Procedural Guide for Designation Surveys of Ocean Dredged Material Disposal Sites. Revision

Abstract

Abstract : This procedural guide has been prepared to meet the needs of the Corps of Engineers, the Environmental Protection Agency, and ocean scientists who have been or will be called upon to carry out site surveys for the designation of dredged material disposal sites in the marine environment. Some of the guide's basic purposes are to detail what oceanographic parameters are to be studied, and to stipulate how to collect samples in the field and to analyze them in the laboratory. Another major goal of the guide is to clarify the role of the monitoring program that may be instituted at each site pursuant to final designation and to relate its content to the original ocean survey. Because the scientific content of the surveys is related in part to physical characteristics of the sites, the specifications of existing U.S. dredged material disposal sites, such as size, depth of water, and distance from shore, and their distribution among coastal Corps Districts are discussed in the first three chapters. Here also there is a brief discussion of the common features of the oceanography of the U.S. continental shelf because over 80 percent of all existing marine sites are located on the shelf. A substantial part of the guide is then devoted to the selection of oceanographic variables to be measured in the field, along with the rationale for placement of sampling stations. At this point also, the reader will find guidance in the selection of sampling gear and how to use it effectively at the selected stations.