Most harbors in the world suffer from the constant accumulation of sediment washed into shipping channels from inland sources or rearranged on the harbor floor. Sediment containing potentially hazardous amounts of contamination was not recognized as an environmental health concern until the 1970s, when federal regulations were enacted that severely limited the ability to dispose of sediment in the traditional and least expensive manner: by dumping it in the ocean.

But in March 1997, the National Research Council (NRC), in its report Contaminated Sediments in Ports and Waterways: Cleanup Strategies and Technologies, estimated that in the United States approximately 14-28 million cubic yards of contaminated sediments, or approximately 5-10% of all sediments dredged in the country, must be managed in some way each year.

The contamination in each harbor comes from a unique blend of sources, including industrial discharges, sewage discharges, automobile emissions, agricultural runoff, atmospheric pollution, and fuel leaking from the ships themselves. This mix of contaminants in the sediment creates problems of unusual complexity for both analysis and management, and research organizations and federal agencies are striving to identify cost-effective means for cleaning up the pollution.