The application of the equilibrium partitioning pproach for establishing sediment quality criteria at two UK sea disposal and outfall sites

Abstract

A brief review is presented of various approaches to the setting of sediment quality criteria at marine disposal sites. The EPA Equilibrium Partitioning Approach is favoured as providing a scientific approach for setting such criteria, for both metals and organic pollutants. The criteria derived for a number of metals and organic contaminants are compared with the metal/biological data at two UK marine disposal sites. Good agreement is found between predicted and observed effects. The partitioning approach enables the use of a simple graphical interpretation of survey data for the assessment of degree of contamination, a marked improvement on current UK practice.