Evaluation of dredged material proposed for ocean disposal from Liberty Island Anchorage, New York

Abstract

Sediment samples were collected from the Liberty Island Anchorage and Military Ocean Terminal in Bayonne, New Jersey (MOTBY), during a survey conducted from June 7 through June 10, 1994. Tests and analyses were conducted on Liberty Island Anchorage sediment core samples according to the manual developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Evaluation of Dredged Material Proposed for Ocean Disposal (Testing Manual), and the regional manual developed by the USACE-New York District (NYD) and EPA Region 11, Guidance for Performing Tests on Dredged Material to be Disposed of in Ocean Waters. The evaluation of proposed dredged material from Liberty Island Anchorage consisted of bulk sediment chemical analyses, chemical analyses of site water and elutriate, and water-column and benthic acute toxicity tests. Individual sediment core samples collected from Liberty Island Anchorage were analyzed for grain size, moisture content, and total organic carbon (TOC). A composite sediment sample, representing the entire area proposed for dredging, was analyzed for bulk density, metals, chlorinated pesticides, polychlorinated-biphenyl (PCB) congeners, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), 1,4-dichlorobenzene, and dioxin/furan congeners. Site water and elutriate water, prepared from the suspended- particulate phase (SPP) of Liberty Island Anchorage sediment, were analyzed for metals, pesticides, and PCBS.