line of boxes), the fourth entry from the bottom
should read Capitellidae instead of Cirratulidae.

Crangon septemspinosus
Cancer irroratus
Unciola irrorata
Mytilus edulie
Lunatia ep,
Polinices duplicatus
Nucula proxima
Spiophanes bombyx
Glycera\ap
Lumbrineris fragilis
Nereis sp.
Phyllodoce ap
Clymenella sp.
Pherusa sp.
Prionoapio ap
Spio filicornis
assariue trivittatus

Neomysis americana
Tellina agilis
Cirratulidae
Nepthys incisa
Cerebratulus sp

Cerianthus americanus

Phoronis architecta
Aricidea jeffreyaii
Ninoe nigrives
Ampharete sp
Cirolana concharum
Monoculodes edwardai
Ampelisca macrocepha

Crangon septemapinosus
Cancer irroratus
Unciola irrorata

Spiophanes bombyx
Glycera ap.
Lumbrinerie fragilis
Nereis sp.
Phyllodoce ap.
Clymenella ap
Pherusa sp.
Prionospio ap.

Spio filicornis
Neomysis americana
Cirratulidae

Nepthys incisa
Cerebratulus sp

bit

Sta, 59

Elasmopus laevis
Mercenaria mercenaria
Terebellidae

Yoldia limatula
Dorvilleidae
Leptocheirus pinguia
Paraonia (ulgens
Harmothoe imbricata
Cossura ap.

Phoronia architecta
Aricidea jelfreyaii

Ampharete sp.

Monoculodes edwardai

Crangon septemspinosue
Cancer irroratus

Mytilus edul

Nucula proxima
Spiophanes bombyx

Lumbrineris fragilis
Nereis ap,
Phyllodoce sp.
Clymenella sp.
Pherusa ap.
Prionospio ap,

Spio {ilicornia
Nassarius trivittatus
Neomyais americana

Cirratulidae

Nepthys meisa
Cerebratulus sp.
Cerianthus americanus

Sta, 64

Holothuroidea
Thyasira gouldi
Pitar morrhuana
Spisula solidiseima
Melita nitida
Arabellidae
Onuphidae
Sabellidae
Eunicidae
Arctica islandica
Streblospio sp.
Edotea triloba

Yoldia limatula

Paraonis fulgens

Cossura sp.

Phoronis architecta
Aricidea jelfreyeli

Ampharete ep.

Monoculodes edwardai

Crangon septemepinosus
Cancer irroratue
Unciola irrorata

Nucula proxima
Spiophanes bombyx
Glycera ap.
LumbFineris fragilis
Nereis ap.

Clymenella sp
Pherusa sp.
Prionoapio sp.

Neomysis americana
Tellina agilis
Cirratulidae

Nepthys incisa
Cerebratulua ap,
Cerianthus americanus

Sta. 36

Eudorella truncatula
Leptochelia savignyi
Chiridotes tuftei

Edotea triloba

Unciola obliquus
Amphiporela n. op.
Haustorius ep.

Enola directus

Siliqua costata

Magelona rosea

Dispio sp.

Sigalion arenicola

Edotea montosa
Parahaustoriue holmesi
Trichophoxus epistornus
Diastylis sculpta
Acanthohaustorius millet
Protohaustorius deichmannae
Echinarachniue parma

Spisula

Mercenaria mercenaria

Dorvilleidae

Aricidea jeffreysil

Crangon septemapinosus

Polinices duplicatus
Nucula proxima
Spiophance bombyx
Glycera sp.
Lumbrineris fragilis
Nereis ap.

Clymenella ap.

Neomysis americana
Tellina agilis
Cirratulidae
Nepthys incioa
Cerebratulus sp,

Sta. 70

Littorina ep.
Hippomedon serratus
Aatarte castanea

Unciola obliquua

Ensis directus

Trichophoxus epistomus
Diastylis sculpta

Holothuroidea

Spisula solidissima

Sabellidae

Arctica \elandica

Terebellidac

Harmothoe imbricata

Phoronis architecta
Aricidea jeffreysii

Ampharete ap.
Cirolana concharum
Monoculodes edwardai

Crangon septemapinosus
Cancer irroratus
Unciola irrorata

Nucula proxima
Spiophanes bombyx
Glycera ap.
Lumbrineris fragilis
Nereis sp.
Phyllodoce aj
Clymenella ep.
Pherusa op.
Prionospio ap.
Spio filicornis
Nassarius trivittatus
Neomysis americana
Tellina agilis
Cirratulidae
Nepthys inci
Cerebratulus ap.
Cerianthus americanus

Sta, 48

Sthenelais lmicola
Calliopius lacviuaculus
Pagurus longicarpus
Anonyx sarai

Asterias forbesl
Orbintidae

Enaie directus
Siliqua costata
Magelona rosea

Acanthohaustoriua millsi
Protohaustor\ue deichmannae

Spisula eolidisaima

Aricidea jeffreyeii

Ampharete ap.

Crangon septemepinosus
Cancer irroratus

Mytilus edulis

Polinices duplicatus
Nucula proxima
Spiophanes bombyx
Glycera sp.
Lumbrineris fragilis
Nereis ep.

Clymenelia ap.
Pherusa ap.
Prionosplo ap.

Splo {ilicornie
Nasearius trivittatus
Neomyais americana
Tellina agilis
Cirratulidae
Nepthye inciea
Cerebratulus ap,

vin

Sta

Pholoe minuta
Hesionidae
Oweniidae
Polycladida
Echiurida.

Photis macrocoxa
Orchomenella minuta
Jason falcata
Stomatopoda

Cerastoderma pinnulatum

Polydora ep.

Dispio ap.

Diastylis eculpta

Arabellidac
Sabellidac
Arctica islandica

Edotea triloba

Yoldia Limatula

Leptocheirus pinguls
Paraonia fulgens
Harmothoe imbricata
Cosoura ep.

Phoronie architecta
Aricidea jeffreyait

Ampharete sp.

Crangon septemapinosus
Cancer irroratus
Unciola trrorata

Nucula proxima
Spiophanes bombyx

Lumbrineris fragilis
Nereis ap.
Phyllodoce ap.
Clymenella sp.
Pheruea ap.

Neomyais americana

Cirratulidae

Nepthys inciea
Cerebratulus ep.
Cerlanthus americanus

Sta. 8

Petricola pholadiformis
Heteromysis formos

Hevionidae

Orchomenella minuta

Aatarte castamea

Diastylie sculpta

Holothuroidea

Spieula solidissima
Arabellidac
Sabellidae

Arctica islandica

Edotea triloba

Terebellidac
Toldia imatula

Leptocheirus pinguis
Paraonis fulgens
Harmothoe imbricata

Phoronis architecta
Aricidea jeffreysii
Ninoe nigripes
Ampharete ap.

Crangon septemapinosus
Cancer irroratus
Unciola irrorata

Nucula proxima
Spiophanes bombyx
Glycera sp.
Lumbrineris fragilis
Nereis ap.
Phyllodoce sp.
Clymenella sp.
Pherusa sp.
Prionospio

Spio filicorni
Nasearius trivittatus
Neomysis americana

Cirratulidae
Nepthys inci
Cerebratulus sp.

Cerianthus americanus

Ammotrypane ap

Cerastoderma pinnulatum

Sthenelais limicola

Pagurus longicarpus

Astarte castanea

\
Diastylie sculpta

Holothuroidea
Thyasira gouldi
Pitar morrhuana
Spisula solidissima

Sabellidac

Arctica {elandica

Yoldia limatula
Dorvilleidae
Leptocheirus pinguis
Paraonie fulgena
Harmothoe imbricata
Cossura sp.

Phoronis architecta
Aricidea jeffreysil
Ninoe nigrip
Ampharete ap.

Monoculodes edwardai

Crangon septemspinosus
Cancer irroratus
Unciola irrorata
Mytilus edulis

Polinices duplicatus
Nucula proxima
Spiophanes bombyx
Glycera sp.
Lumbrinerie (ragilis
Nereis ap.
Phyllodoce «p.
Clymenella ep.
Pherusa ap.
Prionospio ap.

Spio filicorn!
Naesarius trivittatus
Neomyais americana
Tellina agilis
Cirratulid
Nepthys inci
Cerebratulus sp.
Cerianthas americanus

Harpinia propinqua
Corophium insidiosum

Microdeutopus gryllotalpa
Phoxocephalus holbolli
Pontogenela inermie
Arbacia punctulata

Sealibregma ap

Ammotrypane ap.

Pholoe minuta

Orchomenella minuta

Ceraatoderma pinnulatum

Aaterias forbes,
Orbiniidae

Hippomedon serratus
Aptarte castanea

Unciola obliquua

Ensie directus

Trichophoxus epistomus
Diastylis aculpta

Holothuroidea-

Pitar morrhuana
Spieula solidiseima

Arabellidae
Sabellidac
Arctica islandica

Edotea triloba

Yoldia limatula
Dorvilleidae
Leptocheirus pinguis
Paraonie fulgens
Harmothoe imbricata
Cossura ap

Phoronis architecta
Aricidea jeffreysil

Ampharete sp.

Monoculodes edwardal

Crangon septemspinosus
Cancer irroratus
Unciola irrorata

Nucula proxima
Splophanes bombyx
Glycera sp.
Lumbrineris fragilis
Nereis #p
Phyllodoce sp.
Clymenella sp.
Pherusa sp.
Prionospio #p
Splo filicornis

ariue trivittates
Neomysie americana
Tellina agilie
Cirratulidae
Nepthys inciea
Cerebratulus ep
Cerlanthus americanss

environmental stress, was found to be generally lower within the de-
signated dumping grounds. Table 12, taken from the SHL report, reported-
ly compares the ''species diversity" of benthic communities for selected
stations within and outside the dumping grounds. In this table, species
which were found at the least "diversified" station (#82, dredge spoil
disposal site) are listed at the extreme left of the table. Species
common to the next least "diversified" station (#42, northeast of the
dumping grounds) were listed to the right of the first column of species.
Species common to the first and the second stations were listed in the
second column (#42) and in addition, species which were found at station
#42 but not at station #82, were placed in a new listing (Row II) above
the previous stations. A matrix therefore was developed by SHL of
vertical columns designated by station numbers, and horizontal rows
indicated by Roman numerals, giving the ''species diversities" at dif-
ferent stations. The percentage of the samples in which each species
occurred at each sampling station is given after the species name.

These numbers give an indication of species abundance, but may not be
statistically valid since no information is given on frequency of
sampling and sampling methodology. Some other discrepancies in interpret-
ing the data of table 12 should be pointed out. According to this table,
station #82 (dredge spoil disposal site) had a lower "'species diversity"
than any other station. Station #42, however, northeast of the dumping
grounds, had the same ''species diversity" as station #82 (23 species)
while station #59 (the sewage sludge dump site) had greater "species
diversity" than both #82 and #42, but considerably less than station #38,
which is located south of the dumping grounds. The data in table 12
therefore, represents only data at random, and a speculative use of
species diversity. A concurrent sweep of environmental parameters to-
gether with biological sampling along a transect, would have been a
better method of illustrating differences in environmental gradient.

Some of the results on benthic communities of the SHL are not in full
agreement with those of the SUNY-SB study. An assessment of the findings
of both investigations is given in the discussion section of this report
dealing with the effects of ocean dumping on the regional ecology.
Similarly, in the same section, the use of species diversity as an index
of environmental stress is discussed.

In the following sections, a summary is given on some of the biological
characteristics of benthic populations, as established by these preliminary
investigations.

(1) Meiofauna. Meiofauna is defined operationally as those
animals that can pass through a 1.00 mm standard geological screen but
are retained on a 63 micron screen. These organisms, especially foramini-
fera, are near the base of the benthic food chain, and are the most common
ecologically significant group of animals in the marine sediments of the
New York Bight. Because of their abundance, intimate association with
the sedimentary environment, and limited mobility, these animals should
be the most sensitive to any degradation of the sediments and of the
interstitial water. Therefore, studies of meiofauna, especially the

foraminifera, could be important in assessing the effects of ocean
dumping. Such studies should be designed so that the obtainable data
can be treated statistically to determine whether or not significant
differences exist between stations, in space and time (SAC, 1972).

The SHL studied infaunal meiofauna and identified 36 common meio-
faunal taxa from the sediments of the Bight; 23 were living foramini-
ferans. Rare forms, such as cumaceans and phoronids, were not included.
Foraminifera were identified by species; the remaining groups were identi-
fied to higher taxonomic groups such as nematodes, bivalves, etc. The
composition of meiofaunal communities, at selected stations in and
surrounding the sewage sludge and dredging spoils disposal areas, is
given in Table 13. Stations F-3 and F-4 are within the sewage dumping
grounds, station F-5 is at the outside perimeter, and station 11 is
outside to the east of the sewage dumping grounds. Stations 59 and 82
mark the centers of the sewage sludge and dredge spoil disposal grounds,
respectively. Station 39 is between the two disposal areas.

Within the disposal areas, SHL found reduced species diversity of
meiofaunal organisms, and concluded that meiofaunal communities are
affected by the disposal of wastes. According to SHL, relative numbers
of individuals representative of specific taxa were also reduced.
Amphipods were generally absent from the dumping ground. Nematodes,
which are reportedly a pollution-resistant group, were found in reduced
numbers. Table 14 gives a comparison of the abundance of gammarid
amphipod populations in the sewage sludge and dredging spoils disposal
areas and at stations outside these areas. Table 12 compares the species
diversity at sampling stations within and outside the disposal grounds.

A reconnaissance study of the meiofauna in New York Harbor and
adjacent waters by Smith (Gross, et al, 1971) is in disagreement with
the results of the SHL. This investigation found foraminifera greatly
depleted in the sediments in the Harbor area, but in typical abundance
and diversity in the sediments of the Bight. Both studies, however, did
not adequately sample meiofauna in time and space, and the results cannot
be treated with statistical methods to assess and quantify the effect of
waste disposal, if any. An assessment of the reliability of meiofauna
investigations is given in the discussion section of this report.

(2) Macrofauna. Benthic macrofauna are considered animals
larger than 1 mm. The SHL investigation found at least 81 macrofaunal
species which occurred with sufficient frequency in the Bight to plot
their distribution in relation to type of sediments and the waste disposal
Sites. The geographical distribution of such benthic macrofaunal species
is presented in Figures 2-34 through 2-117 of the original SHL report to
which the interested reader is referred. Because of its volume, this
data is not reproduced in this report. Table 15, is a listing of these
benthic macrofaunal species arranged in a standard phylogenetic order.
The species marked with an asterisk were sampled in the immediate area
of the dumping grounds.

Table 13. Composition of Meiofaunal Communities at Selected Stations in and Around
the Sewage Sludge and Dredge Spoil Disposal Grounds.

23) || 2B |} 245) As || ZY | 740. || 20) |) 27/ 7X0) |) 1172
July | July | July Hn July | Aug. | Aug. | Aug.} Aug. ic Aug. | Mar.
| 9 69) || 69 | 69 || 69) | 69) |) 70) | 69) || 69) | 7069) 74.

Ere ane Ew IGE Se
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repipar

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rodamnimiotete | |_| | | sf | o| [| «| | |_
FSC Sl Ee UTE N TST
Fr adveai hs ARIZ?

[Quinguelocaina seminal |_|

[Peeudopalymorphina nowangia [|X| | sf [> || |_|
ame Recents ora al
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Boliminellaclegisima J ||| | «| - || - | 1
Texts [ ScAaea| Pee Ao a |e a a
[Akeslophragniumjetenat J | || | 1 — | 3)_} 11
ede J5UStgL nga Wa i ecko 0 7 e
(Scare Sa OD 2G BEC NT ST
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x ee the presence of a species from SHL, 1972

Table 14. Comparison of the Abundance of Gammarid Amphipod Populations in the
Sewage Sludge and Dredge Spoils Disposal Areas and at Stations Outside

these Areas.

Present Survey

Number of
Stations

Avg. No. of

Number of Number of Amphipods

Times '
Amphipods per Sample
Sampled (0.1 m2)

Dredge Spoil Area

Dredge Spoil Margin

Sewage Disposal Area
Sewage Margin
Remainder N.Y. Bight

Nassau

A, B, and C Transects
D, E, F, and G Transects

Table 15. Benthic Macrofaunal Species Sampled at Dumping Grounds and
Adjacent Areas. (*Species sampled within 2 nautical miles

of the center of each particular disposal site.

Arranged in a Standard
Phylogenetic Order

Cerianhus americanus
Cerebratulus lacteus
Ampharete sp.
Arabellidae
Cirratulidae

Cossura sp.
Dorvilleidae

Pherusa affinis
Glycera sp.
Lumbrineris fragilis
Clymenella sp.
Nephtys incisa

Nereis sp.

Orbiniidae

Aricidea jeffreysii
Paraonis fulgens
Phyllodoce sp.
Harmothoe imbricata
Sabellidae

Pholoe minuta

Dispio uncinata
Prionospio malmgreni
Spio filicornis
Spiophanes bombyx
Streblospio benedicti
Copepoda

Diastylis sculpta
Edotea triloba
Caprellidae
Ampelisca macrocephala
Ampelisca valdorum
Leptocheirus pinguis
Microdeutopus gryllotalpa
Argissa hamatipes
Calliopius laeviusculus

Corophium insidiosum
Unciola irrorata
Unciola obliquua
Pontogeneia inermis
Elasmopus laevis
Gammarus annulatus
Melita nitida

Dredge
Spoils
Site

+ t+ +

+ + + F HF HF FF F

e+ F F F F FF F F HF F

Sewage
Sludge
Site

te FF FF F HF F FF HF HF KF HF FF HF HF HF HF HF HF KF F

Acid
Wastes
Site

% + +

Table 15. Benthic Macrofaunal Species Sampled at Dumping Grounds and

Adjacent Areas--Continued

Arranged in a Standard

Phylogenetic Order

Acanthohaustorius millsi

Amphiporeia n. sp.
Haustorius sp.
Parahaustorius holmesi

Protohaustorius deichmannae

Protohaustorius wigleyi
Pseudohaustorius n. sp.
Ischyrocerus anguipes
Jassa falcata

Photis sp.

Photis macrocoxa
Anonyx sarsi
-Hippomedon serratus
Orchomenella minuta
Monoculodes edwardsi
Harpinia sp.

Harpinia propinqua
Phoxocephalus holbolli
Trichophoxus epistomus
Dulichia monocantha
Metopa alderi

Syrrhoe sp.

Neomysis americana
Crangon septemspinosus
Pagurus longicarpus
Cancer irroratus
Nassarius trivittatus
Nucula proxima

Yoldia limatula
Mytilus edulis

Astarte castanea
Cerastoderma pinnulatum
Cyprina islandica
Ensis directus
Mercenaria mercenaria
Siliqua costata
Spisula solidissima
Tellina agilis
Chaetognatha

Phoronis architecta
Echinarachnius parma
Holothuroidea

Dredge
Spoils
Site

OF eon oe ate cof

Sewage Acid
Sludge Wastes
Site Site

bit et tay
+

ie ke TP a RT

+ %

et ue DEK. Dat UL, et, iit, a

Extracted from SHL, 1972

Only the distribution and abundance of two economically significant
species, surf clams (Spisula solidissima) and rock crabs (Cancer irrogatus )
are presented schematically in Figures 40 and 41, respectively. Table 16
gives the distribution and abundance of three dominant organisms (Cerian-

thus, Cerebratulus and Nephtys) in the waste disposal areas. Of interest
in this table is the reduced average numbers of organisms at stations 59
and 82, the centers of the sewage sludge and dredging spoils disposal
areas, respectively. The SHL macrofauna survey is not complete in that
it does not include the distribution and abundance of the commercially
valuable rock clam, and ocean quahog, and there are no data concerning
the lobster.

SHL investigation found a small number of juvenile rock crabs within
the disposal areas relative to the noncontaminated regions, suggesting
that larvae of crabs do not readily settle in the area of the dumping
grounds. On the basis of its investigations, SHL concluded that an area
of about 2 miles in diameter was at each of the dumping sites, was devoid
of what was considered normal or was characterized by greatly reduced
macrofaunal populations. The reported decrease in species diversity was
similarly attributed to environmental stress caused by the waste dumping
activities. It should be emphasized, however, that SHL did not analyze
its data statistically, and this conclusion is not obvious in the tables
and figures summarizing the SHL results. An assessment of these results
is given in the discussion section of this report dealing with the
effects of ocean dumping on the regional ecology.

(3) Coastal and Bottom-Dwelling Finfishes. In an effort to
determine the effect of ocean dumping of sewage sludge on demersal or
bottom-dwelling finfishes, SHL trawled in and outside the sewage sludge
beds. No attempt was made by SHL to sample the area of the dredge spoil
grounds, west of the sewage dump, because this area has a rugged bottom
and a large section is closed to trawling because old mines are known to
exist.

Trawl samples and fish stomach analyses by SHL indicate that the local
groundfishes frequent the area of the sewage dumping grounds. In fact
their numbers were found to be greater in the center of the sewage dumping
grounds than those found on a clear sand bottom, east of the dump site.
From a total of 31 species of fish that were taken in and around the
sewage sludge dumping area, 22 species were collected from the designated
center of the dump. Of the species that were taken, whiting (Merluccius
bilinearis), ling (Urophysis chuss), winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes

americanus), yellowtail flounder (Limanda ferruginea), windowpane
(Scophthalmus aquosus), and longhorn sculpin (Muoxocephalus octodecem
spinosus), occurred most frequently. Other species of fishes were taken,
but usually in lower numbers. Occasionally large numbers of fish such

as Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus), porgy (Stenotomus chrysops) and
various herring were collected.

A special series of collections of demersal fishes was made by SHL
across the Hudson Canyon, immediately south of the dumping area. Two of

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Table 16. Distribution and Abundance of Three Dominant Organisms in the
Waste Disposal Areas.

Species

Station Cerianthus Cerebratulus Nepthys

Number Range Average Range Average Range Average

after SHL, 1972

the sampling stations were located on either side of the canyon, while
the third station was in the center of it. Twelve of the 13 species
collected occurred at all three stations. A total of 1,416 fish were
taken from the station in the center of the canyon; only 207 were taken
from the station closest to the New Jersey coast; 484 were taken from
the station furthest away from it. The significantly higher number of
fish taken at the canyon by SHL suggested that this is an area important
to local fish populations. It is not known, however, whether greater
numbers of fish frequent this area throughout the year or whether it is
a seasonal occurrence. The role of Hudson Canyon as an important habitat
for finfishes or as a spawning area should, therefore, be determined.

b. Zooplankton. Zooplankton serve as link between phytoplankton
(primary producers) and the larger organisms of the sea. They are,
therefore, important in marine food chains. Extensive studies of
zooplankton populations within and outside the ocean dumping grounds of
the Bight were made by the Sandy Hook Laboratory.

The samples of zooplankton were taken by SHL at different water depths
(surface, middepth and bottom) using 1/2-meter-diameter nets with #8 mesh
(.203 mm aperture) at different stations within and outside the waste
dumping grounds, as shown in Figure 42. It is not known, however,
whether the middepth samples were above, below or within the thermocline
or pycnocline (the vertical gradient of density) which are known to vary
in depth, seasonally. Flow meters were mounted in the mouths of the nets
to allow calculation of the volume filtering through. The plankton nets
were towed by SHL simultaneously at the three depths for 5-10 minutes, at
intervals of 2 weeks, at six stations for which the data are recorded. A
station in the sewage sludge disposal area and one in the acid-iron waste
disposal area were included. Some of the sampling procedures and analy-
tical methods used by SHL for this investigation have been questioned
in the SAC review report. One criticism by SAC was that the counting
technique used by the SHL, measured only a fraction of each of the total
samples, and therefore is not considered adequate. According to the SHL
method, a 1-milliliter subsample was counted and repeated until 300 cope-
pods were included. One has no idea of the fraction of the actual sample
counted. Many zooplankton specialists insist on counting the entire
sample because, only then, can diversity indices be calculated, some-
thing which was not done by SHL. Another criticism by SAC pertaining to
the SHL zooplankton study is that no analysis of variability of counts
was provided. Replicate sampling would have been important, because in
coastal waters zooplankton distributions are very patchy. The SHL count-
ing method therefore introduced additional variation, and one has no way
to judge the reliability of the data, nor the statistical significance.

The zooplankton data were often reported in settled volumes. These
according to the SAC review are unreliable. The reason is that several
hours or days are required for adequate settling of zooplankton, and
not 5 minutes as in the SHL study. Furthermore, although the SHL method
for determination of displacement volumes was found acceptable by the SAC,
it is not the best method for biomass evaluation. Settled volumes are

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considered the poorest indices of abundance.

In spite of such inadequacies of proper sampling and analysis, the
SHL produced interesting qualitative and semiquantitative data for
zooplankton populations endemic to the Bight. In these studies SHL
emphasized copepods, which are present in the Bight the year round, and
are usually the principal constituent of zooplankton. Copepods are small
shrimp-like animals, which because of their abundance, are important in
the marine food chain. This was the only taxonomic group fully
analyzed by the SHL.

The survey showed a general increase in total number of copepods from
January until late June, then a decrease from July until October, after
which, the numbers again increase. The average number of copepods per
cubic meter ranged from a high of aD 000 to a low of 700. The oes
number found was 87,000 copepods/m? and the lowest 100 copepods/m3, with
most counts between 1,000 and 10 ,000/m3. The numbers of copepods/m3
found by SHL were wand the ranges reported by other investigators for
other middle Atlantic coastal areas (Table 17). The numerical abundance
of six copepod species and the total copepod numbers for each of the six
stations and three depths sampled throughout the year, are given in
Figures 43 to 48. Figure 49 gives the average zooplankton population in
the water column for the dumping sites and adjacent areas. These data
confirm the known seasonal variation of copepod distribution.

A significant observation of SHL was that copepod counts in the sewage
sludge disposal area were not different from other areas. Throughout the
year the counts of copepods were different only five times. Two of these
times the counts were higher than expected, and three times were lower.
For the rest of the 93 samples that were analyzed, the counts fell within
the expected range. :

Besides copepods, other zooplankton organisms were found by SHL in
the area of the dumping grounds in significant numbers. These included
chaetognaths, polychaete larvae, bivalve larvae and pelagic gastropods.
Seasonal zooplankters found in abundance were cladocerans, nauplii and cy-
prid stages of barnacles, siphonophores, salps and echinoderm larvae.
Although important constitutents of zooplankton, these meroplankton
organisms are seasonal visitors in the waters of the area, and of limited
value in zooplankton studies. Their occurrence however is useful in
predicting the potential benthic communities. Bivalve larvae were
abundant from January to April and from August through November in 1969,
while in January through March of 1970 they were not as abundant. The
highest concentration, 8,400/m? was measured in a bottom sample from an
area southeast of the dumping grounds. Counts almost as high of bivalve
larvae were taken by SHL in the sewage dumping grounds. The low adult

population on the bottom suggested to SHL that settlement of larvae is
inhibited.

Polychaete larvae were found in the Bight in densities up to 600/m°,
with highest concentrations near the bottom, from January to early June

Table 17. The Range in Number of Copepods per Cubic Meter Found by Various
Investigators in the Coastal Waters of the Middle Atlantic Area.

Block Island Sound

Block Island Sound
Montauk, N.Y. to Bermuda
Long Island Sound

Raritan Bay

Sandy Hook Bay

Patuxent River Estuary

Range of No. of
Copepods per m

100 to 8,000
5,000 to 30,000
100to 1,000
300 to 100,000
up to 200,000
50 to 600,000
100 to 7,000

1,500 ta 100,000

Net Aperture Size

No, 2 mesh net; 0.366 mm aperture
No. 10 mesh net; 0.158 mm aperture
No, 2 mesh net; 0.36 mm aperture
Nos, 2 and 10 silk nets

No. 12 mesh net; 0.119 mm aperture

Hensen silk tow net

No, 2 mesh net; 0.316 mm aperture

Nos. 10 and 20 mesh nets;
0.158 mm and 0.076 mm apertures

Reference

Deevey, 1952
Deevey, 1952
Grice and Hart, 1962
Deevey, 1956
Jeffries, 1959
Yamazi, 1962
Herman, et al., 1968

Heinle, 1966

after SHL, 1972

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and late August to December. The concentrations of polychaete larvae in
the waters of the sewage sludge disposal grounds were similar as those
in other stations.

Of the Cladocera, which are small crustaceans, three genera were found
in the Bight; Evadne sp., Penilia sp., and Podon sp. Evadne was the most
abundant of the three, present in densities of 50 to 7,000/m? from middle
May until October. The other two genera were not as frequent, but during
July and August, they dominated the zooplankton population. Maximum
catches of Podon in the SVERE sludge disposal area was 23,941/m? in July
and for Penilia was 62,570/m~ in August. Because of their infrequency of
occurrence, however, Cladocera are not considered important constituents
of the total zooplankton fauna. Chaetognatha (arrow worms) one of the
most important constitutents of zooplankton because of their predatory
habits, were found in the SHL study area throughout the year. Arrow worms
were most abundant in the bottom waters and peak concentrations were found
from May to July. The highest number taken from a station a few miles
southeast of the dumping grounds, was 714/m?. There were no significant
differences in occurrence or abundance, between stations.

The pelagic gastropod, Limnacia sp., was present in the SHL study area
throughout the year. Its numbers per cubic meter ranged up to 1,780 in-
dividuals. The peak number occurred in October 1969, with peaks also in
August 1969 and February 1970. Salps, siphonophores and echinoderm larvae
were abundant from August to October.

Other organisms, also taken sporadically in small numbers by SHL in-
cluded larvae of crabs, shrimp, phoronids, barnacles, bryozoans and fish
as well as mature forms of amphipods, mysids, pelagic polychaetes, tunicates
and hydromedusae.

c. Micro-organisms. Although bacteria in wastes dumped in sea water
are rapidly killed, according to Greenberg (1956), certain enteric micro-
organisms survive in marine muds. It has also been reported by Buelow
(1968) that certain pathogenic micro-organisms survive sewage treatment,
and could conceivably infect and harm marine life. Still, other micro-
organisms have a beneficial effect because they induce a rapid and effici-
ent enzymatic breakdown of complex, and possibly toxic, hydrocarbons pre-
sent in the wastes. No studies have been made however, of micro-organisms
in the marine environment of the Bight, other than coliform bacteria.

(1) Coliform Bactéria. The distribution of coliform bacteria is
a good indicator for delineating the impact areas associated with ocean
dumping of sewage and sewage sludge. Their presence, however, may be
temporary. Studies by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the Dept.
of Health, Education and Welfare in the vicinity of the dumping grounds
indicate that shellfish in this area are bacterially contaminated (Buelow
et al, 1968). Samples of shellfish collected peripherally were found to
contain unacceptable levels of bacterial pollution. This contamination
was attributed to disposal of raw sewage and partially digested sludge
outside the prescribed locations, by violators "short dumping.'' Another

105

investigation of the same area however, at a different day, showed rever-
sal of previous high bacterial counts indicating that "short dumping"!
does occur, but sporadically.

Based on a 1966 shellfish program study, undertaken initially by FDA,
involving water sampling and the awareness of possible "short dumps,'' an
area of 6-mile radius around the sludge dump site has been closed to
shellfishing. Recently, other areas of the Bight have been closed by FDA
to the harvesting of surf clams because of poor water quality. Whether
the deterioration of coastal water quality is the result of ocean dump-
ing has not been documented. Well planned analyses of the coliform
bacteria content of shellfish from areas adjacent to the dumping sites
is pertinent and should be continued (SAC, 1972).

Buelow et al, (1968) took counts of coliform bacteria in stored sludge,
prior to disposal. Such counts showed total coliforms in excess of 2.4 x
109 per 100 ml, and fecal coliforms varying from 4.3 x 10° to more than
2.4 x 109 per 100 ml.

SHL surveyed for coliform bacteria in the Bight, and found dense
populations of bacteria inside the sludge and spoil beds with decreasing
numbers away from the disposal areas (Fig. 50). The source of these
bacteria, according to SHL was ocean dumping rather than outflow of
polluted Hudson River or estuarine waters.

These values are high but considerably less than the values in
stored sludge reported by Buelow, and considerably less than some counts
taken in the Lower Bay of New York Harbor. The distribution of bacteria
showed little seasonal variation within each disposal area, suggesting
correlation with the dumping activities. The bacterial densities pre-
sent a distribution consistent with the dumping activity and the mixing
and dispersion patterns of the waters in this area (SAC, 1972).

(2) Pathogens. SHL suggests that the existence of coliform
bacteria in the sediments and the waters of the Bight means also the
existence of pathogenic bacteria which may have a harmful effect on
marine life. No attempts have been made by SHL or any other investigators
to confirm and identify pathogenic bacteria in the area. Identification
studies are time consuming and difficult, but necessary in establishing
whether disease is transmitted in the marine environment of the Bight.

(3) Other Micro-Organisms. Waste materials dumped in the Bight
are suspected to contain a large amount of petrochemicals. In these
petrochemicals, complex organic compounds may be included which may not
be biodegradable. If such organic compounds, particularly the "heavy end"
fractions made of large cyclic hydrocarbons, cannot be degraded and are
uptaken in the food chain, serious marine biological damage could occur.
Not only may these compounds be carcinogenic in character, but they may
also be interfering with chemical signals that are often necessary in the
marine predator-prey relationships. None of the investigations in the
Bight has yet included studies of Penicillium, Nocardia, Microccoccus,

106

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107

40° 30'N

Analysis of Coliform in Sediment Through December, 1971

Candida or other hydrocarbon-degrading organisms. Such organisms are
known to attack and break down, emzymatically, components of petrochemi -
cals such as olefins, napthas, and other organic compounds.

d. Food Chain Studies. To determine how toxic materials may be
taken up by marine organisms, a better understanding of the marine food
chain and basic predator-prey relationships of marine life in the Bight
is necessary. Biological studies have not yet shown the extent of the
temporal and spatial effects of ocean dumping on commercially valuable
marine species in areas outside the dumping grounds.

The results of the stomach content analysis of fishes performed by
SHL indicated that yellowtail flounder, winter flounder and ling ingest
primarily benthic organisms, such as polychaete worms, amphipods, and
bivalves. Whiting appear to feed primarily on epibenthic and swimming
organisms such as mysids, sand shrimp, and fish. Less than 5 percent of
the fishes that were sampled in the area of the dumping grounds contain-
ed in their stomach such sewage-sludge artifacts as hair, band-aids, and
cigarette filters. Whether ingestion of these materials is selective or
accidental during normal feeding, is now known. Yellowtail flounders
sampled in the sewage dumping grounds contained in their stomachs up to
25 percent sand and gravel, and since these are not food resources, it
can be assumed that fish ingest foreign materials accidentally. The
number of fish ingesting such materials, however, is small and may not
be too objectionable, except esthetically. More important, however, is
ingestion of materials that include heavy metals and pathogenic micro-
organisms. Whether such ingestion of harmful materials occurs, and to
what degree, is not known with certainity.

108

SECTION IV. DISCUSSION

1. Dispersion and Movement of the Waste Materials

The dispersion of waste materials, following disposal at the dumping
grounds, is difficult to study because of the variable and complex hydro-
graphic conditions prevailing in the Bight which were discussed earlier.
A number of hydrographic investigations of the Bight have been made.
Limited studies on rates and patterns of dispersion of waste materials
dumped in the Bight have been conducted by Ketchum and Ford (1948), Red-
field and Walford (1951), Beyer (1955), Saila (1968), Buelow (1968), and
more recently, by the SHL (1972). None of these investigations has been
synoptic or has considered adequately the total circulation effects on
waste dispersion.

Settling of waste material depends on many physical factors. Although
most of the waste settles to the bottom rapidly, a large percentage of the
finer material remains suspended in the water column. Saila (1968), in
his studies of dredged sediment dumping in Rhode Island Sound, found that
two slicks of fine waste material tend to form within an hour of dumping.
One slick was at the surface and another at roughly mid-depth, at the
density gradient of the thermocline. A thermocline, however, is not a
permanent feature of the waters of the Bight. During winter, the thermo-
cline is absent and the waters become vertically homogeneous. In winter,
therefore, only one slick of very fine material may be observed in the
surface waters. Depending on circulation and turbulence, this finer
waste material may stay in suspension for a long time and may be trans-
ported from the disposal area.

Mixing and dispersion of the waste materials in the upper layer of the
ocean (0-50 feet in thickness) is affected by wind driven and tidal currents.
Also, fine material that has settled to the bottom may go into suspension
as a result of storm waves or strong bottom currents, and move laterally.
Knowledge of surface and bottom circulation is essential in assessing the
dispersion and movement of the waste materials following disposal or
settling.

The SHL attempted to determine surface and circulation of waters in the
general areas of the dumping grounds. To accomplish this objective, SHL
utilized current meters and surface and seabed drifters. Unfortunately
only three of the four current meters that were used in this investigation
by the SHL gave satisfactory records, and then for only limited periods.

The use of drifters is the most economical method of studying qualita-
tively net water-mass movements. It is assumed that the reaction of the
drifters to water movements closely approximates that of other small mov-
able objects at the surface and near the bottom. According to the SHL
report, drifter behavior provides the best estimate of the effect of water
movement on the transport and dispersal of waste materials. This assump-

109

tion may be questionable since small grains of sediment cannot be expected
to behave in the same manner as drifters of large surface area and vari-
able buoyancy.

As mentioned earlier, of 1,886 surface drifters released by the SHL,
497 (26 percent) were recovered. Of 2,190 seabed drifters released, 710
(32 percent) were recovered. The surface and seabed drift studies con-
ducted by the SHL indicate qualitatively a general circulation pattern
for the Bight. These data and analyses were summarized in the results
section by reporting the percent drifter recovery from the various
release locations, but not on the basis of specific shore recovery loca-
tions. Such data would have been more informative (SAC, 1972).

Based on recovery of its drifters, SHL concluded that there is a sub-
stantial shoreward migration of surface and bottom drifters, since over
29 percent of all the drifters released found their way to shore. SHL
also suggested that its data indicate a strong flow at the bottom along
the axis of the Hudson-Ambrose Channel into the mouth of the Hudson Estuary.
This pattern of circulation is partially supported by a drifter study of
the middle Atlantic Bight area conducted by Bumpus (1965). This study
indicated that nearshore, the tendency for the flow was in a westerly or
southerly direction with a component toward the coast; but Bumpus con-
cluded that the onshore-offshore component was difficult to distinguish
from, more or less, isotropic dispersion because only those drifters
carried onshore yielded any information. His study, like that of Harrison
et al, (1967) indicated that there is a definite residual bottom drift
towards the mouths of estuaries. According to the SHL report (SHL, 1972),
such inflow to the Hudson Estuary mouth is expected as a normal consequence
of estuarine circulation driven by fresh water outflow, and has been widely
observed in other situations (Conomos et al., 1970; Gross, Morse and Barnes,
1969).

As indicated earlier, under tidal circulation the ebb in the Lower
Bay is generally stronger than the flood by 10 percent or more, and a net
transport of water moves outward from the Hudson Estuary. The quantity
of water entering Lower Bay is limited, and waste material in suspension
in this water mass would be too diluted to be of concern. It is doubtful
that ocean dumping affects significantly the quality of the waters of the
Lower Hudson Estuary.

Another conclusion of the SHL study is that there is a general clock-
wise circulation in the Bight. Such clockwise circualtion has been also
observed by Bumpus and Lauzier (1965). There is no basis however for
the suggestion in the SHL study that this type of circulation can be
associated with bifurcation in the head of the Hudson Channel. Finally,
while surface drift patterns obtained by the SHL suggest strong seasonality,
there was only mild seasonal variation in the bottom returns. During
winter, surface flow in the Bight appears to be predominantly to the south-
east, away from the coast. At other time flow tended northwards Long Island
(SHE, 19172).

Ke)

According to the SHL report, patterns of circulation obtained from
its drifter studies indicate a transport mechanism which can account for
the distribution of organic material, coliform bacteria, and heavy metals
found in the sediments and waters of the Bight. This claim, however, is
disputed. According to the SAC review (SAC, 1972), the SHL study did not
incorporate the findings of the water circulation patterns, preliminary
as they may be, in an analysis of the distribution of important constituents
of the discharged waste in either the water column or the benthos. The
information on circulation, therefore, cannot be correlated with conclusions
on quality conditions. The SHL water-circulation study, for example, can-
not explain the existence of the area east of the dumping grounds which
has carbon-rich sediments, but is separated with no continuums from the
disposal area. Similarly it cannot quantify the degree of dilution and
dispersion these waste constituents undergo, if indeed their transport is
in the directions indicated by the drifters.

The circulation data accumulated from the Bight is insufficient to per-
mit quantitative studies of waste dispersion. Results with seabed and sur-
face drifters, although of some value in indicating net surface and bottom
movements of the water, are of questionably validity. The actual path
of these drifters and time of travel are not known, and their net movement
cannot be correlated to sediment transport and water quality. Return of
drifter to shore is not necessarily proof that harmful pollutants will
also end up on shore. The path of the drifters is not direct, and the
time of travel is long. Even if pollutants are assumed to follow the
same path as the drifters, the degree of dilution to surrounding waters
will be great, reducing adverse effects on water quality.

The dispersion studies of the SHL would have been more meaningful if
the study of the hydrography of the Bight was supported by geostrophic
flow calculations. Also a direct comparison of surface drift with magni-
tude of the annual wind stress in different directions, would have been
helpful. In a study of surface currents off the Oregon Coast (Wyatt et al,
1972), wind stress data was correlated effectively with surface currents
and net water transport.

Although the SHL studies of the water circulation have not been suf-
ficient to correlate with waste dispersion following dumping in the Bight,
the current measurements obtained, provide a basis for further study, such
as a time series analysis. In conjunction with the drift studies, such an
analysis (SAC,1972), would indicate, at least in a preliminary fashion,
the circulation pattern of the area, and the significance of the various
factors affecting the circulation. Specifically, it would help define
the variance of the different inputs. This is important in respect to
effects of transport processes of the system in distributing the wastes
throughout the Bight. Additional analysis of these data would be an im-
portant input to a preliminary hydrodynamic model of the area which could
correlate effectively water circulation data with the temporal and spatial
distribution and transport of waste constituents. Such a model should
incorporate dispersion and advection terms, reactions that affect the

concentration of waste materials, mass input rates, and pertinent bio-
logical, chemical and physical characteristics. Finally, this model
would help provide specific answers to such problems as long term accumu-
lation and equilibrium, and would help assess alternate plans for the im-
provement and maintenance of water quality in the Bight area (SAC, 1972).

In summary, the extent of dispersion and movement of waste materials
in the Bight is closely related to water circulation. Water circulation
studies, such as those by SHL, using surface and bottom drifters are
useful in indicating only the onshore component of net water transport
and cannot be correlated effectively to isotropic dispersion, seasonal
variances, or tranport mechanisms of waste materials. Similarly, drifter
studies cannot help in quantifying dispersion of wastes or be correlated
to water quality without considering travel time and degree of dilution
of wastes. The apparent absence of a thick waste layer in the present
dumping grounds suggests rapid degradation and assimilation of the
organic constituents of the waste or a mechanism of transport operates for
both organic and inorganic fractions. Lateral dispersion of the waste
materials occurs to the north and to the south of the dumping grounds is
evidenced from the distribution of carbon and heavy metals in the sedi-
ments. The quantities, if any, of the fine waste materials which may
reach the shore are not known with certainty. Their degree of dilution
is such that no significant adverse effects on coastal water quality are
expected.

Chemical data indicate that waste materials are transported downward
into the upper part of the Hudson Gorge. The quantities of waste material
moving downward have not been determined. Bottom currents and gravity-
induced turbidity currents may be transport agents. Better knowledge of
the bottom and surface circualtion of this area is required to determine
the dispersion patterns and the ultimate fate of waste materials in the
Bight.

2. Effects of Ocean Dumping on Water and Sediment Characteristics

It is difficult to assess the possible effects of ocean dumping on
water and sediment quality because of the interrelation of the many key
variables. A change in the concentration of any variable, may lead to
subsequent change in many others in an attempt to restore chemical equili-
brium. Similarly, biological cycles may affect many of the water and
sediment quality variables in a non-linear and unpredictable fashion.

It must suffice in this report to discuss only those water and sediment
quality parameters that may be most readily affected by ocean dumping, and
to compare them with desired water quality conditions or with natural or
original characteristics of the undisturbed marine environment. Water
quality criteria are based upon scientific determinations of the specific
characteristics of water which would permit the appropriate uses agreed
upon by the States and the Environmental Protection Agency. At present,
these criteria are based on existing information, but are subject to
change, review, and improvement as additional knowledge is obtained.

Water quality criteria may vary from State to State, and even within
a single State, reflecting natural conditions and the intended use to be
made of the receiving water. The standards include criteria for the
physical and microbiological properties of water and the inorganic and
organic chemicals. These water properties, constituents, and pollutants,
are described by parameters such as turbidity, settleable and dissolved
solids, temperatures, pH, coliform bacteria, dissolved oxygen, toxic sub-
stances, chemicals, and 011. The desired standards vary according to the
intended use of the water body, whether it is for recreation, navigation,
fish and wildlife propagation, or drinking. No similar standards exist for
the quality of sediments, even though cumulative effects may change this
quality drastically over the long term.

Chemical criteria should be used with care. Chemical properties are
indicative of water quality at the time of sampling, and are not indica-
tive of past or long-term conditions. Similarly, their use as indices of
environmental stress may be misleading, since their presence is not static.
According to Butcher (1955), environmental stress can be best judged by
determination of biological conditions rather than measurement of chemical
properties. The absence of eStablished criteria on water quality may
necessitate the use of biological indicators. Such indicators may not be
sensitive enough to respond to dynamic short-term water quality changes,
and their use may be misleading. A combination, therefore, of chemical-
biological indices may be more appropriate. In the Bight, it can be
safely assumed, continuous ocean dumping has resulted in static water and
sediment conditions, and the use of biological indices may be justified.

Two basic differences between water quality standards and sewage
effluent discharge limitations should be briefly explained. Water
quality standards apply to the natural aquatic environment of, and con-
ditions within, a body of waer; effluent discharge limitations apply
directly to the characteristics of wastes at the point of discharge into
a larger water body. Ocean dumping acitivies fall under the latter cate-
gory. The dumping grounds of the Bight can be considered as a mixing
zone which, (by EPA definition) is an area that may be unaviodably polluted
by mixing of discharged waters with the receiving waters. Materials dis-
charged at the dumping grounds are not all liquid, but the analogy holds.
According to EPA, (EPA, 1972) mixing zones have defined and identifiable
limits, and the waters outside of the zones must meet the standards for
that particular body of water. No provision has been made for water and
sediment quality limits within the mixing zone, but it is generally assumed
that concentrations of certain chemical species far exceed permissible
limits of other aquatic environments.

Water and sediment characteristics of the Bight waste disposal grounds
and surrounding water are influenced directly the the character of the
waste itself. As expected, mechanical dilution and mixing of these wastes
with sea water and sediments, significantly reduce concentrations of certain
constituents. Even though the volume of the receiving waters far surpasses

the volume of the dumped waste, certain chemicals exist naturally in such
minute amounts in the receiving waters, that their concentrations are greatly
affected by the concentrations in the wastes. Additionally, sediment and
water quality characteristics of the area may be affected, over the long
term, by chemical reactions at the sediment-water interface. Such reactions
could lead to temporal and spatial changes in the aqueous concentrations

of various chemicals. Resulting changes would be difficult to assess with-
out continuous and far more extensive studies than those completed in the

New York Bight.

The work by SUNY-SB and SHL on the chemical characteristics of the
wastes following deposition should be regarded as preliminary and largely
inconclusive (SAC, 1972). A large part of the water chemistry conducted
by the SHL on phosphorus, nitrate, total iron, dissolved oxygen, chorophyll-
a, and heavy metals, is presented in relatively undigestive form. Both
the SUNY-SB and SHL studies show differences in the size and shape of the
waste disposal areas, suggesting that the uses of total carbon distribution
or percent organic content are inadequate to define the lateral extent of
the waste deposits (SAC, 1972). The boundaries of the disposal areas are
diffuse and are difficult to determine. A better method might have been
used. Sediment particle size distribution, for example, would have been
more helpful in mapping the disposal areas. An adequate coring program,
and a study of the vertical distribution of heavy metals might have been
more appropriate in defining the depth of the waste deposits.

Regardless of the indicated limitations of the chemical studies in the
Bight, it can be safely concluded, in qualitative terms, that ocean dumping
has changed the water and sediment characteristics of the dumping grounds
and adjacent areas, and that measured concentrations of certain variables,
especially heavy metals, bacteria and organics, exceed EPA permissible
limits. The adverse effect is more pronounced near the bottom-sea inter-
face.

In the following sections, individual water and sediment quality char-
acteristics in the Bight are discussed in relation to the effects of ocean
dumping in the area.

a. Temperature. Temperature standards have been set to control man-
made temperature changes in closed bodies of water. No maximum water
temperature standards have been set for the open coastal environments,
but the National Technical Advisory Committee of EPA (NTAC) in its report
(EPA, 1972) recommends that monthly maximum daily temperatures, not be
raised by more than 4°F from September through May and by no more than
1.5°F from June thorugh August. Waste disposal in the Bight has not
created any known water-temperature problems. The relatively small volume
of the wastes and rapid dispersion and dilution preclude any lasting tem-
perature effects on sediment and water quality.

b. pH. Water quality standards for acidity or alkalinity are expressed

by an index of the hydrogen ion activity (pH) which is an indicator of
these properties and not a measure of either.

Il4

Acidity in the natural marine environment is caused by carbon dioxide,
mineral acids, weakly disassociated acids, and the salts of strong acids
and weak bases. Alkalinity on the other hand is caused by strong bases
and the salts of strong alkalies and weak acids. In natural waters, the
pH falls in a range between 6.5 and 8.5, but it is sometimes increased by
photosynthesis.

The permissible pH range for the coastal waters of New York and New
Jersey, according to water quality criteria (EPA, 1972), should be from
6.5 to 8.5. The pH range observed in the vicinity of the dumping grounds
of the N. Y. Bight, ranges from 7.10 to 8.40, and does not exceed the pre-
scribed limits. The only drop in pH would be observed in the waters of
the acid dumping grounds, immediately after an acid dump. The low pH
value in this area would occur for brief periods. As discussed earlier,
Redfield and Walford (1951), have shown that the pH of the water from the
wake of an acid dumping barge was above 6.0 in all samples collected more
than 3 minutes after dumping and a pH of 7 was reached about 3.5 minutes
after dumping.

c. Turbidity. The National Technical Committee (NTAC) of EPA has not
set limits on turbidity for oceanic bodies. For lakes, NTAC recommends
that turbidity in the receiving water due to a discharge should not exceed
25 JTU (Jackson Turbidity Units) in warm water lakes, and 10 JTU in cold
or oligotrophic lakes. No provision for turbidities has been included in
the water quality standards of the States of New York or New Jersey.

Turbidity within the dumping area of the Bight is caused by fine sus-
pended matter such as clay, silt, and finely divided organics from sewage
Sludge, and dredge spoils. In addition, disposal of acid wastes in the
acid dumping grounds results in a ferric hydroxide floc, observed as a
stain in the waters, which also increases turbidity. This material even-
tually settles to the bottom or is rapidly dispersed. A decrease in tur-
bidity would be observed for the waters of the dumping area were it not for
the continuous dumping. Turbidity would be expected to vary over the short
term, depending on the quantities being dumped, frequency of dumping, and
local and seasonal weather conditions. Over the long-term, turbidity would
be expected to become static. Static turbidity conditions in the dumping
grounds and adjacent areas, would reduce light penetration into the water
and result in a reduction of photosynthesis by phytoplankton organisms and
attached or submerged vegetation. This effect on primary productivity has
not been quantified for the disposal areas of the Bight, but it does not
appear to be significant. Other environmental variables such as nutrient
addition, may be partially compensating for the loss in primary preductivity
due to turbidity. Turbidity associated with ocean dumping does not appear
to have an adverse lasting effect on the sediment and water quality of the
Bight. Possible adverse effects on marine benthic life are discussed in a
subsequent section of this report.

d. Dissolved Solids. The water quality criteria report of EPA (1972)
recommends that dissolved solid concentrations in the water should not

Ke)

exceed 500 milligrams per liter (mg/l). This is a. measure, however,
applicable only to drinking water supplies. For the protection of fresh-
water fish, the EPA criteria specify that concentrations should not exceed
50 TH A@STOIeS (the equivalent of 1500 mg/1 NaCL). No similar limits have
been given for offshore bodies of water, such as the dumping area of the

New You Biohte

Natural seawater contains dissolved solids consisting primarily of
chlorides, carbonates, bicarbonates, nitrates, phosphates, sulfates and
traces of metallic elements. Concentrations or effects of these substances
can sometimes be elevated or synergistically altered by the addition of
chemical substances (such as those contained in the wastes) resulting in
deterioration of water and sediment quality and local adverse effects on
fish and other aquatic animals.

The wastes dumped in the Bight, especially sewage sludges, contain
dissolved organic and inorganic solids which may add materially to naturally
occuring concentrations of certain substances already in solution, and
also introduce some new ones. The quantities of such dissolved solids in
the wastes have not been determined. However, not all the solids go into
solution immediately after dumping as their solubilities are governed by
a number of physical and chemical factors, such as temperature, pH, oxidizing
or reducing conditions, and saturation limits. Furthermore chemical break-
down of certain solids constituents of the wastes, over the long tern,
could produce unknown water-soluble by-products. Reactions could be re-
versed, and materials may be removed from the liquid state, returned to the
solid state, and deposited as sediments. The chemical equilibria affecting
such interactions are too complex to be quantitatively described. However,
a general estimate of total dissolved solids in the waste materials dis-
posed in the Bight could be obtained.

Discussions of individual chemical species, such as nutrients, heavy
metals and organic substances that may go into solution, and therefore
affect water and sediment quality, are given in subsequent sections.

e. Settleable Solids. Settleable solids include inorganic materials
such as sand, silt and clay, and organic materials such as greases, oils,
tars, animal and vegetable fats. Sewage sludges, dredge spoils and in-
dustrial wastes fall within these categories. The NTAC of EPA (EPA, 1972)
has recommended that no settleable solids be added to these waters in
quantities that adversely affect the natural biota. The States of New York
and New Jersey have similar descriptive restrictions (EPA, 1972). None of
these restrictions apply to ocean dumping, even though ocean dumping con-
stitutes the largest single source of solids entering theNew York Bight
(Gross, 1970). Although the damage to the benthic biota due to the smother-
ing effect of setteable solids associated with ocean dumping is evident,
the dumping grounds of the Bight may be thought of as a trade-off area, or
as a mixing area where settleable solids may be temporarily allowed to
exceed permissible limits, until an alternate solution to the problem of
waste disposal is found.

116

f. Dissolved Oxygen. The water quality criteria, used by EPA,
recommended a minimum dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration of 5 milligrams
per liter (mg/l) in open coastal waters, and 4 mg/1 in estuarine and tidal
tributaries excepting waters with naturally despressed DO (EPA, 1972).
Similarly, both New York and New Jersey have a lower limit of 5 mg/1 for
ocean waters at any time, while the lower permitted limit for the waters
of the New York harbor is 2.5 mg/l. These values however, do not differ-
entiate between the DO of bottom and surface water and are average values
for the water colum.

Dissolved oxygen is a water quality property that can also affect the
quality of the sediments. Dissolved oxygen enters seawater through atmo-
spheric re-aeration and algal photosynthesis. Its concentration is in-
fluenced by a number of variables, such as mixing conditions, primary
production, the vertical and horizontal distributions of temperature and
salinity, and the biochemical oxygen demand. Certain minimum concentrations
of DO are required to support populations of aerobic organisms at all life-
development stages. Oxygen is also important in the aerobic decomposition
of organic materials. In the presence of oxygen organic matter undergoes
biological decompisition to yield CO, and H,0 which are substances necessary
to sustain life. Changes in the dissolved oxygen of the water may result
in changes in photosynthesis and the primary productivity of an area. Re-
duction in DO, for example, can result in the development of anaerobic
conditions with associated water odor problems, and the destruction of
aerobic marine animal life, such as commerically valuable finfish and
shellfish.

Decay of organic matter in the sea may release Hj, H2S, CH, and NH3,
which are undesirable substances. The organic materials in the sediments
of the Bight dumping grounds exert a biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) which
reduces the DO near the bottom. According to Torpey (1967) oxygen depletion
can occur in the following sequence.

a. When oxygen demand of pollutants reaches 20 lbs 02/day/acre,
instability develops, the oxygen level drops sharply, and fish migrate.

b. When the pollution loading level demands 20 to 132 lbs 0)/day/
acre the dissolved 0, remains substantially constant at between 25 to 50
percent of saturation. This plateau is homeostatic because symbiotic algae
and bacteria are able to maintain this 0» level.

c. At extremely high loading rates when demand exceeds 132 lbs
02/day/acre, the 05 is exhausted and anaeorobic conditions develop.

A BOD range from 16 to 330 gm 0,/kg of volatile solids has also been
determined by Isaacs (1962). The BOD of highly polluted sediments can be,
therefore, several orders of magnitude above the DO saturation level. More-
over this demand can be continuous or deferred for some future time when
oxygen again becomes available. Such demand probably removes all the
oxygen from the interstitial water so that chemical reactions in the sedi-

ments below the surface proceed under anaegrobic conditions, while at
the sediment-water interface, conditions may still be aerobic. This
may have a significant influence on other water quality properties.

Under aerobic conditions, some chemical elements exist in their
oxidized states. Iron and manganese can be found as insoluble Fe 03
and Mn03; phosphorus as insoluble FePO,; nitrogen and sulfur as nitrate
and sulfate. Under anaerobic reducing conditions, the ferric ion would
be reduced to ferrous iron; phosphate may be released from the sediments;
and nitrates and sulfates will be reduced to ammonia and sulfide. The
chemistry of other chemical species may be also affected by oxidizing or
reducing conditions. Temperature, salinity and turbidity also affect
dissolved oxygen. The saturation levels of DO are particularly influenced
by the vertical and horizontal distribution of temperature and salinity,
and both fluctuate widely near the dumping grounds.

During summer, the thermocline is more pronounced, and surface waters
contain a higher concentration of oxygen, because of reaeration, wave
action, and photosynthesis. Below the thermocline, lack of photo-
Synthesis and the increased BOD of the wastes could significantly reduce
the dissolved oxygen. Such a drop in oxygen content of near-bottom
waters over the dumping area was reported by the SHL. Measurements of
DO taken by SHL fluctuated between 2.0 ml/liter to 7.0 ml/liter; the
lower values occur in bottom waters during summer. Based on these
measurements, the SHL report suggested that oxidation of the organic
matter of the wastes and bacteriological activity in the sludge beds
periodically depletes the overlying water of its oxygen to levels too
low for the support of life. Such low values occur for only limited
periods of time not only in the dumping grounds but also in other parts
of the Bight.

The organic matter content of the Bight is extremely high, reaching
values of 4.4 to 81.0 mg/l according to SHL. - This organic material
precipitates eventually to the bottom and exerts a continuous oxygen
demand on the overlying waters. According to Ketchum (1970), reduction
in the oxygen content of bottom waters of the Bight dumping grounds has
occurred recently. Horne et al, (1971) indicate that there is no
evidence that oxygen depletion observed in the Bight extends into the
water column for more than 5 meters off the bottom. It has also been
suggested that periodic drops in DO in the Bight result from intrusions
of offshore, oxygen-depleted waters which are generated below the
well-developed summer thermocline.

In contrast, Corwin and Ketchum (1956) point out that the Hudson River
is a source of oxygen-depleted water, and that the oxygen content in the
surface waters of the Outer Harbor can be as low as 1.8 to 2.0 ppm. River
water, intruding into the Bight may be a more direct threat to the marine
environment than the dumping.

To assess adequately the DO concentrations in the Bight, measure-
ments should be taken diurnally and seasonally, something that has not

been done by the investigations completed to date, (SAC, 1972) A bio-
chemical oxygen demand (BOD) study should be conducted to determine the
oxygen demand of sewage deposits and their state of digestion.

On the basis of present data, it can be concluded that the DO con-
centration of the waters above the dumping grounds may be reduced by
the BOD of the wastes, but this effect has not been sufficiently substan-
tiated or quantified. The DO concentration of these waters for short
periods reaches values below water quality standards.

On the basis of these conclusions, it 1s recommended that the natural
seasonal variation of oxygen concentration in the dumping grounds and
elsewhere in the Bight be determined.

g. Nutrients. Nutrients, such as phosphorus and nitrogen, are im-
portant properties of water and sediment quality of marine environments.
Numerically defined criteria for nutrients, however, have not been
established.

The National Technical Advisory Committee (NTAC) of EPA in its Water
Quality Criteria report (EPA, 1972) comments that the naturally occurring
ratios and amounts of nitrogen (particularly N03 and NH,) to total
phosphorus should not be radically changed by artificial means, but does
not define permissible levels of phosphates or nitrates. Similarly, New
York and New Jersey do not have specific criteria limiting the amount of
phosphates and nitrates in interstate waters. (EPA, 1972)

Phosphorus and nitrogen, occurring as phosphate, ammonia, nitrite,
and nitrate are important nonconservative constituents of seawater,
necessary bio-stimulants for algal growth, and therefore, intimately
involved in the life processes of the sea. Nutrient-rich waters can
Significantly alter aquatic systems, create algal blooms, and eutrophica-
tion in estuaries and restricted bodies of water, but not in open marine
environments like the Bight.

The natural concentrations of phosphates and nitrogen compounds in
seawater are relatively low, and areas in the ocean which are rich in
such nutrients, are generally biologically productive. Phosphates are
important in the process of photosynthesis which utilizes them while
releasing oxygen. Phosphorus in the sea occurs in the form of dissolved
INOS nee (HPO,2°), or in the more predominating form, orthophosphate
(P0,° ) The natural flux of phosphorus through marine ecosystems is
subject to complex processes involving many cycles and equilibria.
According to Ryther and Dunstan (1971), there is no evidence that
phosphorous is ever the limiting nutrient in marine estuarine systems.
Its potential limiting character has been demonstrated only for fresh-
water systems. The study of phosphorus flux (or any essential element)
through a marine ecosystem, however, is a useful index in assessing
metabolic processes of that system. (Mann, 1971)

Nitrogen, in the form of nitrate, is also an important nutrient, and

is essential for photosynthesis. In the sea, nitrogen is introduced from
decomposition of biomaterial, primarily as ammonia, NH3, which is then
oxidized to nitrite, (NO>5), and finally to nitrate. ((NOs5)) Under
natural conditions, nitrogen compounds are exhausted first from the
marine environment, thus making nitrogen a limiting factor.

Waste materials dumped in the Bight contribute significant amounts
of nutrients. Decomposition of organic matter dumped in the area reduces
complex protein molecules to nitrates, phosphates, carbon dioxide, and
water. Nutrients exist in both the sediments and the overlying waters
of the Bight dumping grounds in above-natural concentrations. Avail-
able nutrients are dissolved in the water, absorbed on the pelagic
particulate system, or are included in the sediments. The sediments of
the dumping grounds collected for the referenced studies were not analyzed
for nutrient content, but it is expected that these are in a state of
dynamic equilibrium with those in the water phase, and could contribute
to the available nutrient supply if other environmental variables were
changed. Nutrient release from the sediments could depend on such
factors as circulation of overlying waters, oxygen supply, and on the
presence of rooted algae such as mycrophytes which are able to use these
nutrients directly from the sediment phase.

Waters of the dumping grounds were analyzed for phosphorus by SHL.
They found concentrations up to 5.64 microgram-atom per liter (ug-at/1).
Other nutrient values reported by SHL for the sewage sludge dump were
often unusually high; the reported N:P ratio was unusually low. SHL use
of phosphorus as a tracer of water mass movement was questioned by the
SAC. The data presented by SHL appeared insufficent in time and space to
allow proper tracing (SAC, 1972). According to the SAC, it would be
necessary to analyze samples of water before, during, and after dumping
to estimate the dispersion of nutrients.

The high concentration of phosphorus observed in the area could be
due to recent dumps. Concentration of more than 2 yg-at/1 orthophosphorus
found in the surface waters of the Irsh Sea was considered extraordinary
by Jones and Folkard (1971). Ketchum (1969) suggested an upper limit of
2.8 ug-at/1 for defining unpolluted coastal waters. The amount reported
by SHL in the dumping grounds of the Bight is about twice the maximum
value suggested by Ketchum for unpolluted waters. It has not been
demonstrated that high concentrations of phosphate are particularly
critical for open marine environments. Higher phosphate values which
may be of concern, have been reported for closed estuarine areas of the
N.Y. Bight. Ryther and Dunstan (1971) reported a value of 7.0 ug-at/1
inorganic phosphorus in Moriches Bay, Long Island, which was associated
with pollution from nearby duck farms.

The effect of additional nutrients on water quality can be better
assessed by considering its direct effect upon primary productivity,
and (more specifically) on chlorophyll production. It is expected that
enrichment of the waters of the Bight in nutrients such as phosphorus,
resulting from dumping of sewage sludge, could have a beneficial effect

120

in the area, and would enhance marine productivity.

In their investigation of the Firth of Clyde Estuary dumping grounds,
MacKay, Halcrow and Thornton (1972) report an increase in the productivity
of that particular area which was attributed to nutrients in the waste.
Similarly, Yentsch (Ketchum, 1969) plotted the log of inorganic phosphorus
against the log of chlorophyll-a, and determined a linear correlation
between the two. SHL, utilizing Yentsch's technique and its own data for
the Bight, did not find a linear correlation. Other environmental factors
therefore must affect the relationship between chlorophyl productivity and
the phosphorus content in the waters in the disposal areas of the Bight.
One factor, perhaps the most important for the area, is salinity. Tur-
bidity may be another.

SHL reported that the bulk of primary productivity occurred in waters
of river oricin with lower salinity. SHL also stated that nutrification
of the watei1 of the dumping grounds did not result in an extensive in-
crease in the primary productivity of the area. Barber and Krieger (1970),
suggested that phytoplankton cell division is retarded in water samples
obtained from the sewage sludge grounds. They have given no reason for
the suggested retardation, and have not related it to nutrient concentra-
tions.

h. Heavy Metals. Heavy metals which are often present in the sea
and are toxic to man in varying degrees, include, mercury, silver, arsenic,
chromium, cadmium, copper, lead, nickel, and zinc. The toxic effects of
these metals may be persistent and cumulative over the long term. Minute
quantities of certain heavy metals are known to be important in metabolic
processes of man. Most heavy metals serve no known biological function
in the marine environment, and can act synergistically with other chemical
substances to increase toxicity.

Marine animals, especially shellfish, are known to concentrate these
heavy metals in their tissues, and (if eaten) may be a toxic source to
man. Because of their toxicity and cumulative toxic effect, large con-
centrations of heavy metals constitute perhaps the most dangerous chem-
ical species in the marine environment.

Heavy-metal criteria and limits for water vary widely from State to
State. Neither New York nor New Jersey have defined specific criteria.
The NTAC of EPA in its report "Water Quality Criteria," cites the U.S.
Public Health Service Drinking Water Standards (EPA, 1972). According
to these standards, desirable criteria for water place heavy-metals con-
centrations near zero. These are for drinking water, and are completely
unrealistic for coastal marine environments such as the New York Bight.

Heavy metals are associated with ocean dumping in other areas. A
study of the sewage sludge dumping in the Thames River Estuary, in England,
found high concentrations of heavy metals in the sediments. (Shelton, 1971)
High values of heavy metals have been reported for the Firth of Clyde,
Scotland (Makay, Halcrow and Thornton, 1972), and for the coastal waters
of California (Hlavka, 1971).

121

Sewer Sludge and dredge spoils dumped in the New York Bight contain
especially high concentrations of lead, chromium, copper and other common
industrial heavy metals. Table 8 (gn page 60) compares concentrations of
some heavy metals found in sludges to natural levels in sea water and
to concentrations toxic to marine life.

In determining the reactivity of heavy metals, their uptake in the
food chain, and their toxic potential, knowledge of the relative concentra-
tions in the sediments is necessary, but not sufficient. Knowledge of the
physical status of these metals following disposal is necessary. Do these
metals exist in ionic form? Do they form organic ion complexes? Do they
exist as relatively inert insoluble compounds in the bottom sediments?
Are they included as colloidal suspensions in the water column? What are
the mechanisms, or conditions, that may result in their transfer, deposi-
tion or reactivity? Technology has not provided answers to these questions.

Completed studies by the SUNY-SB and the SHL have helped determine the
relative concentrations of heavy metals in the sediments of the Bight dump-
ing grounds. Both studies found that sediments contained heavy metals in
much greater concentrations than in other nonspoil areas. Higher heavy
metal concentrations were found by SHL at stations north of both dumping
Sites and south, along the length of the Hudson Canyon, suggesting possi-
ble spreading of the wastes. -Concentrations of certain heavy metals given
in the SHL report (Tables 2-2, 5-10 and 5-17) show large, temporal, within-
Station, variations, suggesting a patchy distribution of sediments and a
heterogeneous distribution of heavy metals within the disposal areas.
Neither the SHL nor the SUNY-SB reports account for within-station varia-
tions of heavy metals in their analysis (SAC, 1972), although the SUNY-SB
report presents statistics on selected samples.

SHL study concluded that the observed buildup of heavy metals is close-
ly associated with waste disposal in the area. This is not a fully sup-
ported conclusion. It cannot be denied that ocean dumping is primarily
responsible for the high levels of heavy metals in the sediments of the
dumping sites relative to other shelf sediments not covered by waste
materials, but a buildup (in relative concentration) of heavy metals with-
in the dumping grounds is not apparent from the SHL data. In fact the
SUNY-SB study (Gross et al, 1970) shows that a diminution rather than a
buildup, of heavy metals such as chromium, lead, silver and copper in the
sediments of the dumping grounds has occurred relative to the parent waste
material (inner harbor sediments and sewage sludge). The mechanisms for
the diminution are not demonstrated and it is possible that a transfer
occurs by lateral loss due to sediment transport, mixing with shelf sedi-
ments, or flux to overlying water.

The possibility that heavy metals enter the marine food chain is
important, since the apparent decrease of heavy metals from these deposits
is unexplained. However, Grass, et al., (1971) concluded that because of
the relatively low extraction efficiency with hat hydrochloric acid, it
seems unlikely that the metals would leach from the waste deposits and
enter the overlying water. This was disputed by the SAC review (SAC,

122

1972) in that the fate of heavy metals in the waste deposits is not a
question that can be answered with present knowledge. Similarly disputed
was the SHL conclusion that heavy metals, such as copper, lead, chromium
and mercury in the water, originate from the sewage sludge and dredge
spoil dumping sites. The SHL data on the concentrations of certain heavy
metals (Zn, B, Fe, Mo, Mn, Cu, Sr, Al, Ba) in water samples collected at
only six stations (Table 5-11 of the SHL report) has been questioned by
the SAC since a cause-effect relationship was not clearly established.
The SAC felt that the techniques used by both studies did not clearly
demonstrate the mobility or lack of mobility of heavy metals from the
waste deposits of the dumping grounds. Determining the reactivity of
heavy metals based on acid extractions was not possible because of the
variability of extraction with different concentrations of acid.

Neither study provided for the vertical distribution of heavy metals
throughout the waste deposits. The SAC maintained that analysis of the
heavy-metal content of interstitial water at selected depth in cores would
aid in determining whether heavy metals are leaching from the waste
deposits.

Differences in the methods and analyses in the SUNY-SB and SHL studies
make comparison of the chemical results difficult. No significance can
be attached to differences in heavy-metal contents of sediments determined
by SUNY-SB and SHL because uniform extraction procedures were not used.
(SAGH eS 72)

The method of sample collection using grab samples could also produce
variations in the results of both studies. The grab sampler would have
the tendency to disturb the sediment and not necessarily reflect in situ
distribution of constituents.

In conclusion, the results obtained to date indicate that high
concentrations of heavy metals are found in the sediments of the dumping
grounds. The fate of these heavy metals, their effect on water quality
and their toxic potential have not been determined.

i. Organic Fraction. Quantitative numerical limits have not yet
been defined by EPA in its water quality standards for 0il, petrochemicals,
or synthetic organic compounds. Existing restrictions are descriptive,
and state that no oil or petrochemicals should be added to receiving
waters in such quantities as to: "produce a visible film on the surface;
impart an oily odor to the water and oily taste to the fish and edible
invertebrates; coat the banks or bottom of the water course, or taint any
of the associated biota; and finally, become effective toxicants.'' New
York and New Jersey have similar descriptive restrictions on oil and petro-
chemicals. (EPA, 1972) None appear to apply to the offshore marine environ-
ment.

The sediments associated with ocean dumping areas are usually

characterized by high organic contents. The organic materials found in
such areas may be natural, synthetic, or related to petroleum based

123

hydrocarbons. MacKay, Halcrow and Thorton (1972) in their study of the
Clyde Estuary sludge disposal area in England reported the highest values
of organic carbon near the center of the dump. Shelton (1971) reported
a buildup of organic matter in the Thames disposal area, which he
suggested may be the result of the normal traction load of organic
matter usually found in the River Thames. Bottom sediments near the
dumping grounds of the N.Y. Bight are also characterized by a high
organic content in excess of normal values observed in nonspoil areas,
(Figs. 33 through 35). Apparently this high organic content of the
sediments has resulted from the dumping of wastes. Sewage sludge
accounts for most of the organic material; dredge spoils are composed
primarily of inert substances. However, toxic organic substances in
polluted dredge spoils (even in low concentrations) may constitute a
greater environmental concern than those of the sewage sludges.

Organics in the sediments of the Bight dumping grounds may include
natural organic materials, synthetic organic compounds, and petrochemicals.
The relative contents or effects of each type have not yet been established
by the studies completed.

The natural organic materials in the sediments of the dumping grounds
result from natural decomposition of marine plants and animals, or from
organic constituents contributed by dredge spoils and sewage sludges.
These materials are not harmful to the marine environment, and some-
times their addition may be beneficial. The major problem of the organic
fraction is their biochemical oxygen demand. Large concentrations in the
sediments may consume the dissolved oxygen and result in anaerobic con-
ditions at the sediment-water interface. Indirectly, reducing conditions
caused by these wastes, could affect the chemistry of other compounds.
The effects of reduction of dissolved oxygen were discussed on page 117.

Another class of organic materials in the sediments of the dumping
grounds may be synthetic organic chemical compounds. Their content in
the sediments has not yet been adequately determined by any of the
studies completed. These compounds may be accumulating in the sediments
of Harbor, and thus be included in the dredge spoils dumped in the Bight.
To a lesser extent, these compounds may also be in the sewage sludges.
The origin of these compounds may be point sources such as industrial
discharges, or sources such as atmospheric precipitants or runoff from
agricultural areas. Examples of these types of compounds are pesticides
such as DDT, or polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which have a cumulative
toxic effect on marine life. Depending on the physicochemical characteris-
tics of the marine environment, these synthetic organic materials may be
found relatively undisturbed or may be broken down into other compounds.
A pesticide such as DDT may be broken down by micro-organisms into DDE
and DDD, both of which are insoluble in water. ‘These chemicals may be
taken into the fatty tissue of certain marine organisms and be transmitted
up the food chain. PCB's are toxic substances which, according to
Gustafson (1970), present a real danger to marine life when accumulated
in the sediments.

124

The third class of organic compounds known to be present in the
dredge spoils of the Bight are oil, grease and other petroleum-based
hydrocarbon materials. These probably accumulate in the sediments of
certain polluted sections of the Harbor, which occasionally are dredged.
As discussed earlier, material dredged from the Harbor contains on the
average 8-10 percent organics (Panuzio, 1965), and Hudson River sediments
have 5.5 percent (McCrone, 1967). A large part of this organic material
is suspected to consist of petrochemicals. The presence of this class
of compounds has been documented for other areas where dumping has taken
place. Saila, et al, (1968) reported that dredge spoils disposed of in
Long Island Sound were contaminated with hexane extractable petrochemicals.
Petrochemicals in the water are known to adversely affect microfauna and
flora and macro-organisms, and to interfere with the chemical stimuli
which are essential for spawning or predator-prey relationships of marine
animals.

Both the SUNY-SB and the SHL studies have shown the presence of high
concentrations of organic materials in the sediments of the dumping
grounds and surrounding areas which correlates well with the distribution
pattern of coliform bacteria and heavy metals. The SHL report states
that the slowly settling sludge generally moves northward, resulting in
the deposition of organic material for some distance to the north and
northeast of the dumping grounds. A field of high organic material
concentration in the sediments has been reported by SHL to the east of
the dumping grounds but with no continuum. The organic material in
this area is of mysterious origin, and cannot be related with certainty
with the dumping activities.

Observed changes in the distribution of organic matter in the
sediments suggest (besides movement of suspended waste by water currents)
the possibility of short dumping.

The method of utilizing percent total carbon composition to deter-
mine the distribution of the waste and the potential of contamination
is erroneous. Loss on ignition is a more reliable method, but has its
own limitations. Both percent total carbon composition, and loss-on-
ignition methods do not specifically identify the origin of the carbon,
although the SUNY-SB study shows a direct correlation between the two
for sewage sludges. Does this organic material originate from carbo-
hydrates, sugars or proteins of the sewage sludges? How much of this
material represents petrochemicals or synthetic organic compounds? How
much is the result of naturally occuring organic compounds or the result
of increased biological productivity? These questions have not been
answered. Incinerator barges have been dumping ashes in the Bight for
many years. Ash residues contain relatively inert carbon compounds,
and these substances would also add to the percent total carbon composi-
tion of the sediments, making the SHL and SUNY-SB results questionable.

Finally, the quantity and exact composition of organic materials in

the sediments may be indicative of potentially hazardous substances such
as petrochemicals or synthetic organic compounds, and may help differentiate

125

harmful from harmless or inert organic compounds. The data obtained by
SHL on the petrochemicals and pesticide contents in the waste sediments
are statistically insufficient, and can only be regarded as preliminary
observations from which conclusive evidence cannot be drawn (SAC, 1972).
Future research should focus on identifying organic groups and determin-
ing the toxicity, residence time, degradation and uptake of some of their
hazardous components.

j. Bacteria. Data on bacteria distribution were presented in the
sections dealing with the biological characteristics of the Bight and
effects of dumping on ecology. Additional discussion of this important
environmental factor is given here as it relates to criteria for water
and sediment quality.

Presently EPA gives permissible coliform levels of 10,000 per 100 ml
and fecal coliform levels of 2,000 per 100 ml. Desirable criteria levels
are given as 100 per 100 ml for coliform groups and 20 per 100 ml for
fecal coliform groups (EPA, 1972). These microbiological limits are
monthly arithmetic averages based on many samples. EPA, in its Water
Quality Criteria report, states that "total coliform limits may be re-
laxed if fecal coliform concentration does not exceed the specified limit."
The New York bacteria criteria are established by the State's public
health agency, and vary depending on the use of the water body. No
reference could be found in the criteria for offshore waters. The State
of New Jersey designates the ocean area beyond 1,500 feet from the coast
as a secondary contact recreation area, and its permissible fecal
coliforms geometric mean is given as 200 per 100 ml (EPA, 1972).

Most bacteria in nature are essential to the marine environment, but
pathogenic bacteria are potentially hazardous to the health of marine
organisms. Bacteria, as the foundation of the food chain, are essential
to life processes. Bacteria may act as anti-pollutant agents in breaking
down and degrading organic matter. In sewage treatment plants certain
bacteria are cultured for the purpose of breaking down wastes.

Bacteria can be grouped into two major classes; aerobic bacteria
that need free oxygen and anaerobic bacteria that thrive in its absence.
Pollutants such as sewage sludge or dredge spoils dumped into the marine
environment can promote the abundance of Saprophytes. The dumping of
nutrients, such as those contained in sewage sludge, and other oxygen-
demanding wastes can create favorable conditions for the growth of
anaerobic bacteria resulting in the death of aerobic organisms. This is
true for estuaries and other closed bodies of water where oxygen cannot
be adequately replenished by circulation; it is not likely in an open
marine environment such as the Bight.

No data could be found in the literature for Saprophytes or other
aerobic or anaerobic bacteria in the Bight. The emphasis of all in-
vestigations was on total coliform or fecal coliform bacteria, because
of the associated health hazards. As mentioned earlier, fecal coliform
bacteria are used as indicators of the possible presence of pathogens in

126

the water. Inadequately treated and disinfected sewage could con-
taminate receiving waters with bacteria such as Salmonella, Shigella,
Escherichia coli, Leptospira, and Mycobacterium. Enteric viruses such

as polio and hepatitis could also be introduced (ERAS 31972) =) (On «the

basis of studies completed, there is no evidence indicating that these
pathogens and viruses are introduced into the Bight or that their density
of occurrence constitutes a health hazard. In fact, none of the studies
completed to date has identified pathogenic bacteria. However, cases of
infectious hepatitis in shellfish from Raritan Bay have caused the closing
of this area for shellfishing.

The distribution of bacteria, within each disposal area, as deter-
mined by the SHL, appears to be high as a result of the dumping activi-
ties. The pattern of distribution appears to conform with the mixing
and dispersion processes in the area. High numbers of fecal coliforms
suggest the introduction of pathogenic organisms into the Bight. The
relative concentrations or types of these pathogens have not been
determined and sampling has been inadequate. In view of the possible
human hazard that could result from eating seafood that may carry pathogens,
it is recommended that studies of pathogenic bacteria in the Bight be
given a high priority.

3. Effects of Ocean Dumping on Regional Ecology

The biological effects of waste disposal in the Bight have been
difficult to assess over a short time. The SHL study (1972), is the
only large-scale biological study of the Bight undertaken to date.
According to SHL, a circular area encompassing each of the waste dis-
posal sites is devoid of benthic life, and peripheral areas are either
severly impoverished or dominated by certain pollution-resistant species.
Laboratory studies on the response of various animals to waste con-
taminated sediments, according to SHL, showed the development of several
pathological anomalies.

Although the benthic life investigations involved much sampling,
several important questions remain unanswered. Some SHL conclusions
have been questioned. The conclusion that important quantitative changes
in the fauna have resulted from dumping should be further investigated.
Future research should try to determine whether these changes result
from dumping or from natural processes, or from estuary and upland pol-
lution. Other research should study why groundfish venture into this
area, and why the stomachs of fish caught in the dumping area contain
large quantities of benthic, epibenthic and swimming organisms, when
these species are considered to be absent or diminished in the dumping
grounds. Apparently these food resources are obtained within, or on
the periphery of the dumping grounds. The fact that many of the marine
organisms are feeding in the area of the dumping grounds is a matter of
concern. The Bight is actively fished, and possible health hazards
should not be discounted. The wastes dumped in the Bight are known to
contain toxic substances and harmful bacteria. The long-term effects of
these hazardous materials have not been assessed. On the basis of present

127

knowledge, the short-term effects of waste disposal on different marine
ecosystems are discussed in the following sections.

a. Effects of Ocean Dumping on Benthic Organisms. Some studies on
the effects of dumping or related activities in other coastal areas, have

not found extensive damage to the marine environment (U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, 1970; Kaiser Engineers Consortium, 1969; Allan Hancock
Foundation 1965; Brehmer, et al, 1967; Harrison, 1967). The results of
these studies are summarized in section II of this report. In all studies,
the most marked effects and changes have been observed in benthic com-
munities, because these are the most sensitive to environmental stresses
due to their specialized adaptations and limited mobility.

Studies completed in the Bight dumping grounds have found impoverished
benthic populations. SHL found that both the benthic meiofaunal and
macrofaunal organisms have been affected by the disposal of sewage and
dredge spoils in the Bight. The presence of these wastes have significant-
ly reduced the diversity of benthic communities, and this reduction in-
dicates environmental stress caused by dumping.

In the absence of adequate spatial or temporal base-line information,
this conclusion is not fully supported. Even under natural conditions,
species diversity varies greatly with natural stresses. A lowered species
diversity index may not necessarily be a negative factor. Whether species
diversity or reduction in the abundance of certain species should be used
as the sole criterion of environmental stress, remains to be seen.

Species diversity nonetheless is useful as an index to be used in con-
junction with other indices of pollution.

A study of the effects of dredging and spoil disposal in areas of San
Francisco and San Pablo Bays indicated a significant reduction of numbers
and species composition of benthic organisms and demersal fish. (U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, 1970). A quantitative correlation of species
diversity depression with waste water toxicity has been indicated by
previous studies (Kaiser Engineers Consortium, 1969; Allan Hancock
Foundation, 1965). These studies found a linear relationship may be an
oversimplification, since species diversity may result from physical
and chemical variables, some of which may have nothing to do with manmade
pollution. A study of Rappahannock Shoal spoil disposal area (Brehmer
et al, 1967) for example, indicated a greater species diversity and
number of organisms in the spoil areas than in the natural ooze-covered
substrate in the deeper parts of Chesapeake Bay.

Wilhm and Dorris (1966, 1968); Wilhm (1967) and Gibson (1966), have
discussed the use of species diversity as an indicator of stress due to
natural physical factors and pollution. The use of chemical properties
as indices of environmental stress may be misleading, since chemical
measurements indicate water quality at the time of sampling and not past
contamination or conditions prevailing over long periods.

128

Butcher (1955) states that in the presence of numerous and complex
pollutants, environmental stress can be determined best from prevailing
biological conditions rather than from chemical measurements. To a
degree this is a correct approach, but maybe not the most reliable.
Observation and analysis of species diversity of benthic populations, ales
supported by sufficient base-line data, can undoubtedly help to assess
environmental severity. Such base-line data does not exist for the
N.Y. Bight. Use of chemical indices as a sole determining factor for
water quality may not be sufficient or definitive, biological factors
also should be considered. Biological methodology should focus on
selected "key" species of fishes or invertebrates that could indicate
environmental stress, rather than attempt to sample one entire group
excluding all others.

Disposal of wastes in the Bight presents a stress to the benthic
communities of the area, but without base-line information, factors
injuring benthic organisms are not completely understood. Reduction of
species diversity may be the result of synergistic chemical-physical
effects; some of these may be associated with dumping. No separation of
individual stress factors, can be made because of the limited data.
Furthermore, the N.Y. Bight dumping grounds have certain estuarine
characteristics, and do not represent an open marine environment.
Located at the mouth of a major estuary, this area experiences large
variations of temperature, salinity and of other chemical -physical
variables.

Reducing sediments cause a reduction of the dissolved oxygen near
the sediment-water interface. Reduction of oxygen and physical burial
by continuous dumping, probably cause the most immediate adverse effect
on benthic communities. Oxygen reduction, although an important factor,
occurs only for brief periods in the summer, and it appears to be a
widespread phenomenon in the Bight.

Burial of benthic organisms depends on the quantity of waste, on
the rate of disposal, on the settling rate of the waste, and on the
areal extent of dumping and settling. A study of a dredge spoil dis-
posal site in Rhode Island Sound (Saila, et al, 1971) concluded that
most mollusk species could reach the sediment surface after shallow
burial; less mobile forms were buried; fish and lobsters could withstand
high concentrations of suspended sediment for short periods, and lobster-
ing on the perimeter of the dump was good; quahogs were killed by burial
near the dump center, but not on the perimeter; and amphipods were found
throughout in great densities. Similarly in a study of a shallow-water
dredge spoil disposal site in upper Chesapeake Bay, Cronin et al (1967,
1970) observed no significant losses of benthic organisms as a result of
burial. Certain species began repopulation soon after deposition, and
1.5 years later were back to previous levels.

In a study of a disposal site in the lower Chesapeake Bay, Harrison

(1967) concluded that disposal of spoil had only a transitory effect on
benthic populations. It should be pointed out that the quantity of

129

material dumped at these other sites is much less than the quantity
dumped in the Bight. Destruction of benthic organisms, especially
meiofaunal, by burial in the Bight is much greater at the dredge spoil
site. Dredge spoils usually have greater bulk densities and settle to
the bottom faster than sewage sludge or fine muds.

Finally, the toxic effects on benthic life of waste being dumped in
the Bight will have to be more thoroughly investigated. Heavy-metal
analyses of some benthic organisms (including bottom-dwelling fish)
collected in the Bight dumps, showed increased concentrations in some
speciments. The long-term effects of heavy metals on the health of
benthic organisms have yet to be investigated.

(1) Effects on Meiofauna. The SHL study indicated that the meio-
fauna, especialiy the Foraminifera, are the most ubiquitous and abundant
animals in the Bight, and are important in the assessment of the effects
of ocean dumping. Of the 36 meiofaunal taxa identified by SHL from the
Bight, 23 were living Foraminifera. The data from 16 stations are given
in the SHL report. Differences in the number of taxa between station 59
(in the sewage sludge disposal area) and station 39 (between the dredge
spoil and the sewage sludge areas) are concluded to indicate impoverishment
of the meiofauna. (Table 13). However, station 47, far from the dump
sites, had fewer taxa than station59. Similarly, within-station differ-
ence of data were observed, and no replicate samples were obtained at
stations with spatial heterogenity. Limited data and lack of replicate
sampling led SAC to conclude that only qualitative reliability can be
placed on the meiofaunal study (SAC, 1972).

Reconnaissance studies of the meiofauna in N.Y. Harbor and adjacent
waters by Smith in the SUNY-SB report (Gross et al., 1971) differ with

some results of the SHL. According to SUNY-SB, few living Foraminifera
were found in New York Harbor, but samples taken in the Bight indicate

an abundance and diversity typical of the open Shelf, with no apparent

adverse effects from dumping. The results of both studies permit only
qualitative evaluation of changes in abundance and diversity of the
meiofauna. The low incidence of forams and ostracods in the Harbor
suggests that higher concentrations of pollutants may destroy the
meiofauna, and that meiofauna animals are not indefinitely insensi-

tive to environmental deterioration. On the basis of present knowledge,

the relationship cannot be quantified. Qualitatively, it can be con-
cluded that waste disposal has had an adverse impact on the meiofaunal

communities of the N.Y. Bight dumping grounds.

(2) Effects on Macrofauna. SHL found that an area about 2 miles
in diameter encompassing each of the dumping sites is devoid of macrofaunal
benthic life. Areas peripheral to the sludge dumping grounds were domina-
ted by large numbers of Cerianthus, a burrowing type of sea anemone. None

of these benthic species, however, is of direct economical importance to
man.

Gammarid amphipods in particular are important; they are food for
finfishes. The numbers of these species were also found by SHL to be
diminished. Finfishes, however, have other sources of food besides

130

gammarid amphipods.

The SHL conclusion stating that "The central portions of the disposal
areas contain almost no normal macrofauna,"' cannot be supported. Exami-
nation of SHL data summarized in Tables 12, 14, and 15 does not support
this conclusion. The number of species within presumed affected areas
for example, shown in Table 12,.varied from 23 (Station 82) to 38
(Station 70). (Fig. 39). Outside the disposal sites, the number of
species varied from 23 (Station 42) to 56 (Station 38). Within the
central part of the sludge dumping area, station 59 had 31 species and
station 70 had 38 species.

The lack of statistical analyses of the abundance of amphipods for
stations within and outside the dumping grounds, as summarized in Table
14, precludes the possibility of interpretation of these data, or the
conclusion that "normal" fauna is lacking in the disposal areas (SAC, 1972).
Similarly, there are no quantitative data in the SHL report indicating
that any station sampled is "devoid of life'' at all times (SAC, 1972).

The SHL survey because of an inadequate sampling grid did not deter-
mine the distribution and abundance of the ocean quahog or other com-
mercially valuable resources such as surf clam, lobster and rock clam.
Because of the limited sampling and lack of statistical analyses the SAC
review found the studies of macrofauna inconclusive.

According to the SHL report, adult crabs found on the disposal
grounds were frequently diseased or near death. Since the disposal
grounds are in the path of crabs and lobsters which frequently migrate
from inshore to offshore waters, SHL concluded that waste disposal may
result in mortality of these larger crustaceans. Mortality of these
animals was attributed to the fouling and necrosis of their gill tissues
which decreased the respiratory surface area, and to the low oxygen con-
centrations in the bottom water.

In an effort to simulate real life conditions, and determine histologi-
cal changes, moribund crabs and lobsters collected from the dumping areas
were used by SHL for controlled laboratory experiments using substrata of
sediments similarly obtained from the dumping grounds. These animals
developed ulcers and shell erosions. Other effects included fouling of
the gills with granular material, a dark coating of the exoskeleton, and
erosion of the chitinous covering of the filaments with subsequent
necrosis of the living tissues. Eroded tissues of the animals appeared
brittle, and on occasion surface layers appeared to be broken. It
should be noted that these effects were observed for animals in the
laboratory and not for animals under natural conditions.

b. Effects on Finfishes. SHL assessed the effects of sewage
sludge on groundfish, and found certain bottom dwelling finfishes
frequent the area of the sewage sludge dump in all seasons and feed on
dumped waste. It concluded that, because of such feeding, a heavy-metal
concentration has taken place in the tissues of some fish.

131

From SHL data, it can be concluded that the density distribution of
finfish within and outside the dumping grounds of the Bight, appears
normal. Of the species taken, whiting, ling, winter flounder, yellowtail
flounder, windowpane, and longhorn sculpin occurred most frequently. On
occasion large numbers of such fish as Atlantic mackerel, porgy, and
various herring were caught.

Seasonal variations in the population density of finfishes in the
sewage sludge dump area follow seasonal fluctuations of dissolved oxygen
concentrations (SHL, 1972). It has not been demonstrated that such oxygen
variations occur only in the dumping grounds and not elsewhere in the
Bight. Similarly, attempts to relate fishery landings in the State of
New York with adverse effects of pollution from ocean dumping operations
have produced ambiguous results. While catches of certain species have
declined, catches of other species have increased. Seasonal and natural
variations, fishing by foreign vessels, and absence of effective con-
servation measures, are some of the factors that make landing statistics
for this type of study meaningless.

SHL concluded that the dumping threatens many species of coastal fish
such as weakfish, bluefish, fluke and croakers, and anadromous fish such
as stripped bass, sturgeon, and shad. It was also concluded that ocean
fish, such as tuna, could be driven away from present fisheries, and
that migrating fish may spread contamination and disease to adjacent
areas. These conclusions have not been documented. The effects, of any
ocean dumping on the health of coastal fish, have not been positively
assessed, and the SHL conclusions, according to the SAC review, cannot be
statistically verified. The limited sampling design, the lack of temporal
and spatial replication of samples, and the selectivity of fishing gear
used, do not support the contention that a "representative picture of
the fish population" was determined for any station or that concentration
of heavy metals has taken place in finfish.

A recent study of Philadelphia's sewage sludge disposal grounds by
the Franklin Institute and the Philadelphia Water Department (Baxter et
al., 1971) found the fish there to be unaffected and apparently in good
health. Fish speciments collected at the disposal site included winter
flounder, mackeral, stargazer, long-horned sculpin, and spiny dogfish.
The quantity of sludge disposed by Philadelphia is much less than the

huge quantity dumped in the N.Y. Bight, and the practice dates back
only to 1961.

Fine solids in suspension may adversely affect the gill epithelium of
fish (Klein 1962), and can also affect invertebrates, especially filter
feeders. Laboratory bioassays by SHL using incinerator ash residues
(up to 10 percent by weight) did not produce significant size or weight
changes on benthic organisms, but concentrations above 5 percent by
weight killed winter flounder. Concentrations of acid waste greater than
1:600 (acid to sea water), in lab experiments, killed the white mullet
(SHL 1969). As stated earlier the volume of acid waste disposed in the
Bight is not great, and the rapid dilution and neutralization of the acid

132

probably excludes extensive mortality of these species. The study by
Refield (1961) of the acid dumping grounds confirmed that the effects of
acid waste disposal on fish populations and benthic organisms were in-
significant.

Of the bottom-dwelling finfishes sampled by SHL in the Bight only a
small number of flounder collected from the sewage dumping area had black
ened gills. In laboratory experiments by SHL, two winter flounder were
kept in aquaria, one containing a substrate of sludge and the other a
substrate of clean sand. A blackening of the gills occurred in the fish
held in the aquarium with the sludge substrate, but the significance of
this coloration was not established.

Parasitic organisms were found by SHL in some species of flounder.
Tapeworms were common in yellowtail flounder ranging in incidence from
7 to 32 percent. The incidence of tapeworms in the yellowtail flounder
at stations outside the dumping grounds was about four times greater
than in fish collected at the center of the sewage dump where tapeworm
infestation had the lowest value (7 percent). No particular pattern
is evident from this investigation linking ocean dumping to tapeworm
incidence in flounder. No literature was found which describes normal
levels of tapeworm infestation in the yellowtail flounder, but flounders
generally have a rich parasite fauna. Polyanskii (1955) reported the
incidence of the tapeworm Scolex polymorphus in the common dab (Limanda
Limanda) from the Barents Sea to be 25 percent. The chief intermediate
hosts for many of the parasites are amphipods which occur in low numbers
in the sewage sludge beds and surrounding areas. This may account for
the lower incidence of tapeworm infestation.

Incidence of diseases such as fin-rot in bottom-dwelling finfishes
was linked by SHL to waste disposal and associated pathogenic bacteria.
This conclusion, however, cannot be fully substantiated, because the
study did not identify nor measure the prevalence of pathogenic bacteria
in the Bight. Besides, other causes of fin-rot disease have been
mentioned in the literature, including high concentrations of mercury.
According to Jeffries (1968), fin-rot infection can be caused simply by
restricting the movement of the fish. Fin-rot is often observed in fin-
fishes living in unpolluted marine environments. The SHL studies of
pathogenic anomalies produced in finfish by sewage sludge were similarly
questioned by the SAC. The inadequacy of the experimental design and
consequent lack of adequate controls precluded the possibility of
Statistical analysis of the SHL data. The SAC therefore suggested that
further investigation will be required to establish definitely the
incidence of fin-rot and the greater uptake of heavy metals by finfish
exposed to the sewage sludge.

It would be hasty to conclude, on the basis of present knowledge, that
ocean dumping has had adverse effects on fish populations of the Bight.
Introduction of possible toxic substances, such as heavy metals and com-
plex hydrocarbons, is certainly undesirable, but long-term effects of
such materials on fish are still unknown.

133

SAC recommended integrated field and laboratory studies to determine
whether the potential threat of pathogens and toxins affecting fishes
in the waste disposal areas can be verified.

c. Effects on Zooplankton. The effect of dumping on planktonic life
should be known, because zooplankton plays an important role in the food
chain, and serves as the link between the phytoplankton and the larger
marine animals. Any major disruption in zooplankton production will
affect the fish and other larger animals that use zooplankton as a food
source. Environmental changes are known to change the composition and
seasonal distribution of certain local zooplanktonic organisms. Jeffries
(1959) relates a large increase in the Pseudodiaptomus Sp., population
of Raritan Bay to the abatement of a sewage discharge. However, signifi-
cantly important changes in zooplankton organisms were observed in the
New York Bight dumping grounds. Unusually high or low values of zoo-
plankton numbers in the Bight, according to the SHL report, may be the
result of an occasional influx of estuarine brackish water or an effect
of major water mass movements and not the result of local disposal
activities. Abnormal values were observed in July, 1969 indicating in-
creased zooplankton patchiness during the summer months.

SHL data have illustrated that the zooplankton species composition,
density, and seasonal distribution in the Bight are similar to those of
Block Island Sound, the waters off Delaware Bay, and other unpolluted
coastal environments. It was impossible to find any short-term adverse
effects on zooplankton populations resulting from the dumping of sewage
sludge, dredge spoils, and acid wastes. The SAC review similarly found
no evidence in the SHL data that indicates that ocean dumping in the
Bight has had beneficial or detrimental effects on zooplankton populations.

Although larvae of different marine organisms were abundant in the
zooplankton, juvenile and adult populations of benthic species, were de-
pressed in the sewage sludge disposal area (SHL). On the basis of this
observation, the SHL study suggested that larvae either avoid settling in
this area or that mortality occurs after settling, but this, has not been
confirmed.

Based on laboratory experiments with zooplankton, SHL concluded that
the present practice of industrial acid waste dumping killed copepods in
the immediate area of disposal. The quantity of acid dumped is about
220,000 cubic feet per day. The maximum volume of sea water affected
has been calculated to be 900,000,000 gallons (3,400,000 m3) per barge
load of wastes. This volume would contain about 2 cubic meters (displace-
ment volume) of zooplankton biomass. This quantity of zooplankton, if

indeed affected by dumping, is insignificant relative to total zooplankton
population of the Bight.

According to the SHL study, the killing of zooplankton is the result
of the acid wastes, which consist of 8.5-10 percent HjS0, and 8-10 per-
cent FeS0,. In laboratory experiments, SHL assumed a rate of dilution
of one part acid to 200 parts of sea water disregarding time and space.

134

The SHL toxicity tests on copepod mortality, are inexact because they

did not include the dilution effect of turbulence which occurs readily

in the ocean, but is difficult to simulate in the laboratory. Redfield
and Walford (1951) show, that the pH of water from the wake of an acid-
dumping barge was above 6.0 in all samples collected more than 3 minutes
after passage of the vessel; a pH of 7 was reached about 3.5 minutes
after dumping, and that acid disposal was not an important factor in
copepod mortality. They reported that the zooplankton exposed to samples
of water from the wake of the disposal vessels were immobilized, but re-
covered in a few minutes, except for a sample taken at 145 yards behind
the barge only 42 seconds after discharge. Even these zooplankton re-
covered when the wake water was diluted with an equal volume of non-
contaminated sea water. The SHL data (Table 18) showed no copepod mor-
tality in 2 minutes at pH 5.9-6.0 and no mortality in 60 minutes at pH
values of 6.1-6.5. The dilution of the acid waste in the Redfield and
Walford work shows that the organisms are not exposed to the high con-
centrations used by SHL in its laboratory tests. The SHL data, therefore,
do not support complete mortality, and no such mortality was detected in
the Bight.

The vertical migration of copepods is controlled by light intensity
(Herman, 1963; Segal, 1970). Copepods are found in deeper waters during
daylight and near the surface at night. On the basis of this, SHL con-
cluded that the ferric hydroxide floc resulting from acid dumping, al-
though not directly toxic to copepods, produces turbidity that changes
light conditions and affects the vertical distribution pattern of cope-
pods. While this conclusion may be true, changes in vertical distribu-
tion of copepods may not be an adverse effect, and increased turbidity
may not inhibit the abundance of these organisms. Reduced light in-
tensity due to overcast skies could have the same effect. The ferric
hydroxide floc either settles out or is dispersed rapidly. Refield and
Walford (1951) reported the maximum time they observed a recognizable
turbidity stain to be 8 hours. The ferric hydroxide floc is not toxic
to copepods. In the laboratory, copepods held in water containing up
to 500 times the concentration of ferric hydroxide found in the Bight
survived several days.under starvation conditions.

Similar laboratory experiments by SHL showed that copepods can live
in sludge-contaminated water for over 24 hours under confined conditions.
Death of some copepods in the experiments over extended periods of time
probably resulted from a decrease in dissolved oxygen caused by the bio-
chemical oxygen demand of the sludge.

An aerated control in future experiments of this type would show
whether there were any effects from sludge other than its oxygen demand
(SAC, 1972).

d. Effects of Ocean Dumping on Phytoplankton. No extensive phyto-
plankton studies in the dumping grounds of the New York Bight have been

conducted. Inhibition in the growth of phytoplankton in lab cultures of
water from the sludge dump has been reported by Barber and Krieger (1970).

135

Table 18. Copepod Mortality at Different Acid-Sea Water Dilutions.
Dilution Control 1:5,000

pH 7.7 to 7.9 ‘ 2.5 to 2.8 | 2.9 to 3.1 | 5.9 to 6.0 | 6.1 to 6.5

Approximate Percent
Dead After:

2 min.
5 min.

10 min.

30 min.

60 min.

after SHL, 1972

136

On the basis of limited data, SHL concluded that the cell growth and
photosynthesis of phytoplankton collected near the bottom of the sewage
sludge dump was inhibited. This inhibition in primary productivity can
be attributed to reduction in light intensity due to turbulence induced
by the dumping rather than to toxic properties, and is considered
quantitatively insignificant. In surface waters, an enhancement of
primary productivity would be expected due to the nutrification caused
by the sewage sludge. Since no net reduction in zooplankton populations
was observed, ocean dumping in the area has had little effect on phyto-
plankton.

e. Effects of Ocean Dumping on Bacterial Distribution. SHL con-
cluded that existence of coliform bacteria in the sediments and in the
waters of the New York Bight dumping grounds indicates the existence of
pathogenic bacteria. This conclusion was not confirmed by identification
of pathogens. Large populations of unidentified bacteria are found in
the surface waters of the dredge spoil disposal areas (Atlas 1972).
Mahoney (1972) relates the occurrence of coliform bacteria in the waters
near Sandy Hook with three genera of bacteria which have been associated
with pathogens resulting in fin-rot disease. The SHL study indicates
that the nutrient-rich waters of the dumping grounds could enhance the
presence of pathogens which could spread disease into uncontaminated and
ecologically important areas. The marine environment is foreign and
adverse to most bacteria found in sewage and sewage sludges.

The rapid reduction in the number of coliforms after dumping, is
probably illustrative of a rapid bacteria dié-off due to the disinfecting
capacity of sea water. Not only is the mortality of bacteria high, but
the rate of metabolism of the surviving bacteria is greatly reduced.
Mortality of bacteria would be even greater if the disposed wastes were
disassociated and dispersed.

In his study at the Hyperion outfall in Southern California, Hlavka
(1971) suggested that survival of coliform bacteria associated with
floating particulate matter may differ significantly from that generally
expected. Based on this hypothesis and the observation of floating
particulates in the Bight dumping areas, SHL concluded that there may
be a significant accumulation of bacteria at the water-air interface
and in the water column as the particulates sink. Determinations of
percentage floatable materials in wastes and rates of bacterial survival
following dumping may be necessary to qualify this conclusion. Systematic
analyses of sediments and samples from the water column should be ob-
tained in the dumping grounds, the Hudson Canyon, and adjacent areas of
the Bight to determine positively the existence of pathogenic organisms
and the extent of bacterial contamination. Millipore filter techniques
should be used to concentrate bacteria that may escape count by standard
test techniques.

f. Effects of Heavy Metals on Marine Organisms. Metals such as

cadmium, chromium, cobalt, tin, titanium, germanium and bismuth are
present in sea water in low concentrations, and are known to be

[Sit

concentrated by some marine organisms. Some of these elements may be
important in the skeletal mineralogy of these organisms, others may be
important for other biological reasons. Some marine animals may preferen-
tially concentrate one element over another. The body fluids of many
crustaceans, for example, contain copper as hemocyanin, a respiratory
pigment. High concentrations of certain heavy metals in the marine
environment may have a long-term adverse effect. The toxicity potential
of heavy metals and the biochemical uptake mechanism of marine organisms
depend on many physical and chemical factors which are not well under-
stood.

Total concentrations of heavy metals in the sediments, in the water
colum, and in organisms, are of little value in assessing the impact on
marine life. The concentrations of heavy metals, such as lead, chromium,
copper, antimony, zinc, silver, nickel, in the area of the dumping grounds
exceed concentrations of these elements in other undisturbed regions of
the Bight. The effects of these heavy metals on the marine populations
of this area have been difficult to assess.

Demersal and bottom-dwelling finfishes sampled by SHL within and at
the periphery of the sludge dumping grounds, come into direct or in-
direct contact with various waste pollutants including heavy metals.

The question is raised if any of the heavy metals contained in the
Sludge are absorbed by the fish. Preliminary results of SHL indicate
that some fish collected in the area of the dumping grounds have high
levels of heavy metals in their tissues. Levels of nickel, chromium,
and lead in fish and other organisms examined exceed those listed by
the Federal Water Pollution Control Administration (1968) as normal for
marine animals. It has not been demonstrated that high levels of heavy
metals adversly affect the health of fishes, although it is suspected.
Pippy and Hare (1969) claimed that certain metals predispose fish to
disease, but failed to show how.

Of several hundred (bony fish) analyzed for mercury by SHL, weakfish
(Cynoscion regalis) with fin-rot disease had the greatest amount of
mercury in their tissues. Compared with healthy weakfish collected off
the Virginia coast, which had an average of 0.31 ppm in liver tissue,
diseased fish from the N.Y. Bight had an average of 0.62 ppm mercury in
muscle tissue and 0.54 ppm in the liver. SHL data are insufficient to
correlate incidence of fin-rot in some finfishes to the heavy metals of
the waste disposal grounds. According to Jeffries (1968), the infection
can be caused by restricting the movement of fish.

Other bioassays in the laboratory have produced conflicting results.
Wilder (1952) reported that in aquaria lined with copper, zinc and lead,
marine organisms died in 1, 9 and 20 days respectively.

SHL bioassays with lobsters (Homarus americanus), held on sediments

from the sewage sludge area for 29 days, showed that these animals
developed necrotic areas on their gills and died. Chemical analyses of

138

their tissues did not show a high concentration of heavy metals. Be-
cause of such ambiguities, it is recommended that an intensive study be
undertaken to determine the mechanism of heavy-metal uptake by planktonic
and larger marine organisms. This is an important consideration in
assessing possible concentration of such heavy metals in the food chain.
Specific analyses should be performed on certain tissues of marine animals
to determine if preferential concentration of metals in such tissues
occurs, and the significance of such concentrations.

g. Effects of Organic Materials on Marine Organisms. Both sewage
sludge and dredge spoils contain large quantities of organic material.

Sewer sludges are particularly rich in organic material, ranging from
about 50 to about 80 percent of the dry weight. Most of these materials
consist of soluble acids, sugars, proteins, fats and esters, which are
not harmfulto marine life, and may be beneficial. Dredge spoils, al-
though containing lower concentrations of organic materials than sewage
sludges, may contain such dangerous constituents as pesticides and
petrochemicals. These materials are known to be absorbed by the lipid
and fatty tissues of marine animals, particularly by benthic organisms
such as oysters and clams, and to interfere with the lipid metabolism
and the enzymatic breakdown of fats into glycerids and fatty acids.

None of the studies completed in the New York Bight treated this
problem. A study of Penicillium, Nocardia, Micrococcus, Candida, and
other microbial organisms would be useful. Such organisms are known to
attack components of petrochemicals such as olefins and napthas, by
generating certain enzymes. An attempt should also be made in the
laboratory to identify chemically the harmful hydrocarbons, and to
check on the efficiency of micro-organisms to degrade them. Data from
such an investigation would be helpful in determining whether active
biodegradation of the oil-polluted dredge spoils occurs.

4. Sources of Coastal Pollution in the New York Bight

No evidence shows that ocean waste disposal is the most serious source
of pollution in the Bight. Of equal concern should be other sources of
pollution, such as sewer outfalls, river discharges, land runoff, vessel
discharges and accidental spills on land and sea.

Basic sources of coastal water pollution fall into two broad cate-
gories: easily identified point-of-origin sources such as municipal
waste treatment discharges and industrial plants, and waste from
diffuse or non-point sources such as silt or fertilizers washed into
streams during heavy rains as a result of agricultural and urban runoff.
Additional sources may be atmospheric precipitants, thermal discharges,
and accidental oil spills.

It is difficult to assign responsibility to any class of pollutants
or to single out and quantify their adverse environmental effects. In
the Bight, the adverse effects of coastal pollution from sources other
than ocean dumping have not been considered to date, even though coastal

139

wastes directly affect the immediate coastal environment. Up to 1972,

at least 130 municipal waste outfalls discharged directly into the waters
of the New York Bight (Table 19). The total flow was 1,843 million
gallons per day. Of this flow, 16 percent received no treatment, 27
percent received primary treatment, and only 57 percent received more
than primary treatment.

It was estimated that the yearly biochemical oxygen demand resulting
from municipal discharges of sewage directly into New York Harbor
exceeded 200,000 tons, which is probably greater than the oxygen demand
resulting from sewage sludge dumping at the ocean dumping grounds.

Up to 1972, millions of gallons of poorly treated municipal wastes
from 25 sewer plants were discharged along a 70-mile stretch from Sandy
Hook to Beach Haven. These discharges have continued in New Jersey for
more than 40 years in such municipalities as Asbury Park, Avon, Bay Head,
Beach Haven, Belmar, Bradley Beach, Deal, Lavallette, Long Beach, Long
Branch, Manasquan, Neptune City, Neptune Township, Ocean Grove, Point
Pleasant Beach, Sea Bright, Sea Girt, Seaside Heights, Seaside Park,
Ship Bottom, Spring Lake, Spring Lake Heights and Surf City. According
to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, which pro-
vided the New Jersey newspaper ''Star-Ledger" (3 October 1971) with this
listing, the daily capacity flows of waste treatment plants in these
municipalities total nearly 33 million gallons.

Other sources of wastes and pollutants that may reach New York
Harbor are municipalities and industrial facilities up the Hudson River.
It was estimated by Dole and Stabler (1909) that the "normal" sediment
load of the Hudson River was about 400,000 tons per yr. around 1900.
1960 estimates by Panuzio (1965) gave the sediment load at 830,000
tons per yr. According to Gross (1970), between 1964 and 1968, about
700,000 tons per yr. of wastes were dumped into the river, and may
have reached the Harbor. They were subsequently dredged up and barged
to the ocean dumping grounds of the Bight.

Although it is assumed that little suspended sediment in the outflows
of the Hudson and Raritan Rivers may find its way to the offshore environ-
ment of the New York Bight due to the configuration of the Upper and
Lower Bays and other physical barriers, this may not be true under certain
heavy rainfall and storm conditions. Under such conditions, a great
load of suspended sediments may reach the entrance of the harbor and be
deposited offshore in the Bight.

Considering circulation and natural drainage patterns, such deposition
probably occurs in the vicinity of the ocean dumping grounds and in the
the vicinity of the now-buried upper head of the Hudson Channel. Al-
though quantities of sediments resulting from such deposition cannot be
calculated with accuracy, estimates of sediment discharges by some U.S.
Atlantic Coast Rivers and other major rivers of the World, are given in
the literature. Tables 20 and 21 list such estimates. It is possible,
that because of natural sediment deposition and outflow of waters of

140

Table 19. Sewage Discharges in the New York—New Jersey Region of the Bight

Receiving Water Number Total Flow*
New York—New Jersey Metropolitan Area 57 1,682.0
Intracoastal Waters of Nassau County ¢ 8 76.0
Atlantic Ocean (New Jersey) 31 39.0
Intracoastal Waters of New Jersey Coastal Area § 34 46.0
Total 130 1,843.0

Ad Hoc Committee, 1970
* Million gallons per day

+ Includes the municipal wastewater discharges from New York and New
Jersey to: the Hudson River from the New Jersey—New York State
line; the Upper and Lower Bays of New York Harbor; the Raritan Bay;
the Arthur Kill; the Kill Van Kull; the East River and Jamaica Bay.

t Includes the municipal wastewater discharges from Nassau County,
New York to the intracoastal waters along the southern Long Island
shore.

§ Includes the municipal wastewater discharges from Monmouth, Ocean,
Atlantic, and Cape May Counties to the intracoastal waters along the
New Jersey eastern shore.

141

Table 20. Annual Suspended Sediment Discharge of Atlantic Coast Rivers

North Atlantic Region | 10° Tons per Year | Tons per Year per km? of Drainage Basin

(Rivers)

Connecticut
Hudson
Raritan
Delaware
Susquehanna
Potomac
James

South Atlantic Region
Rivers

Roanoke
Pee Dee
Santee
Savannah
Ogeeche
Altamaha

from Gross, (1969) after Dole and Stabler, 1909

Table 21. Suspended Solids Discharged by Major Rivers

10° Tons per Year} Tons per Year per km? of Drainage Basin

Niger
Amazon
Congo
Mississippi
Colorado
Rio Grande
Rhine
Yellow (Hwang Ho)
Ganges
Bramaputra
Mekong

400.0
71.0
344.0
149.0
9.4

0.5
2,083.0
1,600.0
800.0
187.0

from Gross, (1969) after Holeman

142

lower salinity in addition to waste disposed, the area never supported
large benthic populations. This however, cannot be ascertained since
base-line data on benthic populations before dumping is not available.

5. Remote Sensing and Surveillance System for Ocean Dumping Operations

Recent environmental legislation and concern over the environmental
impact of marine waste disposal hastened the improvement and regulation
of ocean dumping operations in the Bight. Accurate monitoring and
surveillance of dumping is essential for effective discharge of this
regulatory responsibility. It is important that the location and status
of each dumping activity is known, and that dumping is restricted to
the specified area.

Presently, due to the large volume of waste disposal in the Bight,
and because the number of patroling vessels is limited, not all opera-
tions are supervised, and ocean dumping is believed to be occurring
occasionally in localities other than the prescribed dump areas. The
extent and type of such violations, termed "short dumps,'' is not
exactly known. CERC contracted through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
N.Y. District with Sperry Rand Co. to study, consider, and evaluate
different combinations of navigational, dump detection, and recording
subsystems, to create a reliable remote monitoring system. The work by
Sperry was completed in 1971; the report is referenced in Literature
Cited. Because of the report's specialized technical nature, no analysis
is presented here and the interested reader.is referred to this original
report. Only a summary of the Sperry findings are given.

Specifically, Sperry Rand Co. considered and evaluated different
combinations of navigational, dump detection, and recording subsystems.
Navigational subsystems.such as differential omega, loran C., loran A,
shore-based radar with onboard radar beacons, and shore-based radio
direction finders with onboard transmitters, were coupled with dump-
detection devices, such as draft-and events-sensors, and recording appa-
ratus, such as onboard digital printers and shore-based recording
equipment.

Careful evaluation of candidate systems and of the Corps' require-
ments by Sperry, indicated that the preferred system for monitoring
ocean dumping operations should utilize loran A for position fixing, an
electronically activated dump-detection subsystem, and an onboard digital
printer subsystem. For self-propelled dumping vessels, the required
System would be installed in one single "black box." This basic system
is abbreviated as "LEPS'" (for Loran-Events-Loran-Printer-System). When
the dump sensing occurs on a towed barge or scow, the equipment on the
towed vessel would be called "SIDS" (for Scow, Indicating Draft System).

Attractive features of the Sperry recommended System, are its
containment in a single tamper-proof "black box," its portability, ease
of installation and maintenance, high reliability, high legal effectivity,
and simplicity of operation.

143

6. Alternate Ocean Dumping Sites

In the absence of acceptable alternate methods of waste disposal,
alternate disposal sites should be selected in areas where dumping can
be controlled and potential environmental hazards can be reduced.
Stopping dumping at the present grounds and starting dumping at another
location in the Bight, cannot be presently justified. Before selecting
an alternate dumping site; a comprehensive research program should be
undertaken which should include, physical, chemical, biological, and
geological studies of alternate dumping grounds. These preliminary in-
vestigations should establish basic reference figures of biomass distri-
bution before dumping, should furnish a detailed environmental description
of the proposed grounds, and should provide guidelines for assessing the
impact of dumping on the area.

Disposal of wastes at alternate sites should only begin after careful
consideration of the type of waste, the rates of disposal, and the
capacity of the area to absorb the waste and restore itself. A strict
monitoring program should be required to ensure that wastes are dumped
at the prescribed location and in the prescribed manner.

Selection of alternate dumping grounds in the New York Bight should
be decided only after consultation with other Federal and State agencies
and after thorough evaluation of many ecological, economic, political,
geographic, and international considerations.

7. Alternatives to Ocean Dumping

The Council on Environmental Quality, in its 1970 report to the
President, recommended that ocean dumping of materials harmful to the
marine environment or man should be stopped, that disposal of sewage
sludge and polluted dredge spoils should be phased out as soon as
possible, and that consideration should be given to alternate procedures
of waste disposal. (Council for Environmental Quality, 1970).

Alternative methods of waste disposal should be developed and
evaluated. Research should be conducted on the recycling of wastes,
and the technological development of processing facilities for the
separation of toxic materials from municipal wastes. Analysis of the
complex social, institutional, and economic aspects of waste management,
will be necessary.

To phase out the practice of ocean dumping and replace it with an
untried alternate of questionable benefit and of increased expenditure
does not appear logical. The ecological burden of alternate methods of
waste disposal to other resources should be examined carefully. Air
pollution and ground water contamination should be considered as an
integral part of the effects of alternate methods on a larger environ-
mental ecosystem. ;

144

Because of the economic and technical limitations presently imposed
by alternate waste disposal methods, and though ocean dumping is con-
sidered undesirable, it appears that this practice may persist until
the transition to other alternatives can be effectively implemented.

A detailed discussion of alternatives to ocean dumping is not within
the scope of this report. Such methods of waste disposal have been
described in the literature. These include farming to inland disposal
areas, creation of artificial islands, land filling with diking, land
reclamation, incineration, containerization and sea disposal, treatment
and land disposal, deep well injection, recycling, and treatment and
disposal in deeper waters.

145

SECTION V. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

Much data have been gathered primarily on the physical, chemical, and
biological characteristics of the waters and sediments of the New York
Bight, as related to disposal of waste materials such as sewage sludge,
dredge spoils and acid-iron wastes. The studies summarized in this re-
port were supported by the Corps of Engineers under contracts with the
Smithsonian Institution, the Sandy Hook Marine Laboratory of the National
Marine Fisheries Service, the State University of New York at Stony Brook,
the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and the Sperry Rand Corporation.

The studies completed to date, include hydrographic, geological,
chemical, biological investigations, and a feasibility study for a re-
motely controlled sensing system that could assist regulating agencies
in detecting the location and dump status of waste disposal vessels
operating in the New York Bight. Because of the specialized technical
nature of this latter study, only the major findings and conclusions of
the environmental studies on the effects of waste disposal are summarized
below:

Dispersion and Movement of Waste - The dispersion and movement of

waste materials after dumping were correlated with general circulation
patterns of the Bight deduced from surface and bottom drifter studies.
These circulation data indicate a strong flow at the bottom along the

axis of the Hudson - Ambrose Channel into the mouth of the Hudson

Estuary. Under tidal circulation the ebb in the Lower New York Bay is
generally stronger than the flood and there is a net transport of water
outward from the Hudson Estuary. The data also indicates that there is

a general clockwise circulation in the Bight. Surface flow shows a strong
seasonality, while mild seasonal variation is indicated for bottom flow.
During winter, surface flow in the Bight appears to be predominantly to
the southwest, away from the coast. At other times flow tended northward.
The preliminary studies did not incorporate the findings of water
circulation patterns, in detailed analysis of the distribution of
important constituents of the discharged waste in either the water

column or the benthos.

Evident, however, is that the extent of dispersion and movement of
waste materials in the Bight relates to water circulation. The studies
have shown the presence of high concentrations of organic materials in
the sediments of the dumping grounds and surrounding areas which
correlates well with the distribution pattern of coliform bacteria and
heavy metals. The slowly settling sewer sludge generally moves northward,
resulting in the deposition of organic material for some distance to the
north and northeast of the dumping grounds.

Circulation patterns in the Bight which were obtained by the use of
drifters, although useful for indicating the onshore component of net
water transport, cannot be correlated effectively to an isotropic dis-
persion, seasonal variances, or transport mechanisms of waste materials
of diverse physical properties. Similarly, such drifter studies cannot

146

quantify dispersion of wastes or correlate to water quality without con-
sidering the wastes' travel time and degree of dilution. The absence of
a thick waste layer in the present dumping grounds, indicated by the few
cores which were taken, suggests rapid degradation and assimilation of
the organic constituents of the waste, or lateral transport, or a down-
slope transport into the upper parts of the Hudson Canyon. Improved know-
ledge of the bottom and surface water circulation of this area, and use
of tracers will be required to determine the dispersion patterns and the
ultimate fate of waste materials dumped in the New York Bight.

Effects on Sediment and Water Characteristics - Chemical studies
provided data on the concentrations of important chemical substances in
the sediments and waters of the Bight dumping grounds and adjacent areas.
Determinations were made of the concentrations of phosphorus (ortho,
organic, meta, and total), nitrate, total iron, dissolved oxygen, and
chlorophyll-a in water samples. Temperature, salinity, turbidity and
pH were measured. Sediment samples were analyzed for heavy metals and
organic content.

The chemical studies determined that waste disposal results in an
increase in the nutrient concentration of the waters of the dumping
grounds and that the biochemical oxygen demand of the wastes during
summer reduces the dissolved oxygen concentration of bottom waters.

The studies defined areas with high carbonaceous content in the sediments,
and correlated such carbon-rich deposits with sewage and dredge spoils
dumped in the area, and with anomalously high concentration of heavy
metals such as silver, chromium, cadmium, copper, lead, nickel, and zinc.

Within the dumping grounds, concentrations of heavy metals exceeded
background values in other regions of the New York Bight. Heavy metal
concentrations greater than background were similarly found along the
upper part of the Hudson Canyon indicating movement of waste material
by bottom currents. Chemical studies conducted to date, although
qualitatively useful, can be regarded as preliminary.

Variations between studies in the estimates of the size and shape of
the waste-affected areas are attributed to different criteria used,
limitations of sampling, and differences in analytical procedures. The
data which have been produced, however, will be useful for further in-
vestigations. On the basis of present data, it can be concluded, at
least in qualitative terms, that ocean dumping has changed the chemical
characteristics of the waters and sediments of the dumping grounds and
adjacent areas, and that concentrations of certain parameters, especially
heavy metals, bacteria and organics exceed permissible limits. The
adverse effect is more pronounced near the bottom-sea interface.

Effects on Regional Ecology - Benthic meiofauna and macrofauna,

zooplankton, finfish and bacteria were studied. These studies reached
the following general conclusions:

147

(a) Benthic fauna in the immediate area of the dumping grounds is
directly affected by the dumping activities. The reduced number of
animals suggest that ocean dumping may have an adverse impact principally
on the meiofaunal communities of the dumping grounds which are food
resources for some marine fishes. Some benthic communities are affected
primarily by suffocation due to burial from the constant shower of waste
materials, and by reduction of the dissolved oxygen concentration of
bottom waters resulting from the wastes biochemical oxygen demand. The
economic and ecological importance of benthic communities in the area
have been difficult to assess. On the basis of data obtained, it is
concluded that higher concentrations of pollutants may destroy the meio-
fauna, and that meiofaunal animals are not indefinitely insensitive to
environmental deterioration. On the basis of present knowledge, however,
the relationship cannot be quantified.

(b) No short-term adverse effects have been observed on free float-
ing or swimming marine organisms. No effects were observed on zooplankton
species composition and distribution. Reported inhibition in the growth
of phytoplankton has not been substantiated. Similarly no apparent
adverse effects on fish abundance or species diversity were observed, but
due to physical limitations on sampling, such investigations are consider-
ed inconclusive.

(c) Coliform bacteria were found in high concentrations in the immedi-
ate area of the dumping grounds. The pattern of distribution of such
bacteria generally corresponded with that of heavy metals and organic
materials in the sediments. The possibility of pathogenic damage to fin-
fish, shell fish, and other important species, carries important impli-
cations requiring additional extensive field and laboratory investigations.
In view of the possible human hazard that could result from eating seafood
that may carry pathogens, it is recommended that studies of pathogenic
bacteria in the New York Bight be given high priority.

(d) The adverse biological effects of heavily polluted dredge spoils
may be more severe than those of sewage sludge.

(e) The long-term biological effects of toxic materials remain un-
determined.

The biological studies, although comprehensive in some respects, have
not answered many questions. The limited program of data collection has
not permitted the statistical treatment necessary for the evaluation and
quantification of the ecologic effects resulting from ocean dumping. The
absence of ecological base-line data, the long history of disposal
activities, and uncertainty concerning specific criteria for assessing
adverse biological effects,in addition to the limited funding provided
for these studies, have mitigated against drawing specific conclusions.

Comprehensive Conclusions - The studies supported by CERC generated
valuable data related to the disposal of sewage sludge, dredge spoils,

and acid-iron wastes, and have helped provide a more detailed and accurate

148

environmental description of the New York Bight dumping grounds than had
been available. These data suggest that the large volume of wastes being
dumped in the Bight and frequency of dumping has changed the marine
environment of the dumping grounds and adjacent areas. The possibility
of pathogenic and chemical damage to finfish and shellfish from the
disposal of waste materials, is a point which has not been answered but
which carries health implications requiring extensive field and laboratory
investigations.

Complex physical, chemical, and biological processes and interactions,
which are not completely understood, are at work and are responsible for
the accumulation, dispersion dilution, biodegradation, or removal of
wastes materials and their components from the marine environment of the
New York Bight. Although preliminary research work has contributed to a
basic understanding of the environmental impact of dumping in the present
waste disposal grounds of the New York Bight, it has left many questions
unanswered and has raised new questions. This work has assumed that most
of the observed adverse effects on the marine environment of the Bight
are the direct result of ocean dumping, while other important sources
of pollution are known to exist. Although it is difficult to assign
responsibility to any class of pollutants, untreated sewage from coastal
sources, agricultural and urban runoff, atmospheric precipitants, thermal
discharges, and oil spills may all be responsible for adverse environmental
effects in the New York Bight. The areal extent and magnitude of change
resulting from ocean dumping and from other sources of pollution in the
Bight remain to be demonstrated, separated, and quantified.

Due to the limited scope and funding of the short-term investigations
completed to date, the long history of waste disposal, and the absence of
base-line data, the basic mechanisms by which ecological changes occur
in the marine environment of New York Bight remain essentially unknown.
Comprehensive, long-term, interdisciplinary studies will be required to
determine the extent of these changes.

On the basis of data obtained to date, it is not recommended that the
dumping grounds of the New York Bight be shifted to new locations on or
beyond the Continental Shelf without adequately studying the long-term
effects of waste disposal on the marine environment.

When the use of present sites is discontinued, the sites should be
studied thoroughly for several years to assess the degree and rate of
changes. Such a program could yield much data on the recovery of the

present spoil grounds, and provide information useful in managing waste
disposal.

149

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159

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UNCLASS IF IED

Securit

Classification

(Security classification-of title, body of abstract and indexing annotation must be entered when the overall report Is classified
1. ORIGINATING ACTIVITY (Corporate author) 2a. REPORT SECURITY CLASSIFICATION
Department of The Army UNCLASSIFIED
Coastal Engineering Research Center (CERC)
“lea Buaslidanicugae
Fort Belvoir, Virginia 22060
3. REPORT TITLE

OCEAN DUMPING IN THE NEW YORK BIGHT: AN ASSESSMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

4. DESCRIPTIVE NOTES (Type of report and inclusive dates)

5. AUTHOR(S) (First name, middle initial, last name)

George Pararas-Carayannis

May 1973 = Ma 118

8a. CONTRACT OR GRANT NO. 9a, ORIGINATOR'’S REPORT NUMBER(S)

b. PROJECT NO. Technical Memorandum ‘jo. 39

9b. OTHER REPORT NO(S) (Any other numbera that may be aselgned
thia report)

10. DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT

Approved for public release; distribution unlimited.

11. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES” 12. SPONSORING MILITARY ACTIVITY
Department of the Army
Coastal Engineering Research Center
sean Building d
Fort Belvoir, Virginia 22060
13. ABSTRACT

Short-term studies on effects of ocean dumping in the New York Bight were contracted
by CERC. Studies included hydrographic, geological, chemical, biological investiga-
tions, and a feasibility study for a remote-controlled electronic sensing system to
detect the location and dump status of waste disposal vessels. Circulation patterns
were estimated by current meters and by seabed and surface drifters. Chemical analyses
were made of the concentration of phosphorus, nitrate, total iron, dissolved oxygen,
and chlorophyll-a. Temperature, salinity, turbidity and pH were measured. Scdiment
samples were analyzed for organic content and the heavy metals; and biological samples
for heavy metals and mercury. Included are studies of benthic meiofauna and macrofauna
zooplankton, finfish and bacteria and disposal of sewage sludge, dredge spoils and
acid-iron wastes. Findings are presented and analyzed for impact on ecology, water
quality, and total environmental effects.

« Rr 1473, | JAN 64, WHICH IS
DD P1473 sects son smav ee nen

Security Classification

UNCLASSIFIED

Security Classification

KEY WORDS

New York Bight
Ocean Dumping

| Sewage Sludge

| Dredge Spoil

} Acid-Iron Wastes
Waste Disposal

UNCLASSIFIED
25 90 4 Security Classification

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